Web Application Development: A 101 Guide for Business Owners

Emerging nearly 20 years ago, web applications have become essential for business growth across companies of all sizes, thanks to their accessibility and cross-platform compatibility. Nevertheless, successful web app development involves significant effort in aligning technology with business objectives, creating an effective tech strategy, and constructing a scalable architecture to address your current and future needs.

This article will help you understand all these specifics. Here, we explain the key steps of building a web application and what tools and frameworks can be used. You’ll also learn more about MobiDev’s experience and the future of web app development. Let’s start with the basics. 

What is a Web Application and How Does It Work?

There are two approaches to web development. The traditional method involves building apps that are accessible directly through web browsers, such as Chrome, Firefox, or Safari, without requiring users to download or install them on their devices. In contrast, Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) can be installed on devices and function effectively on both desktop and mobile.

Here’s how web apps work: when a user interacts with a web app, their actions send a request to the web server over the Internet. The server processes the request using an application server and a database, and then sends the necessary information back to the user’s browser. This interaction allows web apps to deliver dynamic, real-time experiences. Examples include apps for online banking, email, project management, or shopping, all designed to make everyday tasks more convenient and accessible from any location.

Unlike websites that serve as an informational platform with static content, web applications are more interactive and allow users to perform specific tasks online.

Web App Development Advantages for Your Business

Web app development offers numerous advantages for businesses looking to improve efficiency, reach a wider audience, and improve collaboration. Here are some of the key benefits:

1. 24/7 Accessibility: Web apps are accessible at any time and from anywhere, as long as the user has an Internet connection. This flexibility allows businesses to reach customers beyond geographical boundaries, making operations truly global. It also enables employees to work remotely and access essential tools and data whenever needed.
2. Cost-Effective Development: Unlike mobile apps that require separate versions for different platforms (iOS and Android), web apps operate through a single interface on any browser. This significantly reduces development time and costs, making it a more budget-friendly solution for businesses.
3. Easy Data Access and Security: Web apps store data on remote servers (cloud storage), making them easily accessible from any device with internet access. This ensures that data is always up to date and reduces the risk of data loss due to hardware failures. Additionally, cloud storage provides secure data backup, enhancing overall data security.
4. Enhanced Productivity and Collaboration: Web apps enable real-time data sharing and collaboration among team members, streamlining workflows and improving productivity. Departments can easily exchange information, delegate tasks, and track progress, which is especially beneficial for project management and customer relationship management (CRM) systems.
5. Easy Maintenance and Updates: Since web apps run on remote servers, any updates or changes made are instantly available to all users. There’s no need for third-party moderation or lengthy approval processes, unlike with mobile apps. This makes it easier to maintain, update, and expand web apps as needed.
6. Scalability: As businesses grow, web apps can be easily scaled by adjusting server resources or integrating third-party APIs. This flexibility allows businesses to adapt their web app to meet evolving needs without significant redevelopment, making it an ideal solution for companies looking to expand.

Web app development services provide businesses with a cost-effective, scalable, and highly accessible solution. It can enhance productivity, collaboration, and data management, but specific benefits depend on the type of web app.  

Types and Examples of Web Applications

Web applications come in different types, each suited to various business needs. Knowing these types can help choose the right one for your goals, whether it’s improving user engagement, streamlining tasks, or growing your online presence. The table below provides an overview of the main web application types by technology, with examples, use cases, and their advantages and challenges.

The web application development process involves several critical steps, each requiring careful attention to ensure the final product is functional, user-friendly, and meets business requirements. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

1. Information Gathering

This initial stage involves understanding the project’s goals, target audience, features, and expected outcomes. It’s essential to gather comprehensive information about the business’ needs, user expectations, and the problem the web app aims to solve. Special attention should be given to defining clear objectives, as this foundation guides the entire development process.

2. Planning & Blueprint Creation

In this phase, developers create a roadmap for the project, which includes flowcharts and wireframes outlining the web app’s structure and functionality. It’s crucial to collaborate closely with stakeholders to ensure the proposed layout aligns with the project’s vision and user expectations. This step lays the groundwork for how users will navigate and interact with the app.

3. UX/UI Design

UX/UI designers focus on creating the visual and interactive elements of the web application, such as color schemes, icons, graphics, and overall user experience. This stage involves translating the wireframes into mockups that represent how the app will look and feel. Close communication between designers and developers ensures that the design is both visually appealing and functional.

4. Programming & Development

This stage is about coding the web app’s front-end and back-end functionalities. Front-end development involves building the parts that users interact with, while back-end development focuses on server-side logic, database management, and integrations. It’s vital to maintain a consistent flow of communication between developers to ensure seamless integration of all components.

5. Content Writing & Labeling

During this step, the focus is on creating clear, concise, and user-friendly content for the web app, including headings, instructions, button labels, and error messages. Effective content improves usability and guides users through the app, so it’s crucial to ensure the copy is both informative and engaging.

6. Testing & Quality Assurance

Thorough testing ensures the web app functions correctly, is secure, and offers a seamless user experience. Testing should cover different aspects, such as functionality, usability, compatibility, performance, security, and web accessibility testing. Addressing any issues early on prevents complications after launch, ensuring a smoother release.

7. Deployment & Launch

Once the web app passes all testing stages, it’s deployed to a live environment. Configuring server settings, domain names, and security certificates is essential to ensure smooth deployment. This stage also involves setting up monitoring tools to track performance and user interactions.

8. Maintenance & Updates

Post-launch, continuous maintenance ensures the web app remains functional, secure, and up-to-date. Regular updates, bug fixes, and feature enhancements keep the application relevant and aligned with evolving user needs and technological advancements. 

The Popular Web Development Frameworks and Tools

When developing web applications, choosing the right frameworks and tools is crucial for building a functional, scalable, and efficient solution. However, it’s important to understand that trending web technologies are just tools to achieve your goals. Instead of focusing on the most popular frameworks, work with experienced software consultants who can help identify the most suitable technologies for your project. 

Frontend Frameworks for Web App Development

• React: Highly popular JavaScript framework for building dynamic single-page applications (SPAs). 
• Angular: A comprehensive JavaScript framework with two-way data binding, ideal for large enterprise applications.
• Vue.js: Another JavaScript framework known for its simplicity and flexibility, great for both beginners and complex projects.
• Blazor: A modern .NET-based framework for building web interfaces using C# compiling to web assembly.
• Flutter: A cross-platform tool that supports the web. The most effective for building PWAs or SPAs that can be compiled as web assembly apps or JS apps.

Backend Frameworks for Web App Development

• Node.js: Efficient for building scalable, real-time applications with JavaScript on the server side.
• Django: A Python-based framework with a “batteries-included” philosophy, suited for data-driven apps.
• Ruby on Rails: Emphasizes convention over configuration, making it ideal for rapid development.
• ASP.NET: An open-source web framework developed by Microsoft for building dynamic web applications and services using .NET.

Databases

1. Relational (SQL):

• MySQL: Widely used for structured data and complex queries.
• PostgreSQL: Offers advanced features like JSON support, and is great for data integrity

2. NoSQL:

• MongoDB: Ideal for unstructured data and scalability.
• Firebase: Real-time data handling, suitable for mobile and web apps.
• DynamoDB: Provides fast and predictable performance with seamless scalability.

APIs

• RESTful: Widely adopted for structured data exchange
• GraphQL: Flexible querying, ideal for complex data requirements
• gRPC: Perfect for projects with high-performance communication requirements

Read also:

API Development Guide: What to Keep in Mind When Building API-Focused Products

Cloud & DevOps Tools

• AWS / Azure: Cloud platforms for scalable infrastructure
• Docker: Containerization for consistent deployment
• Kubernetes: Orchestration tool for managing containers at scale

6 Best Practices for Web Application Development

Let’s dive into some of the web app development best practices that will help you to build a successful product. 

1. Building for Scalability

Scalability is something you need to consider in advance to avoid costly changes in the future. Planning for scalability prepares your app for future growth and helps you adapt to changing business needs.

Here are some of the aspects you need to pay attention to:

• Choosing the right architecture: Whether it’s microservices that break down the app into smaller services, serverless architecture that automatically scales resources based on demand, or some hybrid approach, make sure it aligns with your strategic goals.
• Database optimization: Utilize databases that align with your required scaling level and implement techniques such as sharding (distributing data across multiple databases) or replication (duplicating data across multiple instances).
• Auto-scaling: Use cloud services that support auto-scaling, allowing your infrastructure to automatically adjust based on traffic and load if your application has inconsistent and unpredictable traffic patterns.

2. Following Web Development Principles

It’s crucial to establish an effective development process to ensure the best results. The most important part of the start is to find the right approach. Following proven development principles like the Twelve-Factor App methodology is a great way to do this. These principles can be transformed into the following advice:

1. There should be a single codebase for a deployed service, which can be utilized for multiple deployments.
2. All dependencies must be explicitly declared, avoiding any implicit reliance on system tools or libraries.
3. Separate configuration files and application code base.
4. All the variety of services your web app runs, have to stay detached.
5. Build, release, and run each software development stage separately.
6. Make processes, stateless, and store the data outside the web application.
7. Keep software self-contained and export services via port binding.
8. Apply the process model with no sharing.
9. Stay sustainable with fast launching and shutting down processes.
10. Keep development, staging, and production stages as similar as possible.
11. A good practice for collecting application logs is to perceive them as event streams.
12. Manage admin activities as one-off processes.

3. Implementing Responsive Design

Responsive design enables users to view the web app on different devices – the content flows freely across screen resolutions and sizes. The web app with a responsive design can rely on CSS media queries, flexible images, and fluid grids. The list of available tools and libraries includes Bootstrap, Foundation, and CSS grid layout (native CSS feature). 

4. Ensuring Optimal Speed and Performance

When building a web app, factors like the tech stack, content, and web application architecture affect its speed. Regular testing and optimization are essential to keep load times fast. Even a one or two-second improvement can significantly boost retention. 

To achieve this, you first of all need to understand how to measure performance. For example, the RAIL model provides a framework for improving performance by breaking down the user experience into key actions and helping you set performance goals for each and find ways to achieve them. 

General recommendations include reducing the size of graphic assets like images and animations by using compressed formats such as JPEG. Another key factor is latency — the time it takes for data to travel from your server to the user. While you can’t always control network traffic, Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) help by distributing data to servers globally, reducing latency. 

Also, use caching strategies (e.g., Redis, Memcached) to store frequently accessed data, reducing the load on your database.

5. Prioritizing Security

Web application security is a key concern for web apps, and hosting them yourself makes it easier to monitor and resolve issues. However, it’s important to stay alert to potential threats.

The OWASP Top 10 list identifies the most critical security vulnerabilities for web applications. One common risk is Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, where hackers overwhelm a server with traffic, causing it to crash. Using DDoS protection software can detect and redirect this traffic before it affects your app. 

Another risk is cross-site scripting (XSS), where attackers alter server requests to steal data or redirect users. To mitigate these threats, implement secure coding practices and a multi-layered security approach, which helps protect your app’s infrastructure and minimize damage from attacks.

6. Testing and Maintaining Code Quality

Testing should be an ongoing process throughout development. Regularly test the app’s performance, security, and compatibility on different devices and browsers. Using automated testing tools helps catch issues early, reducing the risk of larger problems later on.

To maintain code quality, keep HTML, CSS, and JavaScript separate, use version control systems to manage changes, and ensure your code is well-documented. Also, regularly test the app’s performance, security, and compatibility on different devices and browsers. Using automated testing tools helps catch issues early, reducing the risk of larger problems later on.

MobiDev’s Experience in Web Development: Success Stories

The MobiDev team has led multiple web app development projects that helped our clients achieve their business goals. Let’s discover some of them.   

Success Story #1: Building a PWA for a Draft Beverage Management Platform for Bars and Restaurants

Client’s Request: BarTrack, a USA-based company, sought to revolutionize the draft beverage industry with a smart IoT solution that integrates real-time insights on draft systems, inventory, and operational efficiency. They needed a development team to help create a unified management platform and provide integration with POS systems.

Solution: MobiDev’s dedicated team proposed a Progressive Web Application (PWA) to manage data across multiple devices, integrating with several popular POS systems to provide detailed analytics and automated BI reporting. A digital menu solution was also developed to display real-time beverage information on TV screens. MobiDev collaborated closely with BarTrack’s in-house team, handling frontend development and analytics platform creation.

Business Outcomes: BarTrack experienced significant growth, expanding its partnerships and product offerings, including the launch of The Smart Draft System with advanced monitoring features. In 2023, the company reported over 300% growth compared to 2022, solidifying its position as an industry leader.

Full case study:

DEVELOPING DRAFT BEVERAGE SMART MANAGEMENT PLATFORM FOR BARS AND RESTAURANTS

Success Story #2: Developing a Web-based Interviewing Solution for Law Enforcement

Client’s Request: An Australian-based company approached MobiDev to develop an online platform for law enforcement agents and private detectives in Australia and Great Britain. The goal was to create a solution that would streamline investigative interview planning and reduce paperwork.

Solution: MobiDev developed IMS TILES, an investigative interview planning tool that functions as a robust web application, supporting both desktop and mobile platforms. Utilizing technologies like JavaScript and a custom backend, the system was designed to align with the theory of conversation management, enabling efficient work before, during, and after interviews.

MobiDev were methodical in their planning and meticulous in their analysis of my requirements. They delivered value at every stage of my project. My experience was to quickly forget that you were separated from the team by distance and time. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend MobiDev as a technology partner.

Daren Jay

Director of Interview Management Solutions

Business Outcomes: The unique solution has been successfully implemented by law enforcement and educational institutions, including Charles Sturt University. The TILES System software is now widely adopted for investigation training, enhancing efficiency and effectiveness in the field.

Full case study:

Interviewing Software For Law Enforcements

The Future of Web App Development

The web app development market is evolving, with a growing emphasis on responsive design, progressive web apps (PWAs), and enhanced user experiences. Developers are increasingly incorporating AI chatbots, leveraging AI-based tools like GitHub Copilot, and embracing serverless architecture for streamlined backend management. 

Animated UI, engaging UX, and dark mode have also gained traction as essential elements for captivating users. TypeScript adoption and component-driven design remain popular for creating more maintainable and scalable codebases, while headless CMSs with visual experiences enhance content management. At the same time, API-first development is becoming increasingly vital for seamless integration and continues to occupy an important place in the list of trending web development technologies.

MobiDev merges established practices with the latest market trends to provide web app solutions tailored to various business needs. Whether you’re looking to create your web app from the ground up or tackle specific challenges in developing outstanding features, we have the resources to assist you. With over 14 years of experience in building, scaling, and modernizing software products, our team will deliver a tech solution that aligns with your strategic objectives.

Feel free to check out our web application development services or contact us directly to discuss your needs.