Web Application Architecture: Components, Models, and Best Practices
Web application architecture is crucial to developing effective business apps. This article will explore the foundational components, models, and standards of web app architecture, including its tiers, codes, and components. A quality-driven architecture with an intuitive interface facilitates the flow of data and information, helping businesses achieve their goals. To future-proof and scale your architecture while keeping costs down, it’s important to understand what constitutes good architecture. Learn all about web application architecture, its components, and modules in this comprehensive guide.
Understanding Web Application Architecture
Web application architecture determines how different components of an application are connected and communicate with each other. It establishes the client-server communication and the server that manages the communication.
Web applications follow a specific architecture that defines how components are linked and how the client and server connect. Regardless of the application’s size or complexity, they all follow a similar architectural structure, but with unique details.
By understanding the request-response process and its components, developers can grasp the functioning of web application architecture. This understanding includes learning the simple request-response cycle.
Importance of Web App Architecture
A flexible web app architecture is crucial for the growth of your business app. Outdated structures can cause stagnation and hinder expansion. Well-planned web apps provide an excellent user experience, are current, and meet business needs. In addition, breaking the design into small components shortens development time and allows easier incorporation of new features. A future-proof app, with multiple security barriers, helps to mitigate security risks and allows easy integration of new functions while maintaining low latency.
Understanding Web Application Architecture
Every application comprises two essential parts:
Client-Side Code: Is the code composed of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, located on the user’s machine that handles user behavior.
Server-Side Code: Contains the logic to cater to HTTP requests and manage transactions. It uses languages like Java, PHP, Ruby, and Python.
Using a database server has an additional advantage of providing requested data to the server-side.
Working of Web App Architecture
The architecture of a web application framework is layered: presentation, business, persistence, and database tiers. While small applications use a business and persistence layer as one unit, larger applications have five or six layers.
Presentation Layer:
– Composed of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and its frameworks.
– Provides an HTML template for the presentation and browser interaction.
Business Layer:
– Contains the business logic and rules.
– Handles the execution of the business logic and instructions specified in the browser request.
– Passes the execution to the presentation layer.
Persistence Layer:
– The Data Access Layer of the persistence layer.
– Connects to the business layer to manage data retrieval and storage.
– Retrieves data from database servers.
Database Layer:
– Separates the business from the client-side for data integrity.
– Connected to business logic to protect data integrity.
Each layer operates independently and handles its problems. Changing one layer without disturbing the other components reduces the future burden of alterations.
WEB APP COMPONENTS
Web application components have two parts:
* User Interface – Consists of activity logs, configuration settings, dashboards, statistics, widgets, and notifications that enhance the user experience. They are purely for display and do not impact the web page appearance.
* Structural Components – These are client-side and server-side components that work with web applications. They use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
The web app’s server handles business logic. It is made up of server-side components built with PHP, Java, Python, Node.js, .NET, and Ruby on Rails.Different Web Application Models
In order to ensure the best performance for your company’s app, Simform always chooses the most appropriate architecture model. We evaluate the following factors to determine if it’s a good fit for your web application:
– A single server and database is outdated and not recommended for established firms.
– Using a database with multiple servers reduces the risk of data loss, but a website crash is still possible.
– Two database storage options can reduce performance risks by storing data on all servers or distributing it evenly.
Code:
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Different Web Application Models
In order to ensure the best performance for your company’s app, Simform always chooses the most appropriate architecture model. We evaluate the following factors to determine if it’s a good fit for your web application:
- A single server and database is outdated and not recommended for established firms.
- Using a database with multiple servers reduces the risk of data loss, but a website crash is still possible.
- Two database storage options can reduce performance risks by storing data on all servers or distributing it evenly.
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TYPES OF WEB APPLICATION ARCHITECTURE
In app development, selecting the appropriate architecture based on the app’s logic and functionality is essential. The correct architecture defines the product’s objective. There are four types of web applications:
1. Single-page applications (SPA)
2. Server-side rendered applications (SSR)
3. Microservices or service-oriented architecture (SOA)
4. Progressive web applications (PWA)
Each architecture has its unique features and benefits and can cater to specific app requirements.
SINGLE PAGE APPLICATIONS FOR AN INTUITIVE USER EXPERIENCE
Single Page Applications (SPAs) are designed to provide an easy-to-use user experience without the common difficulty of constructing smooth apps. With SPAs, a single web page loads, and its data is updated with dynamically generated content instead of loading a new page.
JavaScript frameworks are used to develop SPAs on the client-side and receive the same logic as the back end, resulting in a seamless user experience. Our project, Food Truck Spaces, was built with AngularJS and ASP.Net API, automating the connection of event organizers, property owners, and food entrepreneurs. This web application automatically books, advertises, and handles online transactions for users.
MICROSERVICE ARCHITECTURE
Microservice architecture has surpassed monolithic architectures in solving complicated problems by utilizing asynchronous functions through a multitude of services. APIs facilitate communication between services while remaining loosely associated. Deploying web apps is simpler since microservices do not have coupled parts. This eliminates the difficulty of deploying service components in a monolithic manner. Microservices have prevented the need for multiple service components and the difficulty of deploying them. Companies like Amazon, Netflix, SoundCloud, Comcast, and eBay are renowned for utilizing microservices.
Understanding Serverless Architecture
Serverless architecture is a design pattern that allows you to build and run applications without human intervention on servers managed by third-party cloud service providers such as Amazon and Microsoft. It is divided into two types as Backend-As-A-Service (BaaS) and Function-As-A-Service (FaaS).
Developers using BaaS don’t need to worry about backend operations as the back-end is served entirely by the cloud service provider. FaaS is an event-driven model that allows developers to concentrate on coding and event triggers.
We collaborated with FIH to build a highly scalable and reliable web app using headless CMS, React, and integrated APIs to support serverless features. We used Amazon EC2 to handle the enormous traffic, Amazon S3 to store videos, and Amazon CloudFront as a CDN.
Progressive Web Applications
Google introduced Progressive Web Applications (PWAs) in 2015 to provide an application-like user experience with enhanced features, reliability, and easy installation. PWAs function on any browser and device, including tablets and desktops, with discovery and sharing through URLs instead of app stores. They can be easily added to a device’s home screen and work seamlessly even with poor internet connectivity or offline mode. Many leading businesses such as Uber, Aliexpress, Alibaba, Pinterest, and Starbucks have developed their products using PWA websites.
Best Practices for Web Application Architecture
When designing a web app, it’s crucial to choose the right architectural patterns. While popular apps may seem like a great starting point, mimicking them can be harmful. Instead, follow these guidelines for optimal architecture:
– Reduce failures for enhanced system performance and management.
– Prioritize component reusability.
– Ensure well-formed and well-thought-out code.
– Design for high scalability and stability.
– Conduct A/B testing to detect bugs.
– Use security standards.
– Create sections for user feedback.
Here are some tools and practices to create the best web app experience:
– Use IDEs such as WebStorm, GitHub’s Atom, NetBeans, and AWS Cloud9.
– Utilize UX Builder tools like Figma, Sketch, and InVision to enhance user experience.
– Implement integration tools such as MuliSoft, Cleo, JitterBit, and Automate.io for a seamless user experience.
– Use popular frameworks such as React, Angular, Python, and Express to build quality products.
Optimizing Web Application Architecture
A successful web application architecture must adapt to changing demands while ensuring user communication is both rapid and secure. Even minor errors can negatively impact the lifespan of a product. A well-designed architecture is crucial to the success of any modern web application. Without it, an application may function, but with precise architecture, the best apps can be produced.
Additional Resources
Here are some resources related to web development:
- Web Development Projects
- Web Development Books
- Web Development Tools
- How to Become a Web Developer?
- Web Developer Skills
- Web Developer Salary
- Web Development Frameworks
