How to create a web application

Web application development is a skill that is much in demand right now, and with the growing need and trend of web applications, it is rather beneficial for most companies to have one. This is a beginner’s guide to creating a web application.

Before we get into it, what exactly is a web application? Simply put, web application development is building a program that solves some kind of problem. It is an interactive program that is built with technologies like HTML, CSS, and JS. These web applications are accessed with the help of browsers.

Nowadays,  there is a new buzzword in the web application world: progressive web application. But what is a progressive web application? These web applications are newer applications that behave just like native applications but outperform them significantly. Progressive web applications can usually be downloaded and placed on your home screen (similar to native apps) but can also be accessed without having an internet connection.

More and more companies are moving towards releasing progressive web applications given their convenience to users.

Some examples for web applications for a clearer understanding are Mailchimp, Google docs, Notion, Airtable, Xero, and salesforce.

Here is a list of basic actionable steps that can be followed by a beginner when it comes to making a webpage:

• Ascertain the problem that you plan to solve Defining the problem you are solving is a crucial step in this process, considering it is your motivation behind doing the whole thing. Use it as a guiding star to make other decisions while building your web application.

• Outline the workflow of your web application Once you know the problem you are solving and how you are solving it, flesh it out further and start focusing on how to do so. How you would navigate this challenge.

• Create a wireframe or a prototype of your web application Using the workflow you have created make a wireframe or a prototype and add in more details as you go. A wireframe is simply a tool that is used to communicate to internal and external members about the solution, mainly used to avoid miscommunication.

• Seen relevant feedback and validation Go ahead and present your prototype to target audiences and other experts whose opinion you value, this will give you a fresh perspective on things and help you work out any small mistakes and errors that might have been overlooked in the process (and there most likely will be errors that have been overlooked).

• Pick firepower At this stage go ahead and pick out the tools and platforms you will be engaging with to see this application to fruition. It is necessary to pick the most optimum tools and platforms so take some time and consult before making any concrete decision. This essentially affects your entire project and must be undertaken with prudence.

• Build your web application There are three elements to building a web application, namely, data, frontend, and backend. Make sure you section them accordingly and have specialized teams to do each of these tasks. Ascertain the kind of data you will need and populate your database with the same, building the frontend and the backend is where the real work is and require hands-on specialists to execute.

• Test out the web application Testing out the web application is a crucial step that can not be ignored, ideally, it must be tested at every stage along the way for bugs and errors that need fixing. The testing phase must test out parameters like usability, functionality, compatibility, security, and of course performance.

• Host and deploy the web application Hosting a web application is the process of running it on a web server. This will require you to buy a domain and choose a  cloud hosting provider. Deploying it after that would require to use of a CI tool.

Some backend frameworks worth exploring are as follows:

• Rails wrote in ruby
• Django wrote in python
• Laravel wrote in PHP

Some frontend frameworks worth exploring are as follows:

• React
• Vue
• Svelte

On a concluding note, building a web application is a significant amount of work, and choosing to build one from scratch is all the more work. However, the decision to build one must be given some thought beforehand.