We might not realize it, but we use custom web apps daily. This could be your organization’s sales CRM or your bank’s Net Banking facility. Each custom web development app is designed to help us complete a specific task or set of tasks- it could be anything that we need to do on our computers.
A custom web application is indispensable for any organization. It saves time, money, and effort- automating many tasks that would otherwise require a human to do.
This does not mean a custom web application is beyond small organizations’ needs. There are technologies available that can fulfill all of your unmet business process needs. What you require is a custom web development company that’ll make you a web application tailored to your needs.
Commonly-used web applications for most business uses
Technically, it is possible to make web applications for almost all types of business requirements. However, what matters is how your organization’s specific needs are met with the web application. Here are some commonly-used customized web applications.
E-commerce websites-
If you sell a product or service, an e-commerce website is the biggest investment you make. You can make an e-commerce website from scratch, integrate an e-commerce plugin to your website or do many things that can help you sell your stuff online. Although you can avail of plug-and-play e-commerce solutions, investing in your e-commerce website is always recommended for data security, customer satisfaction, and future requirements.
Portal web applications-
These have varied uses. For instance, multinationals have a dedicated portal for each of their company functions. Portals help people to interact with your business in real-time. They can include features like chat, email, forums, search engines, etc. With the help of a portal web application, organizations can control what information goes to whom. For example, banks have a separate portal web application for routine tasks from the customer’s end, employee’s end, and other stakeholders’ end.
CMS web applications-
A Content Management System(CMS) web application is a handy tool to control what is published on your website. Some CMS applications allow you to conceptualize and design a new page, manage visitor interactions and do much more. Many of these CMS applications are custom-made to suit individual requirements. Here is where Custom web development services come into play.
Technologies used in Web application development
Getting a web application made requires the use of various frameworks. Most of them require a team of people to code the web app. Here are some of the frameworks used-
Front-end technologies
There are many efficient technology frameworks used for front-end web application development. These include-
AngularJS-
Developed by Google, AngularJS is used to make dynamic web apps. It also uses HTML for static web pages.
ReactJS-
One of the most popular technology frameworks, ReactJS is used for developing large-scale, complex web apps.
VueJS-
A relatively new JavaScript(JS) framework, it has many tools within a library to make complex large single-page apps.
Database technologies
MySQL is by far the most widely used database technology. Others that are equally popular include Oracle and PostgreSQL.
Oracle has a strong market lead when it comes to corporate and commercial databases while PostgreSQL is a free, open-source data management system based primarily on UNIX.
Backend technologies
For custom backend web application development, Python is generally the most used programming language. It uses various frameworks to fulfill aspects of the allocated tasks.
Django-
This can meet all backend web development tasks. It replaces PHP as the main backend web application development framework.
NodeJS-
Known to be easy-to-use and modern, it helps to develop lightweight and fast apps.Node.JS enables fast serving time and helps software run on various hosts.
Ruby-
Easy to code, Ruby has an active community that helps solve issues whenever needed. It is also quite easy to learn.
7 steps to develop a web application
Developing a web application needs to be done systematically. Here are the steps that are followed-
- Identify unmet needs and issues to solve- First, the web application developer will understand your requirement in detail and ask relevant questions that may concern him.
- Make a strategy for the web apps workflow- Next, the web application developer would prepare an implementation strategy for the web application. He would estimate the time taken to get the app made and set deadlines for the work.
- Prototype the web app- Here the web app development firm would prepare a prototype of the web app so you get a feel of what to expect.
- Get validation- Show this prototype to people who will use the app. This would help them to understand how the app would feel and suggest changes to it.
- Select the right technologies- Based on your usage patterns, the web application developer would select the frameworks and technologies in which to make the web app.
- Test your web application- As and when various features of the web app are developed, it is then time to test the app from both your and the web application developers’ end.
- Host and Deploy the app- When the app is ready for use, it can be hosted on a server. You will also have to purchase a domain and a cloud hosting provider. Once the web application is being used by the intended users, then comes the part when you have to maintain it, fix bugs, and update it as and when necessary.
Summing Up
Technology has evolved to such an extent that every organization can have its own web application customized to its needs. This is one of the biggest assets of the organization and requires continuous investments to create, maintain and update it. The days when custom web applications were only affordable by multinationals are long gone.
