At the heart of Web 2.0 developments, Web Apps are everywhere and offer a wide variety of uses.
A Web App or web application is above all an application: it is a program or software used to perform specific tasks or actions. For example, a word processor is an application allowing the user to create, write and format text documents. This is its basic function.
In addition, an application is modular. In addition to its basic function, additional features can be added that enrich the application. An image manager, a spell checker, or print management are all features commonly found in a word processing application, for example. Typically, an application is therefore defined both by its intended use and its modularity.
A Web App is therefore an application, but usable on the internet. Unlike a traditional application which requires installation on a workstation and is used locally, a Web App is hosted on a server and can be accessed and manipulated from any workstation with an internet connection, without software installation.
Advantages
A Web App makes it possible to provide any user with a set of functionalities by means of an online application. Therefore, they are more flexible than local applications because they do not require installation by the user. They can be used immediately with minimal – or no – configuration, and update dynamically.
By their online nature, Web Apps also allow greater interactivity. Navigation to third-party websites from the application is possible and allows the user to be offered a global and continuous experience. It is also possible to integrate content from external sources into the application, in order to enrich the experience: images, videos, tweets, newsfeed, etc.
In addition, Web Apps can allow their users to communicate and interact directly with each other: messaging, chat, video calls… these means of communication can be integrated into a web application to allow exchanges between users. Thus, they can, for example, work in collaboration or even request and obtain help directly.
All these means of communication are themselves web applications in their own right. This is indeed the richness of Web Apps: they are modular and interconnected. It is possible to integrate and combine different web applications with each other in order to offer new functionalities to users. We note that often, these modular functions can be activated or not by the user himself, which allows him to personalize the web application according to his own needs.
A Web App to develop your business
Web Apps have endless application possibilities and adapt to all types of businesses. It is possible to create custom web apps offering an online equivalent to an “offline” offer: car rental, sale of shoes, reservation of bed and breakfast, payroll management software… all these products or services are now available on the internet thanks to the Web App.
But the richness of Web Apps also lies in their ability to complete an offline offer, or even to create an exclusive online offer, with possibilities available only through the web. Today, countless companies have chosen to carry out their commercial activity only on the internet, this is what has been called “pure players”.
