Clear Your Confusion Between a Website and a Web Application
Today’s world lives and thrives on the Internet.
You want to read the news; you open news portals and read it.
You want to watch videos; you watch them on YouTube or other video platforms.
You want to play a game; you open the downloaded game applications and pass your time.
You want to tell the world that you are at a beautiful, scenic place; you post it on social media.
You want to buy a new dress or shoes; you open an online shopping application and shop your heart out.
For doing any activity, you are online. Just 2-3 clicks, and you are done with your transaction or activity. Life has become easier and smoother because of the easy accessibility. But, what are these components of the Internet that make your life easier? The most important ones are websites and web applications.
People get confused between a website and a web application. They are just focused on finding the results of their search. And they get it in seconds. So they are least concerned about whether they opened a website or a web application.
In this article, we will explain both the terms and look at their differences:
What is a Website?
A gathering of web pages (one, two, or many) related to one another through a common domain name containing some text, audio, images, videos, etc., is called a website. You, as an end-user, can open the website on any browser, such as Chrome, Firefox, etc., from anywhere in the world. You can view and read the content on it.
For example, if you are looking for a digital marketing services provider in Ahmedabad, you type the keyword on Google and get various results. You also get Digiwagon’s website in the results. You can open the website and look at the spectrum of services the company provides.
What is a Web Application?
A software or computer program accessible through any web browser is a web application or web app. It can store data, manipulate it, and has interactive elements and functionality. In addition to reading content on a website, you can create content, update it, and delete it.
For example, if you want to watch a video of the best performances of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. You can go to YouTube, type in the keywords, and watch the videos there. You can also create videos on YouTube, delete them, and comment on them.
Differences between website and web application
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Differences between website and web application in Purpose of creation
Companies, individuals, or governments use websites to display their products and services to the public. You can tell people what you do, your expertise, the products and services you sell, etc. It helps create a brand name for your business and social proof of your existence. A website is an excellent way to acquire and retain customers and move towards achieving your business goals.
Companies are able to perform various functions using web apps. The best merit is that web apps do not use installed software but a web browser to perform all functionalities. These can run efficiently on any platform – mobile devices, tablets, desktops, etc.
Even if the app undergoes significant changes or updates, end-users do not need to re-install the app. So, businesses find it easier to update and maintain. You can customize it easily as per end-users’ needs, and data on web apps are secure because it is stored in the cloud.
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Differences website and web application in Accessibility to end-users
A website is created for the public to access anywhere and anytime globally. You just have to type the URL, and it is readily available to view and read.
A web application is created primarily to interact with the user. The public can access it from any location and at any time through a URL.
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Difference in Level of simplicity
Websites are easy to access and navigate across web pages because they display the collected information. End-users can view and read these web pages.
Web applications are complex in function. Their complexity is because of the requirement to store a lot of data and conduct some transaction or operation for end-users. So, the functionality is at a higher level and requires more security and data processing capabilities.
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What is the function?
The user can view the website and read the content on it. Videos, audios, images, text, etc., are accessible to end-users. The end-users cannot affect the functioning of a website.
The end-users can view, read, and manipulate content on web applications. Content can also be restricted for access. On a web app, you can complete tasks such as shopping, making payments, registering for a webinar, etc.
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Differences between website and web application in the Process of development
To deploy a website, you need not precompile. Create content for all web pages and develop the architecture to make the website ready. If you think the website needs alterations, just update the HTML code, and they reflect on the front-end.
For the web application, you need to precompile the site entirely for a successful deployment. You need to add several features, create user categories, and develop security features. If and when changes come, you need to re-compile it.
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Use of technologies
Technologies such as HTML, JavaScript, etc., form the base of a website.
For web application development, you need these technologies as well as web frameworks, programming languages, etc. Since it offers interaction with end-users, user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) designing are crucial.
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Level of interaction
No interactions happen with end-users on websites. End-users will read the content and gain information about you. That means only the overall look and quality of content on a website are significant.
On a web application, you can interact with your end-users through the user interface. So, a web application’s success is primarily dependent on its user-friendliness.
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Type of software
The website is a complete product in itself. You can access it on a browser.
The web app is not a complete product in itself. It is a part of a website.
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Requirement for authentication
Websites, generally, do not require authentication. A website may ask end-users to subscribe to the newsletter or regular updates or comment on blogs.
In web applications, end-users are required to authenticate. Web apps have a broader scope and need to secure end-users’ data from potential leakage. So, if you do not have the credentials, you will not be able to access it.
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Cost
Website hosting is cheaper because only the essential web technologies are used.
Web apps require a higher level of features and functionalities, thereby requiring more components. Also, you need data storage and processing capabilities for the effective running of the application. So, web application hosting is expensive.
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Pre-requirements
To view a website, end-users need a web browser. You can host a website on a single server or multiple servers. End-users can access it via the Internet or an IP address, which is a private local area network.
In web applications, you can manage requests from end-users through servers. The server-side scripts (back-end) in combination with client-side scripts (front-end) result in the presentation of information on a web application.
Conclusion
We have shown you 11 differences between websites and web applications. It is not like one is better than the other. But, your choice depends on the purpose you want to solve.
If you have to tell the world about your products and services, get a website. If you want to interact with your end-users or you want to help them complete an activity, go for a web application.
If you are confused about what to move forward with – website or web app, Digiwagon Technologies can be of your utmost help. We are a website development and application development company in Ahmedabad. We cater to clients across different industries in different geographies.
If you want to get a website or a web application or mobile application developed, contact us. Share your requirements, purpose for it, and features you want. We will help you choose the best option among the two to make your customers happier and help you achieve your end goals.
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