Web-applications are a very common form of interface being developed these days because they are the easiest form of application to develop. Web-applications are built on the web, such asGoogleDocs, which is the application I’m using to write this essay right now. The oneinconvenience indeveloping web-based applicationsused to bethe fact that the front-end needs to be built on javascript or php, but everythinghas changed,thanks tothe introduction ofWebAssembly, a new programming languagemany web-applications are using right now such as Figma, a program used to design web-apps. In this essay, I will identify the key steps to develop a web-application.
Before you develop anything, whether it is a web-app or not, your first step is to identify the purpose of your program, what it will be used for, what problemsit willsolve.Basically, whatyour programwill do.Only after you know what your program will be used for, can you get started on the design of your application.My advice is to design the application based on your experience and abilities, becausedesigning a web-app beyond your skill level can be a very frustrating experience. There are some design guidelines that you might want to follow, as it may help your application look better for the general public. You must be careful when you’re designing your application, just a beautiful design is not enough for your application, the user experience (UX) is as important as the User Interface (UI) .On the topic of the designing software to use,I recommend designing your application on a software calledFigma. It's free and easy to use compared to otheralternativesoftwares. However,you are free to use any program to design your application. This issimplya guideline to get you started, if you don’t have your preferred designing tools yet.Figma can be hard to use at first, I also recommend you watch some design crash-courses on youtube, as it will help you to understand basic functions of Figma.
After the designing process, you now pick a programming language. Picking a suitable language to develop an application is very important, because every language has its own purpose and specific use. For example, rather than usingJavaScript for data-analysis, you could haveaccomplished the same task much easier withPython or R. If you are focusing on speed and availability, youwillwant to use C, but itis a very complex language for beginners.However,if you are not that serious aboutthat,you might as well go withPython,Elixir, orJavaScript.Forthis essay, I will be usingJavaScript as an example going forward.
Onceyou have chosen your programming language, youshouldnow decide on your tech stack.Tech stacks are a combination of technologies one program uses. For instance, MERN stack is a combination of MongoDB, Express JS, React JS, and Node JS.Choosing the righttech stack is an essential step for your development process.You should be choosingthe stack based on the programming language you have already selected in thepreviousstep. One application mainly has three parts whichconsists of:client (frontend), server (backend), and the database. Now, I’ll go into a deeper detail of these parts starting with the client, the part that runs on the user’s device,itis what the usersees,it is the face of your application, this parts link closely with your design, the interface that the users sees it is what you application is, one small mistakes if you make mistakes in developing it, the user will notice. Next is the backend, it is the part of your application that processes data and works with the database to store the data, it runs on your server, 24/7 if the server dies, the application dies, because you application on the client side won't be able to sync their data, to be updated in real time.Anykind of stackis acceptable; but in this essay, I willbe usingMERNstack as an example. So I will be using ReactJSas a frontend framework, NodeJSand ExpressJSas a backend framework, and MongoDB as the database.This is an example of how one might integrate tech stacks into their web-app design process.
Picking your tech stackmeans that you have picked your frontend framework, backend framework and your database. In this next step, you will now get started on your code. The code you write is very important, since the performance of your program will depend on this step; the code you write here matters.I would recommend you to start writing your code from the frontend first, then continue on to your backend (includingdatabase), then you can come back to sync your frontend and backend code later.However, there are many ways to code your web-app, this is simply just my preferred method of doing it. As you go on, you will come to develop your own preferences.
After you are done with your coding process, youcan nowpublish your application to the web.This will requirea server, which is the computer that youcannot turn off except when you want to maintain it or you move on to another server. But I do not recommend you to run your own server at home, because it isextremely difficult to start,andit requires maintenance that you have to do by yourself.As of today, I recommend you to use a cloud server.A cloud server isa server that you rent from a service provider.To illustrate,you can deploy your frontend code to Vercel and your backend code to Linode, both being service providers that you could deploy your codes to.
When you are developing your application, you will want to have users testing the software you are developing at the same time. Once the core of your application is finished youshould have what is called ‘alpha testers’.Alpha testersgive you feedback on your application, helping you polish the program even morebeforeit’s finished. After you are done developing your application before the initial release,you shouldincrease the amount of your testers and enter the beta stage.You should carefullygaugehow long the beta process should be.If it’s too short you will not be able to spot some bugs, but it also should not be too long.
Once you are done with all the processes above, youarenow ready to deploy your application. As I mentioned, it is very important that you are careful with the coding process in paragraphfive,as your application depends on it.After all, it is your application and you are the one deciding its fate.Iwish you the best of luck increatinga beautiful, useful, and user-friendly web-application.