A web application is a software that runs on a web browser and interacts fully with its user. Give responses when clicked or as you hover over an element.
From the basic UI/UX design, which depicts the user interface(What the user sees) and the user experience(How the application interacts with its user), to building the website itself’
Different web design tools have always been a great assistance in creating websites and web applications.
Choosing web design tools is considered based on their functionality and purpose. No tool does all the work, so you must use various tools to achieve the best-designed website.
The essential tools for building a website/web app are relatively simple asides from having a laptop and internet connection; specific tools are used based on the type of website/web app you want to create.
So before you create any website, you have to define the goals and the website functionality, and then you would know the right tools to use.
In this article, I’ll outline some tools for creating a website.
FIGMA
Figma is a user interface design tool used mainly for designing websites and applications. It also has a rich user experience development, enabling us to know how our app or website would work across different devices. Figma supports collaborations, unlike other apps, and has simple prototyping enablement. Figma will enable you to see how the application will look and interact with its users.
ADOBE XD
Adobe XD, also known as adobe Experience Design, is a tool for designing and prototyping web applications and websites. Using adobe xd, one can design and prototype using just one tool for the whole process. Adobe xd is very simple to use as all its design tools are in one place.
There are a lot of website creation tools that are simple and easy to use. Some are for people who know how to code, while some offer drag-and-drop options for those without knowledge of coding.
Below are the tools that we can use to create a web application.
WordPress
WordPress is the world’s most widely used website builder. It is a content management system available in both free and paid versions. 43% of the websites hosted online were created with WordPress.
We can use it to build a blog, business website, school website e.t.c They have a lot of mobile-friendly designed templates and themes.
Wix
Wix is also a user-friendly website builder that eases building mobile-friendly websites. With Wix, you can create and publish any website for free, but some additional features are premium.
Wix has some limited functions compared to WordPress. It is perfect for those who need coding experience.
JavaScript
Javascript is one of the world’s most popular programming languages. It aids interactivity in web applications by calculating, manipulating, and validating data. It makes the clicking of a button, animations, zooming in and out, hovering, and many other functions possible.
We can also use it to create games and web server applications.
Without Javascript, search engines, content management systems, social media, and even phone apps would not be possible.
SASS
Also known as synthetically awesome style sheets. SASS is a potent CSS tool that makes you use functions, variables, imports, and mathematical operators to make CSS writing more powerful. It offers a whole lot of unique features for CSS developers.
One fantastic thing about sass is that it reduces code repetition, making the codes easier to read.
Angular Js
Released on 20 October 2010, Angular js is one of the trending frameworks used alongside javascript. Using your HTML as a template allows you to extend your application’s components. Binding or injecting the code into the HTML enables it to work with any server technology. AngularJS provides everything you need to build a CRUD(create, read, update, delete) web application, Offering great support for forms and form validation.
ReactJS
ReactJs is a prevalent javascript library for designing user interfaces ( UI ). It is very flexible and efficient when used to create web applications by creating entities, also known as independent components.
It also uses a virtual DOM(document object module) javascript object, which improves the speed and performance of the app.
React enables automatic change to programs by only rewriting the codes. We can use it to build both server-side and client-side web applications.
Python
Python is a general-purpose programming language. We can use it to create various programs, websites, software, and desktop applications, and it is easy to learn and has a very easy-to-use syntax. It helps to integrate systems more effectively.
Java
Released by sun systems in 1995, java is a computing language that has provided a large platform on which developers built many applications.
Java, the world’s third most popular language, is used to produce game consoles, applications, different cell phones, and other devices.
Java is flexible and dynamic, as it can run on any server or operating system.
TypeScript
Typescript is a superset of the javascript language. It’s free and open-source and designed for building large-scale applications. Its language does not alter javascript in any way but only expands it with new valuable features offering precise definitions during typing.
It makes code reading, interpretation, and management more straightforward, and although it requires compilation, it is an excellent language for creating web applications.
C#
C-sharp is an object-oriented programming language used to build different applications running in the dotNet Framework(.Net). With its roots in the C and C++ family, it is very familiar with C, C++, and even java.
It is a middle-level language, contains fewer libraries, and has a faster execution time, and it is also user-friendly and easy to understand.
PHP
PHP, known as hypertext preprocessor, is a general language that runs mainly on the server side. We can use it to build web applications and content management systems and generate dynamic web pages as code executions take place on the server.
PHP is cross-platform(that is, it runs on different platforms available to it), is open source, is easy to learn, and connects with relational and non-relational databases.
Perl
Known as Practical Extraction and Reporting Language and introduced in 1987, Perl is a cross-platform and stable programming language.
It is a dynamic language for different purposes like network programming, web programming, e.t.c.
Perl has been a great advantage when dealing with automating tasks, and it can automatically generate emails, extract and generate reports and even create mail filters for filtering spam emails.
It is very flexible and supports both procedural and object-oriented programming processes.
Although it must have a Perl interpreter installed in the system to work, most Linux systems have their interpreter installed in them, so you can start coding without worrying about installing the interpreter again.
Advantages of Web Apps over Mobile Apps
Less Expensive; web apps are cheaper to build and maintain than mobile apps
No need for download; web apps do not require download and so would save space on the device.
It is responsive; We can use web apps on any device seamlessly
It works with any operating system.
It is more accessible and easily discovered on search engines
Pingback: A guide on how to build a web application - LearnHub