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To contend in the fast-paced world, businesses are focusing on developing their apps. As the technology is experiencing an incremental demand, more and more features are being available in the market to add on to the platforms. According to the survey by Gartner, almost 91% of companies surveyed have developed and implemented their applications for customers. The qualities of a good application are rigid infrastructure, a rich user interface, and trouble-free customization. However, businesses sometimes face a dilemma in choosing the right technology type between web and cloud applications. Although they perform similarly, they have a thin line between them and come with their fair share of benefits as well as differences. From a technical perspective, several noteworthy differences can be spotted.

Web apps: Software programs running on the web browser

Web applications are software programs that are designed to run on the web browser and have a website as an interface to interact with the user. They are built with the integration of coding languages such as PHP, HTML, and Java. When we talk about the architecture of such applications, it includes client-side scripting and server-side scripting. The client-side of the web app includes the web browser whereas the data and the source code are situated on the server side. To access the application, a user requires an internet connection with a system installed with a web browser. For web applications to work, it requires three major components- a user, a server, and a database. Users access and interact with the app using Web UI (User Interface) that connects with a web app server and returns the request of the user via database.

Benefits of Web applications

Over the years, web applications have transformed into more secure and compatible to work with cross platforms. Whether the user has Mac IOs, Windows, or Linux, these applications run on every operating system and browser available today. Another advantage of web apps is their hassle-free management. As the data is stored on remote web servers it reduces the hassle of regular maintenance. Even the updating of web applications takes place without interfering with the user. The deployment of the web application is gullible as every web browser supports the deployment which creates a trouble-free working environment. With such applications, the users live data is secure due to the presence of a myriad of WEBAppSec (Web app security) options available in the market including SSL/TSL certificates and Web Application Firewall (WAF).

Cloud Apps: Storing and accessing data through the cloud

Cloud apps are software programs that store and access data through a cloud environment instead of a computer hard drive. The unique feature of such apps is that they can be accessed offline with the help of locally cached data and they do not depend on the browser for functioning. The user has the benefit of storing their data on the cloud storage which facilitates backup with security and these applications can further be stored on the user device. Since they run on the cloud infrastructure, they can operate by consuming less space.

Cloud applications operate in three different service models- private cloud, public cloud, and hybrid cloud. The private clouds are owned by a single organization as an infrastructure whereas public cloud-based apps deliver low-cost data storage and computing facilities and can be used as SaaS or PaaS by multiple companies. Hybrid models, on the other hand, use API technologies to combine private and public cloud environments. By switching to a hybrid model companies can reduce their latency when required and improve flexibility as the portable applications can move from public to private cloud.

Cloud Apps with remarkable performance

Although all cloud apps are web applications, not all web applications seem to be cloud apps. The main feature of these types of applications is the reduced cost. As cloud spaces are scalable, customers only pay for the features they utilize. Due to the ease of data sharing, synchronization, and editing, cloud applications are preferred by companies for industry collaborations. Better mobility of these apps facilitates data to be accessed from remote locations and they can also be integrated with API analytical solutions to get hold of customer data and gather valuable insights.

Web Apps vs Cloud Apps

Although the functionality of these apps is similar, the technical aspects present a few notable differences between both kinds of apps. Web applications work on the browser and do not need to be downloaded on the user system, and cloud apps can work on a cloud background level independently with minimum human intervention. Web apps do not have compatibility issues with the systems or the browsers and can be updated without reinstalling the application and cloud apps do not depend entirely on the browsers to operate. In terms of security, cloud apps measure user data to be secure on the cloud and web applications verify the security of user data on their web app servers. Both the applications have scalable structures but with certain limits to where they are applicable and can be customized concerning the business needs.

Summing up!

Web apps and cloud apps can be used in integration to deliver a complete solution for businesses. Custom build and multi-tenancy apps are a choice of the companies to cater to a large user base. Both the applications come with a fair share of benefits and limitations, therefore choosing the right application depends on the type of business, the market it is operating in, customer base, operations, etc. These applications are available readily in the market for businesses to function optimally and improvise their performance, user engagement, and revenues. With the growth of the digital era where the speed of the functionalities is a top priority, companies need to choose between user-friendliness or freedom of customization.

Views expressed above are the author's own.

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Know the difference and benefits of web apps vs cloud apps - Times of India