Difference Between Website and Webapp

In this post i am sharing the difference between Website and web app. A website is a compilation of a set of web pages viewed with a browser. It is a static set of pages that offer viewers with details. It does not allow viewers to carry out effective communication. A website can be compared to a conference where the attendees do not involve in interaction.

Web applications are interactive websites like Facebook. User engagement is an integral part of web applications. They bear resemblance to a networking event where it is necessary for audiences to engage for value enhancement.

Websites are static, which means they are not updated very often. They are built using HTML, CSS, and maybe a little bit of JavaScript. A website doesn’t need programming language and a database. Web apps are dynamic and ever changing. They rely on audience for interaction, contribution of content (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook), gathering of data from other sources and presenting it to Google Analytics.

Web applications are developed with HTML, CSS & JavaScript, use programming languages – PHP, Ruby, or Python apart from using frameworks – Rails, Django, and CakePHP. Since web applications are dynamic in nature, hence databases are used.

Websites

Websites are typically informational in nature. Think about your favorite blog or news based site. Its primary purpose is to convey information to the end user, whether it in the form of news, like CNN, or recipes, like you’ll find on Martha Stewart.

As a general rule, there is little or no interaction on the part of the visitor, other than possibly submitting an email address to receive a monthly newsletter or performing a search. So the real question is, how does this apply to you?

Well, if you’re a local charity who wants to convey information only — a homepage, an about page, contact information, upcoming events, and maybe a description of how you’ve helped your cause — a website might be all that you need.

Web Applications

In contrast, web applications are usually responsible for some form of interaction with your visitors. Yes, they’ll still be supplying information, but your visitors may want to do something with that information. Or, through interaction, your visitors may request a different type of information or even manipulate data.

A specific example of a web application could be your local library website that allows you to search their catalog of books and make a reservation. Your online banking is a web application as well — it displays information and performs actions based on your input. Let’s refer back to our local charity as an example. Only this time, they require that visitors are able to register, place bids, and pay for items in a charitable online auction.