DEVELOPMENT OF SPA-APPS

Creating SPA apps (from the English Single Page App – “an application from one web page”) and single-page websites is one of the most growing trends in the development of web-based software products. This approach to designing web projects makes it possible to run complex software tools consisting of just one HTML page on any device that has a web browser. Creating SPA applications allows you to design a multi-page portal or digital business solution in the form of a fast and stable web service, the interface of which resembles not a website, but an application program.

Single-page SPA apps are a special case of web applications that are everywhere replacing classic websites and landing pages. The main difference between web applications and traditional sites is that the user receives not static information in the form of text, graphics, or tables but dynamically generated structured data. They can be all the same text, graphics, tables, and multimedia information obtained during the interaction of the client and server where the web application is stored.

Unlike a website, a web application is not a set of HTML documents, but a whole software package that is downloaded to a client device after preliminary calculations. It’s done based on user data and information stored in the web application database. Calculations are performed both on the server side (Back-end) and on the client side, that is, on the user’s device (Front-end).

This approach makes it possible to quickly and safely launch the most complex software systems on any gadget – from desktop PCs and laptops to smartphones and tablets, without being tied to any particular operating system. At the same time, a significant part of the hardware load and computation falls on the obviously powerful server, while only the modules and components of the web application responsible for building the user interface are executed on the device.

A single-page SPA application is, to a certain extend, the optimum in building software logic and functionality for web projects. In this case, the web application is downloaded to the user’s device and works within the framework of only one web page. The functionality of a single-page SPA application can be implemented using not only the classic HTML / CSS layout and markup language for web documents but also modern software technologies, such as:

• JavaScript – the language of executable scripts for websites.
• React.js, Vue.js, and Angular.js are popular JavaScript libraries and frameworks for building user interfaces and developing single-page or mobile applications.

In fact, a single-page SPA application is a web page to which many modules, scripts, and other files are connected, which are not executed all at once, but when called by a client device.

It is only a shell for implementing executable modules that can be launched by the so-called asynchronous method, that is, by request. The asynchronous principle of data exchange between devices and the server, or Ajax technology significantly accelerates the work of SPA applications and saves Internet traffic.

Previously, only the modules responsible for the initial launch of the SPA application are loaded onto the device. Moreover, depending on the hardware model of the client gadget, the set of active scripts and libraries needed to run the SPA application will be different.

Such a peculiar logic of SPA-applications allows you to run on any device that has a web browser and Internet access. For example, Google’s most popular services — the Gmail email client and Google Translate translator — are nothing more than executable SPA applications.

As already mentioned, the creation of SPA applications makes it possible to give light-weight and fast websites the functionality of heavy software systems with an interface that resembles not web resources, but application programs. An asynchronous approach with step-by-step execution of scripts allows only partially updating the SPA application window when a particular function of a web program is called. At the same time, the history of navigation and the logic of the user’s work is stored in the address bar and the browser cache.

Navigating through the sections of the SPA application or the one-page portal is performed without regularly reloading documents, and the client web program does not require periodic restarting when repeating various actions, as is the case with regular sites. Naturally, this saves Internet traffic and hardware resources of the client device.

In total, it is worth highlighting such arguments in favor of creating SPA applications.

• Availability and cross-platform. SPA applications will be launched on all devices that have a web browser. It means that you don’t need to allocate additional funds for writing software for different platforms and operating systems.

• Versatility and scalability. Single-page SPA applications do not require installation and updating. To launch the web program, the user only needs to enter the required address in the line of the web browser.
• Speed ​​and lightness. Sophisticated hardware calculations take place on the server side, and the web application functions load without completely updating the web pages. This speeds up the work of even the most complex software systems.
• Reliability and safety. The user data and infobase of the web application are stored in the cloud. Thus, the user can return to the deferred session even if it fails and connects to the SPA application from another device.

The creation of SPA-applications with expanded functionality is in demand in various market segments. It can be web-based programs for structuring and automating business communications, such as massive CRM or ERP systems, and web-services for education, entertainment, medicine or accounting, and commercial tools for online marketing, advertising, or online sales . The appearance of a functional website in a particular market segment, which is a SPA application, is an unambiguous application for leadership in its niche.

Avada Media has many years of experience developing this type of software solutions (for more details, see the links in our project portfolio) and a high-class, well-knit team familiar with HTML / CSS, JavaScript, React / Vue.js / Angular and Ajax technologies at the level of advanced developers.

We use a modern approach to the development of software products according to the SCRUM principle when the work is divided into stages (sprints) for 1-2 weeks and the customer can directly influence the process of creating software.

The development team necessarily includes not only system architects, developers, and interface designers, but also quality control specialists, system engineers, and Internet marketers.