The Key Differences Between a “Web Application” and a “Website”

Website Vs Web application

To the untrained eye, it seems like website and web application both are completely the same but definitions are controversial and overlapping. But you’ve probably been using the terms ‘web application’ and ‘website’ so many times that when someone asks to define them, you’re at a loss for words. It happens when anything becomes a substantial part of our lives. Though websites and web applications run in browsers, both require access to the internet, both have a front end and a back end written in the same programming languages.

The thing is, not every URL that you visit can actually be classified as a website. Not only are there differences for the user; they are also developed and deployed differently, so it’s important not to get the two confused.

In this blog, will clear both the concepts thoroughly to avoid confusion around the website and web application. Let’s get started by defining each of them.

What is a Website?

Websites are basically collections of web pages. You access them using a browser. Its primary purpose is to convey information to the end-user. It can be in the form of the static blog website, informative news website or recipe websites. You’re basically just supposed to read and look at everything that’s on a website, and that’s the majority of your experience as a user.

The main goal of the user is to learn something and absorb the information. Basically, a website is the “collection of publicly accessible, interlinked web pages that share a single domain name. Websites can be created and maintained by an individual, group, business, or organization to serve a variety of purposes. Together, all publicly accessible websites constitute the World Wide Web.”

What is a Web application?

A web application is a software or program which is accessible using any web browser. It allows users to add inputs and get data in many ways via interactions. They primarily came into existence with the advent of Software as a Service (SaaS) movement.

Web application is a “client-server computer program which the client runs in a web browser.” Web applications serve as desktop applications that are dynamic, depending on user interaction to reach their purpose, whether by sharing content or collecting information. They are not native to a particular system and don’t need to be downloaded or installed, due to its responsive nature.

Web application is extremely customizable and can perform a wide range of functionality, they are generally more difficult to build and require an experienced team of software developers. Popular web applications include Skype, Word, Photoshop, YouTube, Twitter, etc.

How a website and a web application differs? let’s take a closer look at the key differences between them.

 

Activity/Feature	Website	Web application
Nature	A website is informational.	A web application is interactive.
Terminology	A website refers to the user-facing web UI of an application	A web application typically refers to the ‘end to end deployment stack.
Format	A website a just a collection of static pages of information	A web application is more functional, the pages are dynamic
Interactivity	Users cannot interact, as the website contains text and visual content.	A web application gives users a feature to do interaction for manipulating information.
Integration	A website integrated with a Content Management System allows you to quickly and easily update information.	A web application is integrated with 3rd party systems as their functionality is more complexed.
>Host	A website is hosted on a single or multiple web server.	A web application is hosted on the cloud.
Authentication	A website doesn’t need authentication when it is informative	A web application requires authentication as it serves a much broader scope.
Example	News Website, Recipe Blogs	Gmail, Youtube, Facebook

Conclusion

As we wrap this blog, we hope you have gained information especially on website and web application. You need to take a deep look into your unique business needs and functional requirements to thoroughly assess and select the best option for your project. So for that let’s meet for your needs and we have a full cycle of developers and designers. Our team will help built a site whether it is scratch or to create custom web applications to improve your functionality and increase sales