What is a web application? @internet-class
What is a web application?  @internet-class
Uploaded October 2016 | Updated September 2026, 48 minutes ago
The rise of JavaScript has seen the rise of so-called web applications, also called web apps or sometimes single-page web apps. The distinction between a web page and a web app is somewhat fuzzy. In general, web apps do not follow earlier patterns of interaction with the web server. The user is typically on the same web page for long periods of time, even though the display may change as they interact with the page. Rather than having the web browser generate HTTP requests and reload the page, JavaScript code is used to interact with the server in the background and update the display as needed.

Credits: Talking: Geoffrey Challen (Assistant Professor, Computer Science and Engineering, University at Buffalo). Producing: Greg Bunyea (Undergraduate, Computer Science and Engineering, University at Buffalo).

Part of the internet-class.org online internet course. A blue Systems Research Group (https://blue.cse.buffalo.edu) production.
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What is a web application?

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