When browsing the Internet for specific research, shopping, communication,
etc., we often see a number of websites that appear as a specific
application rather than a general website interface. It may be a reason that
we are accessing a respective resource through a website application or a
web application.
Many businesses and companies are using web applications these days to
facilitate communication and the exchange of information. Supported by
Google, the web application is designed to deliver a high level of
performance in a cost-effective manner regardless of device or network
quality. From productivity software to marketing and customer service tools,
these applications help us get our work done quickly and efficiently.
In this article, we are discussing some of the most popular examples of web
applications that we often come across while browsing the internet for
specific needs. However, before we discuss the examples of web applications,
let us first take a brief introduction to the definition of a web
application.
What is a Web Application?
By the definition, “A web application is defined as a computer program that utilizes the
specific web browsers and web technologies to help us accomplish
certain tasks over the internet.”
A web application typically uses a web browser as the user interface and
runs through a web server that responds to certain requests made by us as a
client through the browser. That's why web applications are also called the
'client-server model'. Web applications rely on Internet connectivity and can work through
supported browsers on various devices, such as desktop computers, laptops,
mobile phones, tablets, etc.
With the advancement in web applications, commonly referred to as
progressive web applications (PWAs), some of these applications can work without an internet connection,
enabling syncing feature once an internet connection is available. These
applications are designed to be responsive so that their appearance
automatically adjusts based on the devices.
What are the examples of web applications?
Nowadays, there are many web applications on the internet, and even new ones
are coming regularly with unique features. With web applications, as long as
the browser is compatible, users have the advantage of using the respective
source on different platforms regardless of device or operating
system.
There is a wide range of dynamic web applications in different categories,
including
word processors, spreadsheets, email, file scanning, file conversions,
shopping carts, online forms, photo or video editing,
and more.
Although there are many web applications of different categories to help us
perform certain tasks, listed below are some notable examples of web
applications:
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Google Office Suite
Google Office Suite, also known as Google Workspace and G Suite, is one of
the most popular and widely used collections of web applications. Google
Docs is one of its word processing web applications that helps users to
create documents using a web browser, while automatically saving document
data on the respective server.
Like Google Docs, G Suite's other popular web applications include
Gmail, Drive, Sheets, Slides, Forms, and more. Some of these web
applications (Gmail, Docs, etc.) also work without internet connectivity
available at all times. They allow users to work in offline mode and sync
data with servers as soon as they are connected to the internet.
Google
is always striving to bring its products to the web, making them accessible
to everyone through a browser. However, all Google products are also
available as mobile applications and typical native websites.
Microsoft Office 365
Initially, Microsoft developed its Office suite as a set of software, such
as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc., that needed to be installed on the
Windows
platform. However, after the launch of the Google Office suite, Microsoft
also released its Office suite as a web app to compete in the market. Like
the Google Office suite, the software included in Office 365 works through
the browser like other web applications.
Office 365 (also known as Office Web Apps and Microsoft Office for the Web)
is an online office suite that allows users to create and edit Office
documents or files through a modern web browser. This makes it easy for
users to work in the cloud while syncing their files or data across multiple
devices. With Office 365, a collaboration between people has also become
easier, allowing them to work securely on files shared online as a team,
remotely.
Along with the Office desktop and web versions, users can also install the
Microsoft Office applications on their mobile devices running on major
platforms such as
iOS
and Android.
Amazon
Amazon is one of the most popular and largest online retailers in the world.
In the beginning, Amazon was focused on selling books. However, it then
expanded to sell many more consumer goods and digital media such as e-books.
Nowadays, Amazon is also selling its own electronic devices (e.g., Kindle
e-book readers, Fire TV, Alexa, etc.) and many other products.
In 1994, Amazon was initially incorporated by Jeff Bezos under the name
Cadabra. However, with its website launch in 1995, its name was changed to
Amazon. Amazon also came out with its own comprehensive, evolving cloud
computing platform in 2006, called
Amazon Web Services (AWS).
AWS aims to provide users with on-demand scalable web and application
servers, databases, storage, cache, search, backup, DNS, load balancing,
content delivery, and many other web and application services so that users
can build and run applications while delivering a great user experience.
With its launch of the web application, Amazon made it even easier for users
to access its products directly through a browser, while accessing most of
the amazing features in a quick and fast way. Additionally, Amazon has made
digital streaming easier and more accessible through the browser. This
resulted in an increase in conversions as well.
Canva
Canva is a great example of a web application designed primarily for visual
creators. It provides an easy-to-use, quick, user-friendly interface to help
users create graphics like images, logos, posters, animations,
presentations, videos, etc. It was established in 2012 and gained popularity
with its amazing features.
One of the amazing features of Canva is the syncing which helps users access
their designs across different devices using their accounts. Additionally,
users can share as well as work collaboratively on designs from different
locations.
Although Canva is currently not as popular as Adobe Creative Suite, it has
made it easier for beginners to create designs. Unlike Adobe products, Canva
doesn't require high-end devices and a lot of local space. Being a web
application, Canva runs through a web browser using the
Internet. With the ever-evolving nature of web technologies, Canva is going to be
more powerful and will bring graphics designing to a website as a whole. We
can also download and install the Canva mobile application.
Pinterest is one of the world's most popular image sharing and social media
service platforms that enables users to search, share and download images,
GIFs,
PNGs, and videos on their Pinboards. Users will need to create an account on
Pinterest or log in using the respective services to access all the amazing
features. Many businesses are taking advantage of this platform to promote
their products, increase blog traffic and generate new leads.
Initially, Pinterest did not receive a good response and struggled to
acquire new users as well as retain existing users. Most users reported that
the Pinterest website experience was too slow, resulting in reduced sign-ups
and mobile app installs. This led to the development of Pinterest's
progressive web application.
Pinterest's progressive web application has enabled faster performance, push
notifications, offline mode access, syncing, and many other amazing
features. This resulted in greater user engagement on the mobile web and
further increases in ad clicks, sign-ups, and time spent by users.
Spotify
Spotify is an audio-streaming platform that is widely used all over the
world. The company mainly focuses on providing music streaming; however, it
has recently become a leader in podcast production and distribution.
Spotify provides users with amazing features and a professional, easy-to-use
user interface. Users can save their favorite songs, create and share song
lists, select specific categories for a personalized music experience, and
play the same song on multiple devices at once.
To compete in the market, Spotify created a progressive web app version like
other platforms. The Spotify PWA version is significantly faster and offers
some unique features compared to its native website experience. Its
intuitive, user-friendly PWA version prioritizes music discovery, which has
helped the product rise through the ranks of music solution providers over
the years.
Netflix
Netflix is one of the most popular video-streaming
OTT
platforms and is available as both a web application and a mobile
application. Netflix allows users to watch
TV
series and movies on demand on a paid subscription basis. Like other web
applications, we can access Netflix on various devices through supported
browsers regardless of the operating system.
Based on the selected Netflix subscription, users get to watch the content
on multiple devices without any limitations. In addition, Netflix allows
users to watch personalized content, mark favorites, access different
categories, etc.
Netflix demonstrates how web apps can be ideal as a content platform.
Netflix currently has the highest number of subscribers as compared to other
popular OTT platforms like
Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, Disney+Hotstar, VOOT, etc.
WhatsApp is one of the world's most popular cross-platform messaging
applications that enables users to send and receive messages from their
devices using the Internet. It was initially released in 2009 by two former
Yahoo employees, Jen Koum and Brian Acton. In 2014, WhatsApp
was bought by Facebook.
WhatsApp was initially launched only for mobile devices. However, it was
later released for all major platforms due to its increasing popularity. In
2015, the company also introduced WhatsApp Web, a program that enables users
to access their messages using modern browsers. The WhatsApp web application
was nothing but an extension of the user's phone. That means it was not
meant to operate independently. Instead, it typically mirrored messages and
conversations from the user's mobile devices while keeping all the data on
the mobile devices.
To use WhatsApp Web, users need to log in through the browser by scanning
the personal QR code generated by WhatsApp's own mobile application. Also,
both the mobile application and the web version of WhatsApp need to be
connected to the Internet to continue their functions.
Zoom
Zoom is a cloud-based audio/video communication program or software that
enables users to conduct virtual conferencing or meetings, live chat, create
events or webinars, and perform many other collaborative tasks.
Zoom was founded in 2011 by Eric Yuan, a former Cisco engineer, and
executive. However, Zoom gained a lot of popularity during the
COVID-19
pandemic. It helped people to work, communicate or get education remotely
from the comfort of their homes. It has both free and subscription-based
plans with some limited features.
The Zoom web application enables users to join meetings or webinars using
their web browser without downloading any software or plugins. However, the
web client version of Zoom does not provide all the features and not all
browsers are supported. Zoom web application was intended to help users who
are limited in downloading due to their internet speed or device capacity.
Uber
Uber is one of the popular ride-sharing platforms that enables users to book
rides from one place to another by paying relevant charges. Users get
various online and offline payment options. Also, it allows users to book a
ride for themselves or their relatives by availing the internet from the
comfort of their homes.
Uber was incorporated in 2009 and soon became popular in many countries. The
service is available in thousands of cities around the world, allowing users
to request rides when needed. The company usually hires independent
contractors as drivers to continue its services. This means that people can
also join Uber as a driver to earn a good amount of money.
With its growing popularity, Uber came up with two different web
applications, one for drivers and the other for riders. Both the web
applications have different interfaces and can be accessed after logging in
using the respective driver/rider account credentials. In this way, Uber
significantly provided an app-like experience to users on their devices
through modern browsers, regardless of users' mobile capability, location,
and network speed.
Summary
This article discusses about 10 examples of web applications that are most
popular and widely used to fulfill certain requirements. These web
applications include many of the same functionalities and design elements as
their respective websites or mobile applications. However, web applications
have several advantages or benefits as compared to their typical websites or
mobile applications.
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