Editing Web application (section)

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{{short description|Application that uses a web browser as a client}}
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[[File:Horde-portal.png|thumb|Screenshot from 2007 of [[Horde (software)|Horde]], a groupware and open-source web application]]
A '''web application''' (or '''web app''') is [[application software]] that is created with [[World Wide Web|web technologies]] and runs via a [[web browser]].<ref name="britannica" /><ref name="aws-web-app" /> Web applications emerged during the late 1990s and allowed for the server to [[Dynamic web page|dynamically]] build a response to the request, in contrast to [[Static web page|static web pages]].<ref name="docforge-web-app" />

Web applications are commonly distributed via a [[web server]]. There are several different tier systems that web applications use to communicate between the web browsers, the client interface, and server data. Each system has its own uses as they function in different ways. However, there are many security risks that developers must be aware of during development; proper measures to protect user data are vital.

Web applications are often constructed with the use of a [[web application framework]]. [[Single-page application|Single-page applications (SPAs)]] and [[Progressive web app|progressive web apps (PWAs)]] are two architectural approaches to creating web applications that provide a [[user experience]] similar to [[Native (computing)|native apps]], including features such as smooth navigation, offline support, and faster interactions.