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JavaScript

Posted by Colby Work
Colby Work
20,422 Points

What is a "Single Page Web App" exactly?

Every time I see descriptions for Angular, Ember, etc...I see something like "Ideal for building single page web apps..."

My question is, what exactly does that mean, especially in the grand scheme of things...

What exactly is the difference between website, and web app, and could I have some examples? I actually understand fully what a website is, but what changes it from a site to an app...?

thanks

3 Answers

Anthony Babich
Anthony Babich
5,505 Points
Anthony Babich
Anthony Babich
5,505 Points

Hey I ripped this off from google but it really is a good explanation of it..

"Single-Page Applications (SPAs) are Web apps that load a single HTML page and dynamically update that page as the user interacts with the app. SPAs use AJAX and HTML5 to create fluid and responsive Web apps, without constant page reloads. However, this means much of the work happens on the client side, in JavaScript."

So just imagine a static run of the mill 5 page website versus a real-time JavaScript page that never really has to be reloaded.

Guil Hernandez
STAFF
Guil Hernandez
Treehouse Teacher
Guil Hernandez
Guil Hernandez
Treehouse Teacher

Hey Colby Work,

Check out this video I made that explains single-page apps. It's part of the brand new Prototyping with Foundation for Apps course.

Hope this helps. :)

Joseph Szoke
Joseph Szoke
15,087 Points
Joseph Szoke
Joseph Szoke
15,087 Points

Colby,

In a nut shell, it's one HTML file like a index.html that looks like (to the user) multiple pages. There are a couple of decent plugins that do a great job at this. One of my favorites is full page,js.

Now when they talk about applications or web apps it's usually refers to how the page looks and feels. It should be lightweight, easy to navigate and make you feel like it's an app for a tablet or phone.

I just finished one for one of our bigger clients that was all HTML CSS and JavaScript strictly for their sales reps iPads and it felt like it was downloaded from the App Store.

Hope this helps.

Joe