PHP & Web Development Blogs

In today's dynamic and fast-paced world of web development, ensuring the reliability, performance, and scalability of applications is paramount. Monitoring and observability tools play a crucial role in achieving these goals by providing insights into application metrics, performance trends, and system health. Prometheus, a popular open-source monitoring and alerting toolkit, offers robust capabilities for monitoring infrastructure and application metrics. In this article, we'll explore how to leverage Prometheus with PHP to monitor, analyze, and troubleshoot PHP-based applications effectively.

Understanding Prometheus:

Prometheus is an open-source monitoring and alerting system originally developed by SoundCloud. It is designed for reliability, scalability, and extensibility, making it suitable for monitoring complex, distributed systems. Key features of Prometheus include:

Time Series Data: Prometheus collects time-series data, allowing developers to track metrics such as CPU usage, memory consumption, request latency, and HTTP response codes over time.

PromQL: Prometheus Query Language (PromQL) enables users to query and aggregate metrics, create custom dashboards, and set up alerting rules based on specific conditions.

Scalability and Reliability: Prometheus is designed to be highly scalable and reliable, supporting a distributed architecture with multiple replicas and federated setups for global monitoring.

Integrating Prometheus with PHP:

To integrate Prometheus with PHP applications, developers can utilize client libraries and instrumentation libraries that facilitate metric collection and exposition. The following steps outline the process of integrating Prometheus with PHP:

Choose a Prometheus Client Library: Select a Prometheus client library for PHP that suits your needs. Popular options include prometheus/client_php and php-prometheus/client.

Instrument Your PHP Code: Instrument your PHP application code to collect relevant metrics. This involves adding instrumentation code to track metrics such as request duration, memory usage, database queries, and custom business metrics.

Exposing Metrics: Expose the collected metrics in a format compatible with Prometheus. This typically involves exposing an HTTP endpoint (e.g., /metrics) where Prometheus can scrape the metrics using the Prometheus exposition format.

Configure Prometheus Server: Configure the Prometheus server to scrape metrics from the PHP application's endpoint. Update the Prometheus configuration file (prometheus.yml) to include the target endpoint and define any additional scraping parameters.

Example Integration:

Let's illustrate how to integrate Prometheus with a PHP application using the prometheus/client_php library:

require 'vendor/autoload.php';

use Prometheus\CollectorRegistry;
use Prometheus\Storage\APC;
use Prometheus\RenderTextFormat;

$registry = new CollectorRegistry(new APC());

$requestDuration = $registry->registerCounter('php_requests_total', 'Total number of PHP requests');

$requestDuration->inc();

$renderer = new RenderTextFormat();
echo $renderer->render($registry->getMetricFamilySamples());

In this example, we register a custom metric (php_requests_total) to track the total number of PHP requests. We then increment this metric for each request and expose the metrics endpoint using the Prometheus exposition format.

Benefits of Using Prometheus with PHP:

Real-time Monitoring: Prometheus provides real-time monitoring capabilities, allowing developers to monitor application metrics and diagnose issues promptly.

Scalability: Prometheus scales horizontally, making it suitable for monitoring large-scale deployments and distributed systems.

Alerting: Prometheus supports alerting based on predefined rules, enabling proactive monitoring and alerting for potential issues or anomalies.

Integration: Prometheus integrates seamlessly with various programming languages, platforms, and frameworks, including PHP, enabling comprehensive monitoring across the entire technology stack.

Conclusion:

Prometheus offers powerful capabilities for monitoring and observability, making it a valuable tool for developers and DevOps teams tasked with ensuring the reliability and performance of PHP applications. By integrating Prometheus with PHP using client libraries and instrumentation, developers can gain valuable insights into application metrics, troubleshoot issues effectively, and proactively respond to performance anomalies. Embracing Prometheus as part of your monitoring strategy empowers organizations to build resilient, scalable, and high-performing PHP applications in today's dynamic digital landscape.

Unit testing is a crucial aspect of modern software development, ensuring that individual units of code function correctly in isolation. In PHP, unit testing helps developers identify bugs early in the development cycle, improve code quality, and facilitate code maintenance. In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through the process of creating unit tests in PHP, using popular testing frameworks like PHPUnit.

Why Unit Testing?

Unit testing involves testing individual components or units of code in isolation from the rest of the application. Here are some reasons why unit testing is essential:
   
. Bug Detection: Unit tests help identify bugs and regressions early in the development process, making them easier and cheaper to fix.
   
. Code Quality: Writing unit tests encourages developers to write modular, well-structured, and maintainable code.
   
. Improved Documentation: Unit tests serve as executable documentation, providing clear examples of how individual components of your code should behave.

Getting Started with PHPUnit:

PHPUnit is the most widely used testing framework for PHP. It provides a robust set of features for writing and executing unit tests. Let's dive into how you can get started with PHPUnit:

Installation:

You can install PHPUnit using Composer, the PHP package manager. Simply navigate to your project directory and run the following command:

composer require --dev phpunit/phpunit

This command installs PHPUnit as a development dependency in your project.

Writing Your First Test:

Now that PHPUnit is installed, let's create a simple test case. Create a new directory named tests in your project root, and within that directory, create a file named ExampleTest.php. Here's an example of what your test file might look like:

<?php

use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;

class ExampleTest extends TestCase
{
 public function testTrueAssertsToTrue()
 {
 $this->assertTrue(true);
 }
}

This test case contains a single test method named testTrueAssertsToTrue, which asserts that true is indeed true.

Running Tests:

To run your tests, simply execute PHPUnit from the command line, pointing it to your test directory. Run the following command in your project root:

vendor/bin/phpunit tests

PHPUnit will discover and execute all test cases within the specified directory, providing detailed feedback on the results.

Writing Testable Code:

Writing testable code is essential for effective unit testing. Here are some best practices to follow:
   
. Separation of Concerns: Ensure that your code follows the principle of separation of concerns, with clear boundaries between different components.
   
. Dependency Injection: Use dependency injection to inject dependencies into your classes, making it easier to replace them with mock objects during testing.
   
. Mocking and Stubbing: Use PHPUnit's mocking and stubbing features to simulate the behavior of dependencies and isolate the code under test.

Advanced Features:

PHPUnit provides a wide range of advanced features for writing comprehensive unit tests. Some notable features include:

-Data Providers: Use data providers to run a test method with multiple sets of data.

-Annotations: PHPUnit supports annotations for marking test methods, setting up fixtures, and configuring test execution.

-Code Coverage: PHPUnit can generate code coverage reports, showing which parts of your codebase are covered by your tests.

Conclusion:

Unit testing is an indispensable practice in modern PHP development, and PHPUnit makes it easy to write and execute unit tests for your codebase. In this guide, we've covered the basics of getting started with PHPUnit, writing testable code, and leveraging advanced features to write comprehensive unit tests. By incorporating unit testing into your development workflow, you can improve code quality, reduce bugs, and build more robust and maintainable PHP applications.

Today’s digital transformation has significantly empowered every company to produce accurate information at all touch points. Whether it’s a large-scale enterprise or a small private venture, every organization irrespective of all sizes needs proper web app development services to build a sophisticated database for storing and managing its data. Examples of web applications include customer relationship management (CRM) systems, project management tools, and e-commerce platforms. These custom software developers play a crucial role in tailoring web applications to meet specific business needs, ensuring seamless integration and optimal functionality.

A database is a set of a vast range of structured & unstructured data stored in a system and adequately managed through DBMS or Database Management System. The data stored in the database is highly sensitive, hence companies need to be careful while accessing any data or information.

When considering the development of web applications, partnering with a reputable web development firm is essential to ensure the seamless integration and efficient management of databases. A skilled web development firm possesses the expertise to optimize database systems, enhancing data organization, security, and retrieval processes for an enhanced user experience. In this article, we will delve into the top database solutions for web applications in 2024 and explore the advantages they bring to the forefront of modern software development.

Types of Databases For Web Applications

Depending on your business model, industry domain, and other factors, your business application system will have certain requirements. Different databases types are used for different enterprise requirements. However, the database is technically divided into two types: SQL & NoSQL.

SQL or Structured Query Language is a relational database that comes with a relational structure. This is used for managing structured data only. On the other hand, the NoSQL database doesn’t have any relational structure & they are used to store unstructured data types. For your convenience, we have shared a complete comparison of both databases below.

SQL Databases
NoSQL Databases
Mix of proprietary & open-source
Open source database
Comes with rational structure
No rational structure
Ideal for managing structured data
Best for storing unstructured & semi-structured data
Vertically scalable
Horizontally scalable
Examples: MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, etc
Examples: MongoDB, Cassandra, Firebase, etc

Enterprises have deeply relied on SQL to manage all their databases in web apps, but as cloud, microservices & distributed applications become popular, there are NoSQL options also available. Before you choose the right database, you must consider a number of factors such as size, structure & scalability requirements. Apart from that, you need to consider some of the following questions also:
* What type of data structure do you need?
* What is the amount of data you want to store?
* What is your total budget?
* Does it allow for support contracts & software licenses?
* What is the requirement for your data security?
* What third-party tools do you want to add to your database?

Best Databases For Web Applications In 2024

Finding out the right database option for a web app development may impact the scalability and success of any project. With too many options available, it’s quite challenging to select which one is the best for you. 2024’s widely-popular databases include:

1. MySQL:

MySQL is one of the best open-source relational databases developed by Oracle Corporation in 1995. According to the Stack Overflow developer survey, this database was used by 46.8% as of 2022. The robustness, maturity, and stability of this database make it perfect for web applications. Moreover, MySQL database uses a structured language & written in C & C++.
Latest version: MySQL 8.0.33

Key features of MySQL database include:
* Easy to deploy & manage
* It supports Consistency, Atomicity, Isolation & Durability
* It’s an RDBMS or Relational Database Management System
* Provides fast-loading utilities with several memory caches to maintain servers
* Offers top-notch results without compromising any functionality
* Contains solid Data Security layers to offer complete security solutions

2. PostgreSQL:

Launched in 1996, PostgreSQL is also a very popular database used as a data warehouse or primary data store for web, analytics, geospatial and mobile applications. This is also an open-source SQL-based RDBMS (relational database management system) that supports C, C++, C#, Ruby, Java, Python, and other programming languages. This agile database is compatible with different OSs such as Windows, Linux, Unix, MacOSX, etc.
Latest version: PostgreSQL 15.3

Key features of the PostgreSQL database include
* Houses different constraints such as primary keys, foreign keys, exclusion constraints, explicit locks, advisory locks, etc
* Supports different SQL features like SQL Sub-selects, Multi-Version Concurrency Control,
* Streaming Replication, complex queries, etc.
* Compatible with different data types like Structured, Customizations, Primitives, Geometry & Documents.
* Supports MVCC or multi-version concurrency control

3. Microsoft SQL Server:

Launched in 1989, Microsoft SQL Server is a powerful RDBMS used for transaction processing, analytics applications, and business intelligence in IT environments. It comes with built-in intelligence & enables businesses to boost their performance, security, and availability seamlessly. MS SQL Server comes in different editions with authentication & security features.
Latest version: Microsoft SQL Server 2022

Key features of the Microsoft SQL Server database include:
* Available on both Linux & Windows platforms
* Supports semi-structured, structured, and spatial data
* It has a custom-built graphical integration
* Helps users build different designs and tables without syntax
* Comes with several features for protection, monitoring, and data classification
* Gives alerts on security gaps, misconfigurations & suspicious activities

4. MongoDB:

MongoDB is a document-oriented open-source NoSQL database used for high-volume data storage. Written in JavaScript, C++, and Python, this is a very flexible and scalable database platform that removes relational DB approaches. MongoDB offers a high level of flexibility through load balancing and horizontal scaling capacities. This is a perfect option for web apps that need high performance.
Latest version: MongoDB 6.0.5

Key features of the MongoDB database include:
* Effectively supports ad hoc queries
* Highly scalable & flexible database
* Offers schema-less database
* Appropriate indexing for query executions
* Replication for data availability & stability

5. Oracle:

Oracle is a very popular RDBMS that is known for its high-performance and cost-optimization solutions. This is a commercial relational database written in C, C++ & Java. Oracle comes with a relational database architecture that offers an easy, scalable, performant solution for accessing, defining, and managing data.
Latest version: Oracle 21c

Key features of the Oracle database include:
* Executes fast backup & recovery
* Provides multiple database support
* Offers superior scalability
* Offers better user controls and identity management
* Utilizes a single database for every data type

6. Redis:

Redis stands for Remote Dictionary Server and is a widely-used open-source database used for web applications and cache management. Redis can also be used with different streaming solutions like Amazon Kinesis & Apache Kafka to analyze & process real-time data.

This database also supports different data structures like lists, streams, bitmaps, strings, maps, and so on. Because of its high performance, Redis is vastly used in many sectors such as IoT, Gaming, Financial Services, etc.
Latest version: Redis 7.0.11

Key features of the Redis database include:
* Provides premium speed with improved caching & in-memory capabilities.
* Supports a variety of data structures (strings, hashes, lists, bitmaps, HyperLogLogs, etc)
* Compatible with different languages (Java, PHP, Python, C, C#, C++, etc)
* Offers quick access to data for training, deploying, and developing applications

7. Cassandra:

Released in 2008, Cassandra is a distributed open-source NoSQL database that effectively manages vast amounts of data. It provides excellent scalability that supports multi-datacenter replication and automatic data replication. Cassandra database is ideal for applications that need prompt data access with high performance.
Latest version: Cassandra 4.1.0

Key features of the Cassandra database include:
* Easy to scale
* Highly scalable & comes with strong architecture
* Offers flexibility for data distribution
* Faster linear-scale performance
* Very flexible data storage
* Supports properties like Consistency, Atomicity, Isolation, and Durability

How Much Does The Web Application Database Cost?

In general, the average web app development cost ranges from $5,000 to $100,000. However, this cost depends on too many parameters like web app database complexity, features & functionalities, backend infrastructure, etc.

If you want to get a proper estimation of your web database application cost, you can take advantage of a web app cost calculator. For your convenience, we have listed the average web application development costs based on their categories.
Factors
Basic Web Apps
Medium Apps
Complex Apps
Highly Complex Apps
Estimated cost
$3,000 to $15,000
$15,000 to $60,000
$60,000 to $2,50,000
More than $250,000
Timeline
    . to 5 weeks
    . to 20 weeks
    . to 25 weeks
More than 9 months
Features
Simple landing page
Static content
Landing page
Database integration
Admin panel
User accounts
Online payment options
Third-party integrations
Landing page
Huge database integration
Admin panel
Multipleuser accounts
Online Payment options
Third-party integrations
Personalized features
Landing page
Top-notch database integration
Admin panel
Customized features
Examples
Online brochures
Portfolio
websites
MVP
Web portals
E-commerce websites
Online gaming sites with animation
Web applications for businesses
Automated billing systems
Human resources management system (HRMS)
Complex ecommerce websites
Custom web apps
On-demand web apps
App for complex businesses
High-end features with AI/ML integration
Custom web apps

Final Words

In the past, the process of selecting a database web application was straightforward. However, in this modern era of software development, this process has become very intrinsic as too many options are available today and the business requirements have also transformed.

For a business that works with small apps, NoSQL databases like MongoDB can be the best choice & for managing large & complex applications, databases like MySQL, MS SQL Server, and PostgreSQL can be the right choice. Would you like to know more about web applications with databases? Talk to our experts today.

To bridge the gap between web-based and cloud-based applications, businesses often rely on skilled DevOps developers. These professionals play a crucial role in ensuring seamless integration, efficient customization, and robust back-end infrastructure for applications. The expertise of DevOps developers is indispensable for optimizing development workflows and enhancing collaboration between development and operations teams in the dynamic landscape of app development services.

In the realm of cloud computing, web based application in cloud computing play a pivotal role. Technically, web apps, as the name suggests, are applications hosted on remote servers & accessible through web browsers. On the other hand, cloud-based apps are web applications that come with advanced functionalities & elaborate compatibility.


In the realm of contemporary software development, the demand for innovative solutions is evident in the competition between web and cloud-based applications. These two platforms share similarities but diverge significantly in crucial aspects. This article will delve into the distinctions between web-based and cloud-based applications, exploring facets such as back-end infrastructure, scalability, and technical perspectives, shedding light on the nuances that developers navigate in this dynamic landscape, including the pivotal role of technologies like chatbot development.
What Is a Web Application?

A web-based app is an application designed and developed for the web browser. Unlike cloud based application development, the web app completely depends on the web server for functionality & processing. This application program is mainly stored on the remote server & delivered through a web browser interface over the internet. According to web application development company, web apps have client-server architecture & their codes are divided into 2 major components – server-side architecture & client-side architecture.

Server-side architecture: The server-side architecture or script usually deals with data processing. The web server can process a client request & send a response back. This web app architecture defines a simultaneous interaction between database instances, components, user interfaces, middleware systems, and servers.

Client-side architecture: The client-side architecture mainly deals with interface functionalities such as drop-down boxes and buttons. When a user clicks on the link, the browser will start loading the client-side script & rendering a text and graphic element for interaction.
Types of Web Apps
Nowadays, many businesses are already adopting various kinds of web-based applications because of their several advantages, features, and functionalities. 8 most popular types of web apps include:
    . Static Web Apps
Static web applications, constructed using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, lack the flexibility of dynamic counterparts. These web based services provide content directly to users without requiring server-side modifications, resulting in simplicity and straightforward development. Key benefits of these apps include:
Very fast load time
Highly secure
Less complex to build
    . Dynamic Web Apps
This is a complex type that provides real-time data based on the server response and the user’s request. Dynamic web apps can be developed either as a conventional website with several pages and levels of navigation or as a single-page web application. They use several server-side and client-side languages to create web pages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, PHP, Ruby, etc. Key benefits of dynamic web apps include:
Wider audience reach
Scalable in comparison to static web apps
Very flexible in terms of a new content update
    . Single Page Apps
A single page web app entirely runs on the browser & never requires browser reloading. This is actually a dynamic web app that manages all data on a single HTML page. This type of web app is faster than traditional websites as its logic is implemented in the browser directly than a server. Gmail, Netflix, Pinterest & Paypal are the best examples of single page applications. Key benefits include:
Enhanced user experience
Minimized server load
Improved app performance
    . Multiple-Page Apps
Multiple page apps are designed multiple pages separately and combined to form a website. They have different pages with static information like texts & images. Web based app development companies recommend using multiple-page apps as they offer excellent control over search engine optimization techniques. Major benefits of Multiple page apps include:
Ideal for SEO
Quick browser back or forward navigation
Simple to develop
    . Animated Web Apps
This is a type of web application that effectively supports synchronization & animation on the web platform. These applications are widely used by freelancers and creative companies to present their creativity better. Technically, JavaScript, HTML5, FLASH, and CSS are used to create animated web applications. Key benefits of AWAs include
Improved User Engagement
Enhanced Navigation
Excellent Branding
    . Web Apps with CMS
In this web application, content is updated constantly. It helps to manage, modify and create digital content with ease. WordPress is one of the best examples of CMS web applications. A variety of languages are used to create content management systems such as C#, PHP, Java, and Python. Key advantages of CMS web apps include:
Quick content creation & management
Efficient & quick updates
A vast range of features
    . E-commerce Web Apps
It’s a complicated and advanced dynamic web application that allows users to buy & sell goods electronically. These web based services encompass transaction and payment integration as key components, facilitating seamless order processing, payment acceptance, and logistical management for businesses involved in online commerce. Key benefits of these web apps include:
Scale business quickly
Offers customer insights through tracking & analytics
Sell goods across the world
    . Progressive Web Apps
Progressive web apps or PWAs are also called cross-platform web apps usually built with HTML, CSS, & JavaScript. PWAs use different features, APIs, and progressive methods to deliver a seamless experience. Progressive web apps boost the adaptability and speed of web applications. These apps are still easy to access if internet connectivity is poor. Key benefits of progressive web apps include:
Fast loading time
No installation required
Quickly respond to user interactions
Enhanced cross-platform conversion

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Type
Widely Used In
Advantages
Dynamic web apps
Social media
Healthcare
IT Industry
Logistics and transportations
Retail and ecommerce sectors
On-demand
Directly manage websites to update & change the information
Quick user management to protect servers & control all website users
Static web apps
Book publishing sectors
Works in offline mode
No 3rd party software installation required to access web apps
Single page apps
Email service
Communication sectors
Allows navigation & optimized routing experience
Keeps visual structure of web apps consistently through presentation logic
Multiple page apps
E-commerce sectors
Enterprise industries
Enables optimizing every page for the search engine
Allows users to access other pages
Animated web apps
Animation
Education
Gaming industries
Hold user attention for a very long time due to its attractive approach & unique design
Aspect ratios, landscape orientations, portrait, and viewing distances & different pixel densities are considered
Web apps with CMS
Blogging platforms
Sales & marketing platform
News portals
Easily organizes the web content Offers group & user functionality
Simple language support & integration
E-commerce web apps
E-commerce sectors
Allows sellers to sell products using a single platform
Helps you expand business globally & reach maximum audience
Progressive Web Apps
On-demand
Healthcare
Retail and e-commerce
Logistics and transportations
Social media
IT sectors
Responsive & Browser Compatibility Works in online & offline mode
Updates with no user interaction

Key Benefits of Web Apps
Web apps enable businesses to interact with their customers more efficiently. These applications can make it easy to track & measure data that are essential to keep business operations streamlined. Key advantages of web apps include:
Easily accessible through any kind of web browser
Runs on multiple platforms that make it cross-platform compatible
Minimizes the risk of compatibility issues
Requires less maintenance & support from the developer’s end
Helps to ease usability for the customers
Effectively eliminates hard drive space limitations
Apps can be maintained & updated without software reinstallation on several devices
Offers high scalability and flexibility
Simple to deploy, maintain, and update
The cost of routine maintenance is minimized as the data is stored on remote servers
What is a Cloud Based App?
These apps are online software programs with elements accessible via a local server and executed on the cloud environment. As internet-based software, cloud applications are stored in the remote data center & handled by cloud-service providers. These apps are used for file sharing & storage, order entry, word processing, inventory management, financial accounting, customer relationship management, data collection, etc.

According to the report, the global market size of cloud apps is projected to reach approx 168.6 billion USD by 2025. Cloud apps usually support several user requirements through customization and provide several services to meet storage, backup & security needs. Some major characteristics of cloud apps include:
Agile application
Microservices-oriented
API-backed
Continuously integrated & delivered
DevOps-enabled
Analytics-infused
User experience-centric
Types of Cloud-based Applications
Cloud apps are divided into three major cloud computing models – SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS. Each model also shows several parts of cloud computing stacks. Take a closer look at these types:
    . SaaS or Software as a Service
SaaS is one of the best cloud apps that enable users to easily access full-functioning software applications over the internet. These cloud applications are primarily designed for freelance services, large enterprises & SMBs. Some of the best examples of SaaS applications are HubSpot CRM, Wrike, MS Office 365, Sisense, Wix, etc.
    . PaaS or Platform as a Service
PaaS provides users with the infrastructure, computing platforms, and solutions to build their own applications. Platform as a Service is ideal for businesses that mainly engage in collaboration, testing, and development of cloud solutions. PaaS applications have a deployment environment including run-time system libraries, operating systems, and graphic UI. Some of the best examples of PaaS apps are Google App Engine, Microsoft Azure, Rackspace Cloud Sites, etc.
    . IaaS or Infrastructure as a Service
IaaS consists of basic building blocks that offer access to networking functionalities, features & data storage space. It enables users to outsource IT infrastructures like servers, processing, virtual machines, storage, networking & other resources. IaaS applications also offer a good level of management control and flexibility over IT resources. Some of the best examples of IaaS apps are Amazon WorkSpaces, IBM Cloud, Google Cloud, etc.
Benefits of Cloud Apps
Web based application in cloud computing boost productivity, accessibility, security, and data safety. They help businesses make the process of collaboration more effective and easier. Key benefits of cloud applications include:
Minimal service provider interaction & management effort
Provides large computing capabilities, online & offline
Provides access to information from any device or place
Offers fast access to important applications through cloud servers
The performance of the availability of cloud apps enhances profitability & streamlines workflows
Serves multiple consumers with virtual and physical needs
Provides high transparency to resource providers & consumers
Offers improved collaboration options
Web Apps Vs Cloud Apps – Key Differences
Web apps and cloud apps both come with a wide range of functionalities & have noticeable distinctions. Web-based applications usually are accessible via web browsers, whereas cloud app’s infrastructure and data aren’t only accessible through the web browser but also downloadable. So, all cloud apps are web apps with additional features. Other differences between web and cloud apps are listed below.

Parameters
Cloud apps
Web apps
Internet
Work partially or entirely without the internet connectivity
Work with the internet only
Security
Ensures high security measures for sensitive & confidential information
It can verify client info on authentic servers
Technology
It needs a back–end framework & a JavaScript-based structure like React Js, Angular, etc
It has inbuilt languages such as PHP, Python & Ruby, and databases like MySQL.
Access
It’s not dependent on the web browser
Accessed via the web browser only
Customization
Customization features improve functionalities.
Never provides customization and similar functionalities
Costs
Expensive as compared to web apps
Development cost is less than cloud apps
Types
SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, RaaS
Static web apps, dynamic web apps portal web apps, etc
Scalability
Inherently scalable
Limited scalability
Availability
High uptime
Limited uptime
Storage
Multiple replicated center
Single data center

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Final Words
Web apps and cloud apps both are continuing to deliver users as the most crucial touch point. Since they are packed with similarities and dissimilarities in terms of software architecture, storage, and other aspects, selecting the right application always depends on customer preferences, business needs, and operations. Are you planning to build a custom web application or looking for web app development services? Get in touch with our experts for complete assistance.

You've built an amazing website, but how do you make sure people can find your site via search engines? In this article we cover 10 best practices to make sure your article not only stands out, but ranks well with search engines.

1. Take time to research keywords

To determine the best keywords for your site, you'll need to do some keyword research. This usually consists of combing through your competitors' sites for the keywords that are driving them the most traffic. There are several ways you can get started with keyword research. One recommended way is to create a spreadsheet with your competitors' sites listed and add keywords that you can copy and paste your competitors' keywords into Google's Keyword Tool and Google Webmaster Tools Keyword Analyzer tool. Analyze your competition's site's website titles to find out what keywords they are using tools such as Ahrefs, Moz, SpyFu, or SEMrush to find out what keywords others are using on your competitor's site.

2. Focus on your Title tag

This is the headline for every article. It needs to be bold and attention grabbing so it can catch the eye of potential users. Pick it somewhere around 60-90 characters to make sure it is displayed properly in search engines as well as readable in the browser tab. As you write your title, focus on the unique keywords your readers are likely to search for. Also make sure that the keywords you select are relevant to your page. Another good practice is to make the title tag and your header (h1) the same.

3. Carefully craft your H1, H2, H3 tags

Careful usage of header tags helps search engines identify keywords within your page. To get the best results from your header tags, use H1, H2, and H3 in order with keywords in your H2 and H3 headers that support your H1 tag. Remember, your H1 tag should mimic your title tag, whereas the H2 and H3 can expand and add additional context. You can also utilize multiple H2 and H3 tags, however be sure that these headers are supporting the H1 tag and relevant to the content on your page. Using irrelevant header keywords can actually work to your disadvantage.

4. Avoid loading content with JavaScript

Despite it's popularity, JavaScript is not yet well supported by search engines and can mask important content. Progressive Web Apps in particular can suffer as key content is loaded after the page is spidered, or in the case of many search engines that do not yet index JavaScript not loaded at all. This is also the case for many social media sites, meaning that content loaded dynamically is not evaluated or pulled in, resulting in the default skeleton of your site being what shows up in search engines and in link previews.

5. Carefully name images

In the past search engines would evaluate your images based on their alt tag, however as more and more developers loaded irrelevant keywords into this hidden image text search engines instead added more emphasis to the actual name of the image itself. This means using generic image names such as 1.jpg can actually hurt your site ranking as search engines might be looking for seokeywords.jpg. Now, just because you're carefully naming your images with relevant keywords describing the image doesn't mean you should ignore the alt tag. Be sure to continue to include alt tags for older search engines, in the case the image doesn't load, and for accessibility (ie screen readers).

6. Work to improve your page load time

It’s not a secret that faster sites rank higher in search engines. Most search engines use the PageSpeed Index from Google to determine the speed of websites. One thing Google looks at is how fast images are loading. For this reason, we recommend taking a look at how long it takes for the first image to load on your site or even take advantage of lazy loading for non-critical images. You want images to be loading within 30 seconds at the absolute latest, before the user can actually click on the page. You also need to make sure that if you're using multiple images that they load as one group. Next, take a look at how long it takes to load a webpage. Are pages taking longer than three seconds to load on your site? You want to have pages that load fast for users, but your code and templates can easily be causing this to happen.

7. Optimize text throughout your page

Beyond your title tag, headers, and images it's important to work keywords into your standard content, while also working to avoid overloading keywords. To help prevent overloading and increase search engine rankings across multiple keywords you can use alternative phrases. In the case of "PHP training" an alternative phrase might be "PHP tutorials" or "PHP course." This both helps support the primary keyword, while also allowing the page to rank for these keywords as well. Remember to use the tools referenced above to find the keywords that are right for your site, and then work them in to natural sentences without forcing keywords or becoming overly repetitive. Also keep in mind, just as important as the content and keywords on the page are to search engines, how users engage with that content is also critical. If your page experience's high bounce rates or low engagement with the content, it is likely to be deprioritized by search engines, meaning a page highly optimized for search engines but not humans may enjoy a higher ranking, but only for a short time before it is heavily penalized.

8. Build your Domain and Page Authority

Domain and Page Authority are determined not just by the number of back-links (or sites linking to your domain or page), but also the quality of the sites and pages linking to you. One practice that has made obtaining a better DA or PA harder has been purchasing or acquiring bulk back-links. Note this practice is actually against Google's TOS and may result in your entire site being banned from their search results! Because of this practice, it's important to focus on high quality sites and work to get back-links naturally either through partnerships or syndicated content (such as blog posts). You can also check your DA here or using one of the many tools referenced above.

9. Take advantage of social media

Speaking of back-links, social media can be a powerful tool for increasing page visibility while also improving your search engine rankings! Remember, most social sites do not support or read JavaScript, so ensure your content is available on the page. If you do have a progressive web app with JavaScript loading your content, look into using Headless Chrome to render a JavaScript free version of your site for specific bots (note - the content MUST be the same content a user would see or your site may be blocked). There are also numerous tools to allow you to build the content via JavaScript on the server backend before passing it to your readers. To help get even more exposure, consider adding social share links or tools like AddThis.

10. Good SEO takes time

The truth is that there really aren't any special secrets or ingredients to ranking well in search engines (well not that Google has publicly shared). Instead it's about properly formatting your page, making sure it's readable to search engines, and providing content that your readers will engage with. As you provide more valuable content, and more people like and link to your content - your site's Domain Authority will gradually increase, giving your site and pages more powerful - resulting in a higher ranking.