Hosted Web Applications: Popular Software and Scripts
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Web Applications and Hosting
The line between a web application and a website is not a clear-cut one. Some web applications present themselves to the user as if they are ‘apps,’ in the sense that they have an obviously dynamic functionality.
Meanwhile, other web applications manage the content and display of a site, which — to the user — seems completely static.
The History of Web Applications
In the early days of the internet, a website was nothing more exciting than a collection of documents made publicly available in the www folder of a connected file system.
Over time, with the development of server-side scripting languages like ASP, SSI, and PHP, these documents took on dynamic properties and eventually web applications were born.
Most websites today — even simple blogs and single page sites — don’t really document collections, they are database-backed web applications written in programming and scripting languages like Ruby on Rails, and Perl.
Who Uses Web Applications?
Building even the simplest website today requires an understanding of web applications.
You don’t have to know how to build applications to set up a website, but it helps to have a sense of what types of applications underlie even the most basic types of sites.
Differences Between Web Applications, Scripts, and software
Web applications, scripts, and software — what’s the difference? There isn’t any practical difference.
These terms are used interchangeably. What one person calls an “application” another might call “software.”
“Scripts” is not used as often in recent years.
Web Application Technical Requirements
Every web application has certain technical requirements that must be met by the server that you plan to run it on.
These are usually software dependencies (other programs or languages that must be installed), rather than hardware requirements.
If these minimum requirements are not met, the application will either not run at all, or (worse) will appear to run fine but will exhibit weird behavior that will eventually compromise your site.
Be especially mindful of version numbers. Often web applications will need a particular version (or higher) of some language, library, or tool.
Types of Web Applications
Here is a quick overview of the most common types of web applications used in conjunction with web hosting.
Near the bottom of this page, you will find links to help you explore and compare various applications in detail, including hosts that support them.
- Content Management Systems
- Blogging Applications
- E-Commerce Applications
- Shopping Cart applications
- Website Builders
Content Management Systems
Content Management Systems store content in a database, provide an admin interface for easily adding and editing content, and display content to website visitors using some kind of template or theming system.
Many CMS applications are extensible through the use of plugins, allowing them to manage any type of content — blog posts, pages, events, products, videos, and anything else you can think of.
Almost all the web applications on this page could be classified in some way as Content Management Systems.
However, this category refers only to those CMSs that provide general Content Management functionality, or which cross a number of different categories.
Which CMS is Right For You?
The best CMS for your organization will depend on several factors. How much customization do you require?
Are you a skilled programmer, or do you have skilled programmers to assist you? Do you want to create your site from scratch, or start with a theme?
The most popular CMS, by far, is WordPress. It offers simple setup and maintenance, thousands of free and paid themes, and a seemingly endless supply of available add-ons.
However, Drupal and Joomla allow great customization and are typically preferred for e-commerce sites. Movable Type offers a premium CMS experience, ideal for enterprise clients.
Here is a list of some of the most popular CMS options available right now:
Points to Remember When Selecting a CMS
Below is a list of factors you may wish to consider when selecting a CMS
- Pricing
- Technical skills
- Customization
- System resources
- Design ambitions
Many of the other CMSs listed on this page offer their own, unique advantages. Some require very little system resources.
Some are primarily geared toward bloggers. Others specialize in forums or another web feature.
Choosing a CMS for your Business
When choosing a CMS, first decide what is most important to your organization, and find the option that fits these requirements.
It’s also important to check that the solution you choose is still being actively developed and offers the level of support you need.
Blogging Applications
Let’s talk about blogging. If you are unaware of what blogging is, read on to find out – if you know, then absorb the extra knowledge.
What is a Blog?
A blog is a website that displays pieces of dated content, usually in reverse chronological order.
Blogs can be used for personal journals, company news, organizational announcements, and any other type of site where you need to update the content with timely information on a regular basis.
Most blogs also provide the ability to create timeless (not date specific) content, like About and Contact pages.
Differences Between a Blog and a CMS
Why use a blog over a CMS, or vice-versa? Many content management systems are also blogging platforms, at least to some degree.
In the case of WordPress, it’s a powerful blogging platform and a CMS in one.
Other CMSs tend to specialize in one area or another, being website design, forums, e-commerce, etc.
In those cases, the blogging functionality may not be as powerful as you would get with a dedicated blogging solution.
If you’re going to use WordPress to host your website, use it to host your blog too. If you’re using another CMS or just a website builder, a dedicated blogging application may provide more in terms of customization, features, and usability.
If you want a blog and nothing else, you may not need all the extra bells and whistles attached to a CMS.
| Blog | CMS |
|---|---|
| Designed for blogging only | Blogging functionality may not be as powerful |
| Additional blog customization options | Usually no blogging specific features |
| Dedicated solely to blogging | Non-blogging features and functionality may be included |
E-Commerce Applications
E-commerce applications typically provide you with an entire store, including the storefront, a means of adding new products, uploading product descriptions and photos, inventory management, a payment processor, and more.
Shopping Cart Applications
Shopping cart applications typically only provide a means of keeping track of selected products, calculating the total price, and accepting payment.
Differences between E-Commerce and Shopping Cart Applications
Why use a shopping cart over an e-commerce application? You may not need a full e-commerce solution.
For instance, if you are hosting your site through a CMS or hand-coded HTML, you may only need a shopping cart to keep track of orders and collect payment…not manage your entire website’s content.
Website Builders
Website builders allow users to with the very limited technical knowledge to publish websites.
Differences between Website Builders and a CMS?
What is the difference between a website builder and a CMS? A website builder does just what the name implies. It builds websites. And, usually, that’s it.
A CMS, on the other hand, provides a variety of solutions in a single package. It can be used to build a website, create a blog, add a user forum, host an e-commerce store, including a picture gallery, and much, much more.
The bigger CMSs include hundreds and even thousands of add-ons to provide additional functionality.
Customizability
However, even the simplest CMSs are more complicated to use than your average website builder.
If your host offers a website builder, it is likely drag-and-drop, what-you-see-is-what-you-get.
They typically feature several dozens to several hundred customizable templates, making it possible to get your website online in mere minutes.
If your organization just needs a simple web presence, a website builder will do the trick. If you intend to add additional features as you grow, starting with a CMS will make things much easier down the road.
Installing Web Applications
Many of the most popular web applications are free and open-source, and many web hosting providers offer “one-click installation” (or easy installation) of these apps from their hosting control panel.
Easy installation is usually provided by a third party install-wizard like Fantastico, Softaculous or SimpleScripts.
Differences Between Fantastico, Softaculous, and SimpleScripts
What is the difference between Fantastico, Softaculous, and SimpleScripts?
All of these offer similar, simple one-click installations of the most popular web applications. Each has its own benefits and disadvantages.
Fantastico
Fantastico used to be the leader in install wizards, but it’s shortcomings in terms of upgrades, customization, and lack of compatibility with some servers opened up the doors for other one-click wizards like Softaculous and SimpleScripts.
Softaculous
Softaculous offers over 345 scripts, daily upgrade checks, backup and restoration functions, and installation cloning for custom-coded applications.
SimpleScripts
SimpleScripts offers fewer scripts (around 70), but still supports the most popular applications, and updates their scripts within minutes of the public release for most applications.
All of these install wizards provide similar benefits and support the most popular web applications, and for most people will be far less important when choosing a web host than other features such as size, bandwidth, shared vs dedicated, etc.
| Fantastico | Softaculous | SimpleScripts |
|---|---|---|
| 50 (Free Version) | 50 (54 in paid version) Scripts | Around 70 scripts |
| Fewer Upgrades than competitors | Daily Upgrade Checks | Updates within Minutes |
| Backup / Restoration Functions | Backup / Restoration Functions | Backup / Restoration Functions |
Alternative Uses for Web Applications
Below is a list of popular uses for web applications:
Want to create your own version of Facebook or eBay? There are web applications that can help create social networking or auction websites. In fact, there are dozens of options for each of those situations.
We detail 400+ web applications in dozens of categories (auctions, blogs, cms, wikis, forums, galleries and much more). Browse through the categories via the links at the top of the page.
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