web and mobile applications

Mobile apps are built for a specific platform such as iOS or Android, and run on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

Web apps can be accessed through internet browsers such as Chrome, Safari or Firefox, and will adapt to whichever device the user is using. Web apps do not need to be downloaded nor are they native to any particular system or device. Good web apps adapt to the form factor of the device being used to access them. This is called responsive design.

Web apps typically require an active internet connection in order to function, whereas mobile apps can often function in offline mode.

Mobile apps tend to be faster and more efficient than web apps, but often require regular updates/downloads. Web apps apps update themselves.

A website can be generally thought of as a set of mostly static informational pages that are interrelated and are hosted on the internet under a single domain. The most common example is a company’s website which is mostly dedicated to marketing what the company does.

A web application is a server-client interactive program that can be accessed through a domain on the internet in any web browser. Examples of web applications include Facebook, Twitter, Salesforce.com and other sites where users must log in to gain access to rich, dynamic functionality.

Web and mobile development can take on many forms, depending upon whether you are trying to build a native mobile app or responsive web application. In either case, you will need to create a backend that handles your data and computing infrastructure in addition to notifications, role-based access, messaging, authentication, single-sign-on and more. The 8base Platform handles all of this part easily and exposes it through an API for your web or mobile app to consume.

8base is a tool intended for use by developers. Much of the 8base backend can be configured by non-developers. For instance, a non-developer can easily build a data model and API using 8base’s Data Builder. Additionally, most frontend development can done by a non-developer using the 8base App Builder. If your app can be developed without the need for a lot of custom coding to solve specific business problems, you may be able to do so with 8base without the need for a developer.

Responsive design is a software development approach that creates dynamic changes to the appearance of a website or web application, depending on the screen size and orientation of the device being used to view it. Page elements can reposition, disappear, be minimized or presented differently as the users screen size grows or shrinks or changes orientation from portrait to landscape.

A progressive web application (PWA) is a type of software application delivered through the web and accessed through a web browser. It is typically built using common web technologies such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Functionality can include working offline, push notifications, and device hardware access, enabling creating user experiences similar to native applications on desktop and mobile devices. Since a progressive web app is a type of webpage or website known as a web application, there is no requirement for developers or users to install the web apps via digital distribution systems like Apple App Store or Google Play.