Understanding Web Application Technologies.

A non-technical guide for stakeholders explaining the types of technology available, and why it’s important to be involved in the decision making process.

What is a web application technology?

Getting to know the basics.

Before we get too deep into the detail, we first need to understand what web application technologies are.

Where are web application technologies used?

Much like cars are built from engines, engines, wheels and wires, web applications are built from numerous different software technologies.

They have user interfaces for displaying information and allowing users to interact with the application, business logic for performing operations in response to user actions, and databases for storing and retrieving data.

In the same way different cars use different components, your web application technology choices need to be appropriate to your organisation’s needs so you can avoid unnecessary costs, produce a better end product, and achieve a better return on investment.

Regrettably, this is something many companies get wrong. Technology choices are often delegated to developers who don’t factor in the bottom line, overestimate the needs of the business, and gravitate towards newness or complexity that excites them.

What technologies are used in web application development?

When talking about web application technologies, it’s helpful to think in terms of levels and layers.

At the lowest level we have programming languages, then libraries & frameworks, and then software services - all running on web application platforms. Depending on the needs of a web application, developers may work directly with a language for maximum control, adopt a framework to focus on business logic, or quickly pull in a high level software service to perform a common function.

Modern web application development involves using a mix of technologies in combination to build front end and back end layers that communicate with some sort of database. More complex web applications will make use of many additional services such as content management systems, APIs, and analytics platforms for which there are countless additional technology options.

What is a programming language?

Web application programming languages.

A programming language is the basic building block of web application development.

The code a developer writes when building a web application is written in a programming language. Like human languages, they have structure and syntax, but they’re purposefully designed to tell a computer what to do in response to input and actions. Every part of a web application is ultimately comprised of code written in a programming language.

In web application development, it’s helpful to think of programming languages as being split into two main categories “front end languages” - powering everything the user sees and interacts with in the web browser, and “back end languages” - powering everything that happens on the server.

Front end languages

Web application front ends are almost exclusively developed using the HTML (presentation), CSS (styling), and JavaScript (behaviour) programming languages. Together, they allow us to build beautiful interactive websites and user interfaces that users can access via their web browser on any device.

HTML

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is used to create web pages. It defines structured content with elements such as headings, paragraphs, lists, links, and forms. HTML is composed of "tags" that wrap content to indicate its purpose (e.g., <h1> for main headings, <p> for paragraphs).

CSS

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is used to describe the look and formatting of a document written in HTML. It defines the appearance of layout, colors, fonts, spacing, and more. CSS rules are defined in stylesheets, that target HTML elements and specify how they should appear.

JavaScript

JavaScript: is used to make web pages interactive and dynamic. While HTML provides structure and CSS deals with presentation, JavaScript handles interactivity and dynamic content updates without needing to reload the page.

Popular back end languages

On the back end, there are no restrictions on the programming language you can use. However, there are a few languages that are particularly popular for web application development today.

Node.js

Node.js allows JavaScript to be used outside of the browser as a language for general purpose development. It has has proven popular for web application development, as it allows developers to use JavaScript across both the front end and back end of their web application.

Ruby

Ruby (particularly with the "Ruby on Rails" framework) is in use by many companies and developers for web application development. Its convention-over-configuration philosophy and expressive syntax make it a favorite for rapid web application development, even 20 years after its initial release.

Python

Python has gained a lot of traction as a back end web application developmnent language thanks to web frameworks like Django, Flask, and FastAPI. The readability of Python code, along with its scalability and versatility, has made it a preferred choice for many startups and large companies alike.

Java

Java remains a staple in the enterprise world and is widely used for scaleable web application development, especially with frameworks like Spring Boot. Its platform-independent nature and strong community support have kept it relevant.

PHP

PHP is an old, but still widely used language for web application development. It powers many websites and is behind popular content management systems like WordPress. With modern frameworks like Laravel and Symfony, PHP remains a strong choice.

What are web application frameworks and libraries?

Web application frameworks and libraries.

Frameworks and libraries are toolkits developers use to speed up and standardize the building process.

What is a web application framework?

A framework is a collection of pre-written code that gives developers a structure to follow and many pre-built features so they don’t have to code everything from scratch. This often includes code for user logins, database connections, and security. By leaning on frameworks, projects can be delivered faster and with fewer mistakes.

Frameworks also encourage consistency. If a team grows or changes over time, a framework makes it easier for new developers to understand how the application is built. This reduces risk for the business and keeps the project more maintainable in the long run.

What is a web application library?

A library is a collection of pre-written code that developers can use to perform a set of specific tasks. Libraries are often used for interacting with certain technologies, such as specific databases or services, or for handling common tasks such as input validation.

While they share many commonalities with frameworks, a the scope of a library is much more limited. Where frameworks generally allow you to build a complete web application right out of the box, a library might only assist with one small part of a web application. It’s standard practice common to use both frameworks and libraries together to get all the functionality you need.

Popular web application frameworks & libraries

React

React is a JavaScript library developed by Meta for building interactive user interfaces. It allows developers to create reusable user interface components and manage how they respond to interaction and changes in data. It is an extremely popular choice for web application development on the front end.

  • Library

Next.js

Next.js is a more full-featured React-based web application development framework developed by Vercel that makes it easy to build performant and SEO friendly web applications. It emphasises developer experience and productivity, at the cost of being difficult to run outside of Vercel's hosting platform.

  • Framework

Ruby on Rails

Ruby on Rails is a mature web application development framework written in Ruby. It champions principles that streamline the development process, providing default structures for databases, web services, and web pages. It is well known for its rapid development capabilities, extensive libraries, and strong community support.

  • Framework

Django

Django is a high-level web application development framework written in Python that promotes rapid development and a clean, pragmatic design that emphasises reusability of components to write less code. Django simplifies common development tasks, making it easier to build secure and scalable web applications.

  • Framework

Laravel

Laravel is a popular PHP framework that simplifies common web application development tasks such as database access, HTML templating, authentication, routing, and caching. It also boasts an active ecosystem of tools that enhance developer productivity and application capabilities.

  • Framework

What are web application services and platforms?

Web application services & platforms.

Frameworks are toolkits developers use to speed up and standardize the building process.

What is a software service?

A software service is a piece of ready-built software that offers specific functionality for a web application.

Instead of building every feature from scratch, developers can connect their web application to software services that solve common problems like payments, email, search, analytics, or authentication. These services are usually delivered through an API (Application Programming Interface), which lets your web application talk to them securely over the internet, but may also be installed on your own servers.

Software services allow teams to move faster, reduce costs, and rely on the expertise of specialist providers. The trade-off is less control and a degree of dependency on the service provider’s reliability, pricing, and roadmap.

Popular examples include Stripe for payments, Auth0 for user logins, SendGrid for transactional emails, Algolia for fast search, and AWS S3 or Cloudinary for file storage. Each of these provides a focused piece of functionality that would not be economically viable to develop in-house for most organisations.

What is a web application platform?

A platform is the environment where your application runs and is managed day to day.

While programming languages, frameworks and libraries, and software services all help you build, a platform provides the tools and infrastructure to run your web application in production. Web application platforms offer hosting servers, automatic scaling when traffic spikes, built-in monitoring, and even security protections. Many platforms also provide deployment tools, making it easier to release updates without downtime.

The choice of platform can shape your costs and operational flexibility. Some “fully managed” platforms handle most of the complexity for you, which is great for lean teams who want to move quickly without worrying about servers. Others provide more control but require more hands-on technical management, which can increase staffing needs.

Popular web application platforms include Heroku, DigitalOcean, Vercel, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform.

How to choose web application technologies

Making a good choice.

Why non-developers should be involved in technical decision making, and how to guide developers to make the right choices.

Why you should be involved in the decision

Technology choices shouldn’t be left entirely to developers.

Developers are often subconciously biased towards tools they enjoy using, that look impressive on a résumé, or that solve technical challenges in novel ways. But those priorities don’t always line up with business realities like budget, timelines, staffing, or long-term maintainability.

As a business owner or stakeholder, your involvement helps ensure technology decisions support broader goals, whether that’s reducing costs, speeding up delivery, or keeping future options open. Even if you don’t choose the specific programming language or framework, asking the right questions and understanding the trade-offs keeps the project aligned with your interests.

Which technology is best for web applications?

There isn’t a single “best” web application technology.

The right choice depends on factors like project size, budget, timelines, team skills, and how you expect the application to evolve. A solution that’s ideal for a lean startup may be unsuitable for a large organisation, and vice versa.

The key is to share your business constraints with developers so they can weigh technical options against real-world needs. Rather than dictating tools, focus on asking how choices will impact scalability, costs, and future flexibility.

Green flags to look out for

  • Tick characterIn active use: Wide use and active maintenance of a technology means regular updates, strong community support, and fewer risks of it becoming outdated or unsupported during the lifetime of your project.

  • Tick characterHireable expertise: Technologies that many developers know makes it easier to hire, replace, or scale your team. Niche tools may look appealing, but they can make it expensive and time-consuming to find qualified people.

  • Tick characterDesigned for your problem: Technologies should be well-suited to the type of web application you’re building. For example, some are better for content-heavy sites, others for real-time interaction, and others for handling large data sets. Look for a close fit to your specific needs.

  • Tick characterDoesn’t overcomplicate: Keep it simple. Prefer technologies that solve your problem directly without unnecessary layers of complexity. Overly complex solutions often lead to higher costs and longer development times.

  • Tick characterFree: Many of the best tools in web application development are open source and free to use. This doesn’t just save on licensing, it also means you’re not locked into a single vendor. Be mindful, though, that you’ll still need to pay for hosting, support, or developer time.

  • Tick characterIndependent: A healthy technology choice is one that doesn’t tie you too tightly to a single company or provider. Open standards and broad support reduce the risk of being trapped if a vendor changes pricing, discontinues features, or goes out of business.

Red flags to look out for

  • Cross characterIt’s how <insert tech giant> does it: A common trap is hearing “Google uses this” or “Netflix built with that.” Large corporations have specialised teams and infrastructure that make complex technology stacks viable. What works for them can easily overwhelm a smaller organisation.

  • Cross characterOne-person expertise: Be wary if only a single developer on the team understands the technology. This creates a “bus factor” risk—if they leave, your business may be stuck with code nobody else can maintain.

  • Cross characterIt’s brand new: Shiny new technologies may grab attention, but without a proven track record they carry risks—limited documentation, unstable features, and uncertain community support. Early adoption often means higher costs and more firefighting.

  • Cross characterChasing developer excitement: If your team seems more motivated by trying something “cool” than solving your business problem, that’s a warning sign. The technology should serve your goals, not double as a playground for experimentation.

  • Cross characterExternal dependencies: If a proposed solution requires lots of plugins, libraries, or third-party services just to function, it creates fragility. Each dependency is another point of failure, security risk, or upgrade headache.

  • Cross characterHidden long-term costs: Some tools look cheap or free at the start but lock you into costly hosting, premium features, or complex upgrades later. Always ask what it will take to maintain and scale the technology over several years.

Summarising web application development technologies

Wrapping up.

You've learned what web application technologies are, why choosing the right one is important, and how to choose the right one for your project.

Armed with this knowledge, you should be in a much better position to guide your team towards the right technology for your web application development project. If you're still unsure, and would like some friendly guidance from a team with years of experience, please get in touch and we'll be happy to answer any questions you may have.