WEB-APPLICATION ARCHITECTURE

ABSTRACT

Brief description of the web application architecture

Keywords: monolith, microservice, server-less, MVC, MVP.

The web is based on the ability to access any document (web page, file) on any computer connected to the Internet. Web applications are those implementing complex user interaction with the necessary content as well as meeting functional requirements through the web [1, p.6].

Web application architecture represents interactions between components such as user interfaces, databases and others. The main purpose of using architecture is to ensure that all the elements work together correctly.

All applications have 3 components – the client (front-end), the server (back-end) and the database.

The interface is the visual part of the application that gives users the opportunity to see and interact with the interface. Client code responds to user actions. The backend is not visual to users, but makes their requests work. It handles business logic and responds to HTTP requests. When working properly, the client and server sides make up the software architecture of a web application.

There are three types of web application architecture: monolithic architecture, microservice architecture and server-less architecture.

Monolithic architecture

Monolithic architecture is a traditional software model that consists of a single module that operates autonomously and independently of other applications. The traditional monolithic web application architecture includes three parts – the database, the client side and the server side [2].

Picture 1. Monolith architecture

Microservice architecture

Microservice architecture involves developing and maintaining applications using small, modular services, rather than building software as one large unified block of code (monolith). The basic concept of the architecture is to divide a complex application into several small autonomous and managed components. Each microservice has its own set of code, a database, and API for interacting with other services. The interaction of services can be carried out through network requests or messages [3].

Picture 2. Microservice architecture

Server-less architecture

Server-less is an alternative to microservices that automates all deployments thanks to cloud technologies. One might assume that there is no server part here, but this is not the case, there is no work with the server as a confirmation.

In addition to the above types, there are architectures such as Model-View-Controller (MVC) and Model-View-Presenter (MVP).

Model-View-Controller (MVC)

This software design pattern makes it easy to create huge applications. This pattern has been used and tested widely across multiple languages and generations of programmers. Even though it does not belong to a specific framework, it is capable of creating any application or program in any programming language. In MVC the controller is responsible for determining which view to display in response to any action, including when the application loads.

MVC is an architectural pattern that was the first option for designing web applications. MVC builds an application in such a way that the layers are separated. It can be said that the MVC architecture pattern works towards reducing the code size, making it easily manageable and clean. It is very widely used in architecture [4].

Model-View-Presenter (MVP)

MVP pattern is very similar to the MVC pattern. It comes from the MVC pattern where the controller is replaced by a representative. The MVP pattern is an architectural model that can be used to overcome some of the shortcomings of MVC.

Page controls are managed and displayed using the view function. The Representative looks at UI events and collects all the inputs coming from users and then moves it to the Model side, outputting the result to the View. It is on the logic side that the representative does all his work with gestures, such as guiding through navigation or pressing a button. When it comes to implementation, MVP is a complex pattern, but if it can be applied as a well-designed solution, it will provide significant benefits. In most cases, MVP is chosen for ASP.NET Web Forms and Windows Forms applications. It can be used in web applications and is an excellent choice for Android developers. This pattern divides the application into Model, View, and Representative [4].

Thus, several popular and basic approaches to developing a web application were considered. Now, knowing the features they provide, you can choose the most suitable option for your web application.

References:

1. Кулаков К.А., Димитров В.М. Архитектура и фреймворки веб-приложений – 2020 – [электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа. – URL: https://cs.petrsu.ru/~kulakov/papers/docs/2020/webarch.pdf (дата обращения 10.09.2024)
2. Chandler Harris. Microservices vs. monolithic architecture – [электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа. – URL: https://www.atlassian.com/microservices/microservices-architecture/microservices-vs-monolith#:~:text=A%20monolithic%20architecture%20is%20a,monolith%20architecture%20for%20software%20design (дата обращения 10.09.2024)
3. What is Microservices Architecture? – [электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа. – URL: https://cloud.google^*.com/learn/what-is-microservices-architecture (дата обращения 10.09.2024)
4. Comparison Between MVC vs MVP vs MVVM [электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа. – URL: https://www.angularminds.com/blog/mvc-vs-mvp-mvvm (дата обращения 10.09.2024)

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