One of the popular and latest trends in the world of web development is the emergence of single-page applications.

According to a study by Google, if the loading time takes more than 3 seconds, the bounce rate increases by 32%. This reason has motivated businesses to make a shift from multi page websites to single-page websites.

The reason behind its popularity is not only fast loading time; in fact, it is backed with various other solid benefits.

Due to the increasing popularity of single-page applications, we have decided to write an article on single-page applications and their pros & cons so that you can draw the whole picture.

Let’s get started!

What are single-page applications?

As the name suggests, single-page applications are single-page websites or apps that are contained within a single-page. It just loads a single-page and does not require reloading while you are using it.

It constantly interacts with the users by dynamically rewriting the current page and doesn’t require constant updates.

Single-page applications are the best solutions for developing a customer-centric and cross-platform application. AngularJS, ReactJS, and Backbone.JS are some of the popular single-page application frameworks.

Features of single-page application

Here is the list of features SPA applications should have:

1. The ability to work offline

A single-page application can work in the offline mode, which means loss of internet connection should also not disrupt the work. Once the connection is stable, the data can be synced.

2. Negligible server round trips

Single-page application easily shapes any part of the UI to restore a complete HTML page which results in preventing the server round trips. Developers achieve it by using SOC design principles.

3. Cross-platform functionality

Single-page apps should be able to work on different operating systems.

4. Flexibility on the client’s side

Single-page apps are supported by JS-based routers and allow monitoring of the user’s actual monitor and state.

In contrast to the single-page application, multi page applications are traditional websites and consist of various pages. For instance, the homepage, index and menu pages.

When you click on the link, a request is sent to pull down data elements, graphics, content, etc.

Here is a comparison table to showcase the difference between single-page and multipage applications:

Pros of Single-Page Application

Single-page applications have been a popular hit in the market. Here are the reasons behind the popularity of this emerging technology:

1. Faster loading time

As mentioned above, the initial loading time can take up a few seconds, but after that, the entire usage is very seamless. In all aspects, it is much faster than multi page websites.

2. Caching capabilities

SPA applications request the data from the server only once, i.e. at the time of initial download. Therefore, caching works much better.

3. UX

Single-page applications provide a better user experience. In the case of multiple pages, application users have to click through the links and menus to gauge the information they are looking for, but in the case of SPA, all they have to do is scroll.

4. Flexibility in building feature-rich applications

SPA websites and applications make it seamless to add features because of their architecture. For instance, it is much easier to launch a content editing app that gives real-time analysis.

5. Does not require a high-speed internet connection

To access a single-page application, you don’t require a high-speed internet connection because it can load in a single click.

Cons of Single-Page Application

Single-page applications have numerous benefits, but sometimes their approach can offer some disadvantages as well. Here are some of the single-page applications:

1. Don’t perform well with the SEO

Unfortunately, one of the metrics used by search engines is the number of pages a website has. As SPA websites have a single-page, it serves as a disadvantage while performing SEO.

2. Not storing browsing history

SPAs don’t store browser history; therefore, if you have valuable data, it won’t be stored in the browsing history. Your browsing history will display the SPA’s link to the website.

3. No unique links

Single-page applications place everything under one link, which doesn’t give unique links and makes marketing optimisation difficult.

Examples of Single-Page Application

If you still haven’t understood anything about single-page applications, then here are some of the SPA apps that have been sitting under your nose.

1. Gmail

Gmail is a popular single-page application used to send and receive emails. Do you know now why you don’t need to reload the page when you are checking the messages in your inbox? It is because all the data is loaded from one server.

2. Netflix

You should be thankful to React Framework for allowing you to Netflix and chill. It can stream vast amounts of data simultaneously.

3. Grammarly

The popular grammar tool is built with the Vue.js framework and gives real-time AI assistance to the users.

4. Trello

Trello is a single-page website which is used for project management by various companies. It is built with backbone.JS and has a seamless user interface to manage and assign tasks.

These were the technology giants that have used single-page application architecture to build their products:

The benefits of single-page application architecture are undebatable, but it doesn’t mean that there is no downside to it. We have already discussed the pitfalls of using a SPA framework.

Therefore it is essential to analyse your requirements to make an informed decision. Single-page applications are best suited for building dynamic platforms which contain small data.

You can consider the following scenarios to go ahead with single-page application architecture:

• Single-page application framework is an ideal choice for building SaaS platforms because they don’t need much SEO.

• Social networking sites like Facebook, Instagram, etc.

• They are a perfect fit for building single-page mobile app development products like Google maps.

• They are an idle choice if you want to offer data streaming, real-time charts, live updates, notifications, etc., through your application.

• SPAs are also an excellent choice for offering consistent and native user experience across various operating systems.

If you tick any of the above-mentioned points, then single-page applications are the right choice for building your business.

To build a single-page application, you need three significant cornerstones: teams, tools and time. Let’s venture into each and every cornerstone individually:

Teams

• To build a practical single-page application, you need to hire an expert developing team who are skilled in JavaScript and HTML and have knowledge of other related technologies.

• UX/UI designers to create aesthetically pleasing designs

• QA specialists for testing the bugs and errors

• Project manager to monitor the team

• Highly skilled JavaScript developers for quality code

Time

Apart from hiring a skilled team, you also need to fix a timeline to launch your product into the market. Your timeline will depend on the following factors:

• The complexity of the app

• Team size

• Budget

• Features required

• Time for testing and fixing

• Research the market

• Writing & deployment of the code

• Designing

For everything to go according to the plan and complete within the timeline, you need to allocate your budget and resources smartly.

Tools

Apart from adequate technologies, you also need to deploy tools to effectively apply back-end technologies and databases for building quick and effective single-app development.

The key to success in today’s dynamic and customer-centric world is adapting to new technologies. Single-page applications have been accepted in today’s world with a big yes! Industry giants like Google and Facebook have adopted it to thrive in their business.

To exponentially grow the business in the coming future, single-page applications will be a perfect choice as their advantages outnumber the disadvantages.

With the right development partner, you can build a perfect SPA for your business. In case you have decided to develop a single-page application but still feel doubtful, feel free to contact us.