Single Page Applications: Pros, Cons, Examples, Frameworks And More

By Author: Copper Mobile
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The accelerated pace of technology and decelerated rate of consumers’ attention spans have made it imperative for businesses to become customer-centric and look out for ways to engage potential customers in the first few seconds of brand interaction. Thus leading to a significant paradigm shift towards single-page applications.

Contemplating this shift to single-page applications, in this blog, we will explore what exactly is a single-page application, its intricacies, pros, cons, and business implications.

What are Single Page Applications (SPAs)?
A Single Page Application (SPA) can be defined as a modern type of web application or website that loads as a single webpage seamlessly on a web browser.

And every time a user interacts with the web server, the JavaScript code is directly rendered onto the single-page application in a browser with a single request, and the same webpage is re-rendered with new content without reloading or redirecting to a new page for every potential interaction.

Thus enabling a more dynamic and intuitive user experience from a single webpage without hindering ...
... the customer journey by redirecting or loading multiple pages. Which is the most prominent reason, why businesses have started preferring single-page application frameworks rather than investing in multi-page applications.

Popular Examples of Single-page Applications
Single-Page Application vs Multi-Page Application

How Do Single-Page Applications Work?
When a user visits a website, a request is sent to the server by the browser and returns an HTML file with all the content, images, and everything.

Whereas, in the case of the SPA single-page application, the server on requests sends an HTML file at once, and then the following requests are catered by data sent as JSON files, thus eliminating the loading of multiple pages on subsequent requests; in essence, leading the single-page application to offer a native-like seamless user experience.

Single-Page Application Architecture
The architecture of single-page applications primarily comprises three key aspects – server-side, client-side rendering technologies, and the static site generator to render and present the SPA Single Page Application to the user. Let’s discuss this in detail:

Client-side Rendering
Client-side rendering is primarily when the browser requests an HTML file from the server, and the server reciprocates the request with a basic HTML file connected to scripts and styles. In essence, the HTML executes the Javascript, retrieves data, produces views, and injects the data into the Document Object Model (DOM) to prepare the SPA app’s final render for the user.

Client-side rendering is one of the most comprehensive of the three rendering alternatives. It often overwhelms the browser due to extensive data and resource usage on the server. However, the best option for high-traffic websites.

Server-side Rendering (SSR)
With server-side rendering, when the browser requests the server for an HTML file, the server retrieves the data, renders the SPA, produces a virtual DOM, and then creates an HTML file to seamlessly work for the user without burdening the user’s browser.

Static Site Generator (SSG)
As for the Static site generator, the browser initiates an instant request for an HTML file from the server. And the HTML page is displayed to the user; however, at the backend, the single page application fetches the required data, generates views, and injects the essentials into the DOM for the final render.

As the name suggests, status site generators are most suitable for static page websites only. As for multi-page, users can opt for the above two rendering approaches for a seamless experience.

Pros of Single Page Applications
Fast and Flexible
As read earlier, we know that Single Page Applications only retrieve content and information from the server and seamlessly render for the user without reloading the pages; this significant aspect of single-page applications reduces the wait time and makes SPAs super fast, lightweight and flexible, thus benefiting the overall user experience leading to increased business engagement.

Enhanced User Experience
The next noticeable benefit of a single-page app is the improved user experience. Catering to the customer’s short attention span, single-page applications instantly engage the user with the information they need without any wait time or page reloads hampering the user journey.

With SPAs, users just have to scroll through the application to explore the brand, which proves to be more appealing, intuitive, and easy to use, thus reciprocating into enhanced user experience and retention.

Caching Power
The caching capabilities of single-page applications set them apart from other applications. In essence, a single-page app has the ability to cache any local data efficiently by sending a single request to the server. And after that, as the local data is cached and well synchronized with the server, the SPA is accessible by the user even without requesting online data from the server.

Easily Debuggable
One of the most daunting tasks of web development is debugging. And by offering an easily debuggable development environment, Single Page Application wins another point and becomes a preference for business owners. In addition, Google also provides easy-to-use development tools for debugging single-page apps without having to shift or alter code.

Cons of Single-Page Applications
Relatively Slow
Single-page applications often have a substantially larger volume of JavaScript, thus making the SPA a little slow during initial loading. This can affect the user experience, especially in the case of mobile phones. At first, when the mobile browser parses and understands JavaScript if the smartphone’s processor isn’t as compatible as it should be, the SPA initial load might lag and be comparatively slower.

Browser History not Stored
We all know that browsers store history, right? But in the case of SPAs, since there’s no page reloading when a user presses the browser’s back button and expects the change to happen and be recorded, it doesn’t happen.

Since SPAs just update the URL & resources of a web page instead of reloading, browsing history isn’t stored, thus restricting the user’s back-and-forth movement on the browser.

SEO Optimization becomes Difficult
The key to a successful SEO strategy is content and multiple content spaces for search engine crawlers to crawl. But in the case of SPAs, though the user witnesses the dynamic change of content on a SPA, it is difficult for crawlers to assess and account for this dynamic change, thus negatively impacting the overall SEO strategy.

Security Challenges
In addition to the cons mentioned above, one of the most troublesome cons of preferring single-page application frameworks is the vulnerability of the application. Simply put, single-page applications are more vulnerable and prone to cyber security threats, especially being hacked through cross-site scripting attacks. Compared to multi-page applications, it becomes easier for hackers to hamper client-side scripts into a web app.

Most Popular Single-Page Application Frameworks

Conclusion
Now that you clearly understand what single-page applications entail for businesses, it might be easier to choose between developing a multi-page app or a single-page application. At the core, the decision depends explicitly on your ultimate goal while developing the application.

If your prime focus is to offer a seamless customer experience to your end users and enhance your brand engagement, single-page applications are what you should go for. As for those who intend to have a feature-rich, SEO-friendly full-fledged application, then you should go for multi-page applications.

Further, as it’s always advisable to seek expert advice when planning your enterprise app or business transformation, look out for the top mobile app design and development company renowned for building and offering the most robust mobile solutions that have reciprocated envisioned business growth, value, and impact.

At Copper Mobile, we’ve designed our business to be flexible; we know no two business problems are the same. With that in mind, we offer a range of services and engagement models to ensure we have a variety of ways to best serve our clients. Whether you need our help in one specific area or need us to bring all of our capabilities to the table, you can be sure we have the experience, expertise and flexibility to best serve you.