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Basics of Building Great Web Applications
Vishnu Gopal
Where are you?
1. You’ve Shortlisted an Idea2. You’ve built a Product Narrative
3. You’ve decided you want to build a web app/web API.
Basic Tips on Building Web Applications
Does not get into too much domain detail. For that, please
use Faculty Connect & talk to me.
1. Use a fully-fledged backend (MVC) framework.
DO: Rails, Django, Laravel, Sailsjs.DON’T: Sinatra, Webpy,
Wordpress, Express.
Concept: Innovation Points. Let the framework + libraries do the
work for you.
Most often, this advice applies even if you are building
“only” an API.
Nobody builds “only” an API. Sometimes you need an Admin interface, sometimes
you need client-facing login, et. al.
2. Build a monolithic application. Do NOT build micro-services.
Only split into micro-services, et. al. when you need it. Start off as a simple
“everything in one” architecture.
3. Only maintain 1 repository.
Just like you don’t split running code into micro-services, you maintain all
code in this one mono-repo.
Just FYI, even Facebook has a mono-repo.
4. Use the wireframe/design/build
workflow
i.e Step 1: Wireframes are built.
Step 2: Design is done in HTML/CSSStep 3: Build in logic.
Step 3 can happen in parallel with Step 1 and 2 if you are
confident of the spec.
5. Developers accept responsibility for testing.
There is no separate QA team.Everybody on the team tests.
6. Always build every layer of the cake.
Think of a final delivered product as a “cake”
The cake has many layers, it has a egg & mayo layer at the bottom, a chocolate layer in
between, a crust at the top, and then finally icing.
When a cook builds a cake, he builds it one layer at a time.
When a software developer builds the cake, he doesn’t build one layer at a time. Instead
he takes a slice of the cake, and builds all layers in it at once.
Egg & Mayo
Chocolate
Crust
Icing
Egg & Mayo
Chocolate
Crust
Icing
When a cook builds a cake, he builds it one layer at a time.
Egg & Mayo
Chocolate
Crust
Icing
When a cook builds a cake, he builds it one layer at a time.
Egg & Mayo
Chocolate
Crust
Icing
When a cook builds a cake, he builds it one layer at a time.
Egg & Mayo
Chocolate
Crust
Icing
When a cook builds a cake, he builds it one layer at a time.
Egg & Mayo
Chocolate
Crust
IcingWhen a software
developer builds the cake, he doesn’t build one layer at a time. Instead he takes
a slice of the cake, and builds all layers in it at
once.
Egg & Mayo
Chocolate
Crust
IcingWhen a software
developer builds the cake, he doesn’t build one layer at a time. Instead he takes
a slice of the cake, and builds all layers in it at
once.
Egg & Mayo
Chocolate
Crust
IcingWhen a software
developer builds the cake, he doesn’t build one layer at a time. Instead he takes
a slice of the cake, and builds all layers in it at
once.
Egg & Mayo
Chocolate
Crust
Icing
How does he decide which layer to pick?Depends on what is
important to the customer.
Egg & Mayo
Chocolate
Crust
Icing
The first layer is the most
important/most valuable feature.
Let’s put this actual software development layers in here.
Database & API Connectivity
Application Logic
Frontend Logic
Presentation
Build & deliver all layers together.
SQL/API Integration code.
Ruby/Python/PHP/Node
Javascript/jQuery/React/
Angular
HTML/CSS
Build & deliver all layers together.
SQL/API Integration code.
Ruby/Python/PHP/Node
Javascript/jQuery/React/
Angular
HTML/CSS
Remember, most important
feature first.
SQL/API Integration code.
Ruby/Python/PHP/Node
Javascript/jQuery/React/
Angular
HTML/CSS
So this might be “The Search
Screen”
SQL/API Integration code.
Ruby/Python/PHP/Node
Javascript/jQuery/React/
Angular
HTML/CSS Avoid building according the user
flow. For e.g. Login/Signup
screens are often the least important
ones.
Crux: Always deliver something the customer can use.
That’s it. Looking forward to seeing your Web app Alpha!
