What is a web application?

A web application is like an app for your phone or software for your computer. Specifically, a web application is a specialized piece of software to be installed on a server and used to manage web content.

WordPress, MediaWiki, Drupal, and Omeka are all examples of web applications. Each have their own advantages and limitations for developing web content. Therefore, selecting the proper web application to suit your needs is an important step to success.

To see some more examples of web applications, refer to the list that can be easily installed on your Stanford Domains account.