The Use of Frameworks and Plugins in Web Development

Web development is the term used to refer to all work concerning the creation of websites and web apps – from applying design principles, building all website functions and content, and integrating tight security. It also includes properly managing online interactions between businesses and their clients and successful visibility of the site to its target audiences. But to make those features function as designed, companies need outsourced technical knowledge if without an in-house website design and development team.

On top of making those functionalities work, the web development team still needs to resolve concerns such as how to create impact on all site users, especially when websites are mostly designed to convey information. That said, creating web products and content is not as easy as it looks. Fortunately, web developers have two essential aids to help them construct websites and web apps faster and less costly: frameworks and plugins.

Frameworks

Frameworks are pieces of software used to build up the features of websites. These are usually pre-built, like templates, but at the same time, can be used by all web developers. Frameworks are open-source and free to use to assist website builders in terms of expressing or creating functionalities and data structures.

Aside from forming the backbone of websites, it also involves portions concerning site visibility such as its front-end interface. This section is mostly built by the UI UX designer, who ensures copy and content are optimised for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and indexing the rest of the website. For the back-end, a part of the framework touches on security and database-related sections. In summary, frameworks are an essential tool for web developers, as also guaranteed by the examples below.

1. Meteor – Meteor is a JavaScript-based framework and offers the same-code template across several platforms. Some of the big-name companies that utilise Meteor are Qualcomm and Honeywell.
2. Play – Play is a wide-scale framework that uses library-enriched languages such as Java and Scala. It is a full-stack framework used by companies like SoFi, an online finance firm, and Coursera, an online educational course provider.
3. Ruby on Rails – As evident from its name, Ruby on Rails is written in Ruby, wherein the frameworks are not only open-source but also publicly managed by community members. Two of its most popular clients are Twitch and Soundcloud, which are currently the most popular video and music streaming platforms.

Plugins

Just like frameworks, plugins are also helpful software components utilised by developers. A website development company usually buys licenses to these or creates custom ones for their clients. These are third-party programs capable of extending what basic HTML, CSS and JavaScript, the basic components of web development, can do. Some of its functionalities include displaying and laying out media content and other customisation options. Some of its well-known examples are listed below.

1. Intercom – The Intercom plugin allows users to avoid the trouble of manually setting up conversations with clients or audiences, as it enables 24-hour customer service through chatbot and AI-assisted chat features.
2. Optimole – Optimole offers speedy and server-strain-free image optimisation. Through this plugin, images are stored in the cloud and thus can be displayed in any device browser, regardless of its native size, making it more accessible for site visitors.
3. OptinMaster – Fetching customers through forms is made easy through OptinMaster. This plugin enables websites to include email sign-up features without having to write the necessary code, providing email list boosters through pop-ups and sidebar slide-ins.

Similarities and Differences between Frameworks and Plugins

To summarise, both frameworks and plugins are made to live by the Don’t Repeat Yourself (DRY) principle in programming. It’s a popular phrase among developers that pertains to limiting the repetition of writing codes for their programs. These are done to ease maintenance and avoid heavy modifications on all programmed websites.

Web developers can also save on both cost and time-to-market using frameworks and plugins. By having premade functionalities, expressions, and variables, processes are sped up and development expenses can be significantly reduced since some frameworks and plugins can be availed for free too.

Now for their differences: Frameworks, as they use open-source codes, can also provide guides among programmers when working on specific website features, like a software “backbone”. Plugins, on the other hand, expand the user journey in terms of available interactions and functions for end-users without developers adding more lines to the website’s source code.

Conclusion

Once a website is launched, maintenance and usage are passed to the client. The judgement will be up to them – as they test its performance, design, and the overall user experience they had from the moment they opened the website through to browsing its pages and until they close. It can be disheartening if all hard work will be wasted due to low website traffic and high bounce rates.

But fear not with the help of a competent web developer. Singapore, the Philippines, and Vietnam are among the countries where you can find web developers and/or web development agencies to help you with your website concerns. We are one such company as Frontline Mobile Pte. Ltd. specialises in web and mobile app development. Our other services include app development, UI UX design solutions, CMS and more. To know more, you can reach out to us by filling up the form here: https://www.frontline.com.sg/contact/.