3. Three-tier architecture A three-tier architecture is a client-server architecture (Wikipedia, 2015). It is composed by the presentation tier, application tier and data tier respectively (Techopedia.com, 2015). These three tiers interact with each other, but also adopt independent roles within the architecture. Presentation tier Application tier Data tier pret Figure 1: Three-tier architecture (Management Mania, 2015) The presentation tier lies on the top of the architecture. Itis the user interface which displays information and sends request to the application tier, but it will not process any logic tasks. The application tier (also called business logic or middle tier) (Mozilla, 2015) lies in the middle of the architecture. It accepts requests from the presentation tier, processes the requests, and delivers them to the third tier. Finally, the data tier is the database that lies inside of the architecture, and this tier only stores data. In the case of Passmores University (PU), a student can see what modules they are taking on their device. The user interface displayed is run by presentation tier. Ifthe student wants to check their examination results, the application tier will begin to function by identifying the user and by sending a request to data tier. The data tier stores the results of all students, but ‘the application tier will only acquire that of the particular student, The advantage of three-tier architecture is clear: firstly, it is more secure for each tier to function independently. The existence of the application tier lowers the likelihood of stolen information (CommentCaMarche Network, 2008), since the presentation tier is not directly in contact with the database. Secondly, the system's flexibility is enhanced, as a single tier cannot be upgraded and modified without affecting the other two (Programming TutorialsPlace, 2014). Thirdly, the three-tier architecture also provides a better performance, as the explicitly divided task of each tier enables the network usage to be minimized (Ektron Reference, 2011). However, the three-tier architecture also has a drawback that should not be neglected: a demand for advanced skills and time will be required to establish and ‘maintain the complex structure (Asp.net Programming Tutorials Place, 2014). JavaScript is a programming language that runs on the client-side (Mozilla Developer Network, 2015). Since JavaScript is interpreted by the web browser only, itis considered to be a part of the presentation tier. However, when we look into some specific features of JavaScript, problems arise. In the case of PU, when students log into their account, if they type an excessive amount of characters, the web page will show “Passwords should not exceed 6 characters!”. This is a simple automation achieved by JavaScript; it changes information presented on web page without reloading or refreshing. In other words, JavaScript just does a logic process by checking if the characters entered by the user matches requirements. Since itis able to process logic action, JavaScript then seems to become part of the application tier. However, the logic process done by JavaScript actually only happens within the presentation tier (the user interface). Instead of receiving information and identifying the user in the database, passwords are programmed to only accept 6 characters, so no request is delivered in this case. Therefore, JavaScript in overall is still part of the presentation tier.