Web application architecture overview

The web application architecture is the blueprint for how different components of a web application,
such as databases, applications, and middleware systems, interact with each other and
communicate.

It specifies the protocol for exchanging data over the web, ensuring that both the client-side and
server-side can understand and process it.

There are several types of web application architectures to consider, including monolithic,
microservices, serverless, and three-tier. Each has its own set of benefits and drawbacks.

A well-designed web application architecture is essential for the performance, scalability, and
maintainability of a web application. It helps to create an application that can easily adapt to
changing business needs, handle high levels of traffic, and provide a seamless user experience.

Components of Web Application Architecture

An architecture for a web-based application typically consists of three main parts:

● Web Browser: This is a client-side component that enables users to view, interact with, and
access web content. It sends an HTTP request to the web server and displays the results for
the user.
● Web Server: This is a back-end component that receives requests from the client side and
processes them using business logic. It retrieves data from the database and transfers it to
the web browser for display.
● Database Server: This component stores and retrieves data in a structured and efficient way,
responding to user requests and providing the necessary data for display on the user
interface.

Three-Tier Architecture
The three-tier architecture is an extension of two-tier architecture. All components in a two-tier
architecture are compiled and assembled in a single location using a single code base. On the other
hand, a three-tier architecture divides the application logically and physically into three layers.

The 3-Tier Architecture has three layers:

1. The presentation layer/ Client layer

2. The application layer/ Business layer
3. The data layer
In the three-tier architecture model, the application layer is the heart of the system and performs a
variety of logical operations. It handles the client's requests coming from the presentation
layer(Client tier) and provides a way for clients to access DBMS(database management system).

The three-tier architecture model offers several benefits, including:

● Improved scalability: Each layer can be developed, modified, and tested independently,
allowing for better scalability.
● Enhanced performance: Because the layers are separate and work independently, the
performance of the application is improved.
● Improved security: Users are not able to access the database directly, improving the overall
security of the system.
● Improved maintainability: Changes to one layer are less likely to affect the other layers,
making it easier to maintain the system.

Modern web application architecture layers

Each layer in web application architecture works independently, making it simple to manage, scale,
and develop the architecture simultaneously. There are three layers of modern web application
architecture.
 1. Presentation layer / Client Layer
2. Application Layer / Business Logic Layer
3. Data Layer

Let's discuss each layer.

Web Server Layer

A web server is hardware or software that receives and responds to client requests via the hypertext
transfer protocol (HTTP) and other protocols. It processes the users' queries, finds the best data for
them, and displays it on the user interface.

In addition to transmitting data, a web server can help organizations manage traffic by adding an
extra layer at the front and back. It also improves database security by routing requests through the
web server, preventing direct access to the database.

The term web server can refer to hardware or software:

Where,

On the hardware side

A hardware web server is a physical server that is equipped with web server software and serves
web content, such as images, videos, HTML files, CSS stylesheets, and JavaScript files, to clients
over the internet.
On the software side

A software web server is designed to understand URLs and HTTP protocols, allowing users to
access it using domain names to retrieve the requested content.

Presentation Layer: Client-side Component (Front-end)

The presentation layer, also known as the client-side component, is the user interface of a website
that enables users to interact with the web server through a browser. It communicates with the
server to display the information requested by the client.

Some of the most popular front-end technologies are listed below:

● HTML
● CSS
● JavaScript
● React
● Vue.js
● Angular.js

Application Layer: Server-side Component (Back-end)

The application layer, or server-side component, is the heart of the web application architecture. It
processes user requests using business logic and retrieves the requested data for display on the
user interface. The server-side layer also has the ability to add, delete, and modify data in the
database.

Some of the most popular back-end technology stacks for web app development are listed below:
 ● Node.js
● Java
● Python
● PHP Laravel
● Go
● Ruby
● .Net

Read more: Node.js or Python- Best backend technology for your next project

Application Layer: Application Programming Interface (API)

API integration is a mechanism that enables software components to communicate using specific
protocols and definitions. It allows you to access the functionalities and data of other software.

For instance, Uber and Google:

When you book a taxi with Uber, you can see its location and route in the app. It is because Uber
connects its application servers to Google Maps via specific APIs, allowing you to use Google Maps
and track the taxi's location within the application.

With API integration, you can gain access to various applications and their existing functionalities
and build an ecosystem that improves the user experience. API integration allows you to save
money and time to develop a web application with advanced features.

Some of the most popular API development technologies are .Net and Java. And here are 4 majorly
used APIs.

● RESTful API
● SOAP
● XML-RPC
● JSON-RPC

Read more: A step-by-step guide to API development

Application layer: Server Instance / Cloud Instance

A server or cloud instance is a virtual server that is an essential component of web application
architecture. It can be created, delivered, and hosted in the public or private cloud and accessed over
the internet.

Virtual instances can be easily moved across multiple devices or deployed on a single server in
multiple instances. In contrast to physical servers, virtual servers can be replaced without disrupting
the software.

Data Layer: Database

The data layer is a crucial component of web application architecture. It stores user information,
retrieves the necessary data, manages it, filters it, and passes it on to the application layer for
display on the user interface.

There are several popular data stores to choose from, including

● NoSQL stores: Mongo, Casandra

● SQL databases: MySQL, Postgresql, and Oracle

The type of database you choose will depend on the structure of your data. SQL databases are well-
suited for structured data, while NoSQL is a good option for unstructured data.

Web Application Architecture that is Advanced and Scalable

As technology advances, so does the architecture of web applications. As a result, keeping up with
the changes becomes critical. Here are a few web application architecture trends to check out:

Caching System

A caching system is a local database that allows users to quickly access information without having
to communicate with the database each time. Unlike a traditional database, which requires a request
to retrieve data every time it is needed, the caching system stores data in cache memory, allowing
the app server to quickly return it to the user from the cache when the same data is requested again,
bypassing the database.

There are four types of caching systems:

● Application Server Cache

● Global Cache
● Distributed Cache
● Content Delivery Network

Cloud Storage (Amazon S3)

Cloud storage is an essential part of web application architecture, providing a secure and flexible
place to store data. It can be accessed on a subscription basis, allowing you to manage and access
your data over the internet.

Amazon S3 is the most popular cloud storage solution, offered by AWS cloud service provider. It is
secure, affordable, and flexible.

CDN (CloudFront)

CDN (Content Delivery Network) is a network of servers that are placed in various locations to
enable faster and more efficient content delivery. It shortens the distance between the user and the
server, reduces the load on a single server, and improves website performance.

Two of the most popular caching systems are Memcached and Redis. They are used to store data in
memory to improve the speed and performance of web applications.

Load balancer

A network load balancer is a service that distributes traffic to different servers based on availability
or predefined policies. When a user sends a request to a server, the load balancer checks the
server's scalability and availability, and routes the request to the most appropriate server.

If a particular server is experiencing high traffic, the load balancer directs incoming traffic to a
different server to improve the availability of content for the user.
There are two types of load balancing:

● TCP/IP level Load Balancing: Load balancing based on DNS

● App-level Load Balancing: Load balancing based on application load

AWS offers two load balancer tools: Classic Load Balancer and Application Load Balancer.

Classic Load Balancer works at the TCP layer (Layer 4) and the Application Layer (Layer 7), but can
only forward traffic on one port per instance.

Application Load Balancer works at the Application Layer (HTTP) and can forward traffic on multiple
ports per instance, as well as serve multiple domain names.

Multi Servers

To handle the load of traffic and provide a smooth delivery of content to users, it is important to have
multiple servers. These servers communicate with the database to provide users with the necessary
data.

When a web application has access to multiple servers, traffic is divided among them, improving
performance and the user experience. These servers can be connected to a single database or
multiple databases, depending on the needs of the application.

Message Queues

A message queue is a software component that allows applications to communicate

asynchronously with one another by sending and receiving messages. It is an essential component
of many distributed systems and web applications because it allows system components to
communicate and exchange data without requiring direct, real-time connections.

There are numerous message queue configurations, each with unique features and capabilities.
RabbitMQ, Apache Kafka, and Amazon SQS are a few of the well-known message queue systems.

Diagram of Web Application Architecture

The diagram below simplifies the web application architecture. It demonstrates the entire workflow
of a web application and how its various components communicate with one another.
Types of Web Application Architectures
Following are the various web application architectures. Depending on software development and
deployment patterns, it can be categorised.

Monolithic Architecture

In monolithic architecture, all components of a web application are interconnected and stored,
assembled, and deployed together as a single unit. This type of architecture is easy to develop
compared to other architectures.

Its centralized codebase and repository make testing and debugging simpler. However, because the
entire architecture is built from a single codebase, any changes or updates require a complete
rewrite of the architecture.

Microservices Architecture

Microservice architecture overcomes the challenges that arise in monolithic architecture. In this
architecture, you split the application into smaller, independent components on the basis of
business functionalities.
Each component of the web application has its own database and uses RESTful APIs to
communicate and share data. Due to the program's loose coupling, all the components can be
independently developed, deployed, tested, and scaled simultaneously without any dependencies.
This enables increased modularity and flexibility.

Container Architecture

Container architecture is a software architecture pattern that packages applications with their
dependencies (e.g. libraries, configuration files) in a container. This allows the application to be
deployed and run consistently across different environments, including on-premises servers, cloud
infrastructure, and hybrid environments.

Container architecture can create simple, portable web applications that are more resilient and
scalable. However, it can also add complexity to the application by requiring additional infrastructure
and tools to manage the containers.

Serverless Architecture

The serverless architectural model allows developers to write code and run services without
worrying about infrastructure.
In a Serverless, the third-party infrastructure service provider manages all server-related activities,
such as provisioning, scaling, and maintaining servers to run your applications, databases, and
storage systems. It allows developers to focus on writing and deploying codes and increase
productivity.

Third-party cloud service providers charge only for invocations and do not charge for virtual or
unused servers.

AWS Lambda

Lambda is a serverless computing service offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) that allows you
to run code in response to events without the need to manage infrastructure.

It provides a functional infrastructure where Amazon takes care of all the underlying activities, and
you only need to deploy your backend code. Lambda offers an execution environment for functions
written in languages such as Python, C#, Java, and Node.js.

API Gateway

API getaway is a tool for managing APIs that positions between clients and backend components.
API getaway determines the path of client requests, works as a reverse proxy and sends it to the
appropriate backend service to handle the request.

API getaway validates the request, checks the user's IP address, sends it to the identity provider for
authentication, and accepts or rejects it.
AWS Step Functions

AWS Step Functions is a visual workflow tool that enables you to design and execute fixed or
dynamic workflows for building applications. It interacts with AWS resources to perform tasks and
respond to events, making it useful for automating IT processes, building distributed apps, and
creating machine learning pipelines.

By reducing the amount of integration code required, AWS Step Functions allows you to easily build
and deploy reliable, highly scalable applications, as well as manage stateful, fault-tolerant
workflows.

Best practices for web application architecture

Below are some best practices for designing a high-quality web application architecture:

Scalable Web Server

To ensure consistent content delivery and smooth program performance, it is necessary to scale
your web server to accommodate any number of concurrent users and locations. There are three
ways to scale web servers:

● Vertical scaling: upgrading or downgrading the configuration of the web server

● Horizontal scaling: increasing or decreasing the number of web servers
● Diagonal scaling: combining vertical and horizontal scaling
Horizontal scaling is often the most effective option, as it reduces the distance between clients and
the server, resulting in faster and more seamless content delivery, even under heavy traffic.

Adapt the cloud with elastic infrastructure

The ability of a hybrid or multi-cloud environment to scale its resources as needed to deliver high-
performance web applications refers to elastic infrastructure. The infrastructure supports the
dynamic provisioning of servers, compute resources, disk storage, and network connectivity. It
allows real-time monitoring of resources to track and automate all the management tasks.

Immutable infrastructure

It is a method of managing and deploying infrastructure and programmes in which infrastructure

components are treated as disposable and replaced rather than modified or updated in place.

In the immutable infrastructure concept, rather than modifying the servers, it is replaced with new
ones to reduce the risk of configuration drift. It enables horizontal scaling and provides simple and
direct rollback and recovery options with consistent staging environments.

Microservice and serverless approach

The microservice architecture pattern can be greatly enhanced by using serverless resources. In the
microservice development model, application components are separated, enabling more flexibility in
deployment. In contrast, serverless resources are triggered to load and run when needed.

By combining microservices and serverless, it is possible to create a hybrid architecture that boosts
code efficiency, long-term stability, cost-effectiveness, and scalability. This hybrid approach allows
you to build microservice-based applications that utilize serverless platforms for certain services or
functionalities.

Multi-tenant Architecture

Multi-tenant architecture, also known as multitenancy architecture, is a type of architecture in which

all tenants use shared services and resources while adhering to certain rules and guidelines.

The application is designed in this model to support multiple tenants, each with its own set of data
and configuration, and to allow tenants to customise and configure the application to meet their
specific needs.

As the services are shared, it is cost-effective, and you only have to pay for what you need. It is also
highly scalable, as you can utilise, add or remove resources as per requirement. Moreover, it is safe,
secure and maintenance-free.

Secure the Architecture with HIPAA, PCI and SOC2 Guidelines

To build a secure architecture, it is necessary to implement security protocols and policies that
protect data and assist with audit tasks and company management. There are several types of
security standards that organizations may need to consider, including:
 ● HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act): protects the privacy and
security of individuals' personal health information
● PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard): a security guideline designed for
financial institutions that handle customer financial data
● SOC2 (Systems and Organizations Controls 2): an auditing process that ensures technology
companies and third-party cloud service providers manage data securely

By adhering to these standards and protocols, organizations can ensure that their architecture is
secure and compliant with relevant regulations.

Automate Your Code Deployments in a DevOps CI/CD Environment

Deployment automation is a practice that helps reduce errors in software development and allows
for code to be tested and deployed without human intervention.

AWS CodeDeploy is a service provided by AWS that enables you to automatically deploy code into
various environments, such as AWS Lambda, AWS Fargate, Amazon EC2, or on-premise.

Deployment automated is a key part of a DevOps CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous

Deployment) environment. A CI/CD environment includes tools that help developers build, test, and
deploy software quickly and repeatedly.

It typically consists of a version control system for storing and tracking code changes, a server for
compiling and building software, a test environment for testing software, and a deployment
environment for making software available to users.

By using automation and a CI/CD environment, organizations can streamline their software
development and deployment processes and improve efficiency and speed.

Build your web architecture with infrastructure as code tools

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is a method of managing and provisioning infrastructure using code and
automation tools, rather than manually configuring resources through a user interface.

With IaC, you can define your infrastructure in a version-controlled file and use tools like Terraform,
AWS CloudFormation, Ansible, and Puppet to build your web architecture. By using IaC,
organizations can streamline their infrastructure management processes and improve efficiency and
reproducibility.

Conclusion
In conclusion, web application architecture plays a vital role in the development and success of any
web application. It involves the design and organization of the various components that make up the
application, including the front-end client, the back-end server, the database, and the network
infrastructure.
An effective web application architecture should consider factors such as scalability, performance,
security, and maintainability, and should be flexible enough to accommodate future updates and
changes.

There are various design patterns and architectures that can be employed in web application
development, and the best choice will depend on the specific needs and requirements of the
application.

By following best practices and selecting the right architecture, developers can create robust and
scalable web applications that meet the needs of their users.