Category Archives: Web Application Development

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WebTransport: Bridging the Gap Beyond WebRTC & WebSockets

Software Outsourcing, Web Application DevelopmentLakin Mohapatra

Imagine a world where real-time communication is faster, more secure, and more efficient than ever before. A world where online gaming feels as responsive as playing in person, video streaming is seamless and buffer-free, and IoT devices transfer data with lightning speed. Welcome to the era of WebTransport, the cutting-edge technology poised to transform the way we connect and communicate over the web. It’s time to say goodbye to the limitations of traditional protocols and get ready to be amazed by the endless possibilities of WebTransport.

In this blog article, we will explore the advantages of WebTransport over the widely adopted WebSockets and WebRTC technologies. We will uncover how WebTransport harnesses the power of datagrams, streams, and the cutting-edge QUIC protocol to redefine real-time communication, offering unparalleled benefits for a wide range of applications.

We will also discuss the current state of WebTransport adoption and the future of this promising technology.

So, without further ado, let’s dive into the world of WebTransport!

WebTransport is a web API that uses the HTTP/3 protocol as a bidirectional transport. It’s intended for two-way communications between a web client and an HTTP/3 server. It supports sending data both unreliably via its datagram APIs, and reliably via its streams APIs.

How WebTransport works under the hood

WebTransport can be used to send and receive data in two different ways: datagrams and streams.

  • Datagrams are individual packets of data that are limited in size by the maximum transmission unit (MTU) of the underlying connection. They may or may not be transmitted successfully, and if they are transferred, they may arrive in an arbitrary order. Datagrams are provided through the QUIC datagram extension and are prefixed with a session ID that the recipient can use to multiplex different transports
  • WebTransport also uses streams to send and receive data that need reliable and ordered delivery. Streams are provided by creating an individual unidirectional or bidirectional QUIC stream and are also prefixed with a session ID. Streams provide better transport efficiency than the older packet mechanism.

Process:

  1. The client and server first establish a QUIC connection. This is done by using the QUIC handshake protocol.
  2. Once the connection is established, the client and server can begin sending data to each other.
  3. Data is sent in packets. Each packet is encrypted and includes a sequence number.
  4. The receiver uses the sequence number to reorder the packets and decrypt them.
  5. If a packet is lost, the receiver will request a retransmission.
  6. The sender will retransmit the lost packet.
  7. This process continues until all of the data has been sent and received.

 

WebTransport offers versatile capabilities for sending multiple types of data over the same connection. It allows for the reliable transmission of text or file data while concurrently enabling the unreliable transmission of video information. This flexibility enhances the efficiency and richness of communication among numerous simultaneous users. WebTransport facilitates the segregation of different content types on separate channels, preventing one type from blocking the transmission of others. Additionally, the ability to establish bidirectional streams enables quick data exchange between the server and client, making it ideal for implementing messaging systems and facilitating rapid communication.

What is QUIC Protocol?

QUIC, short for “Quick UDP Internet Connections,” is a modern transport protocol designed to enhance internet communication. Developed by Google, QUIC aims to replace TCP by utilizing UDP for faster and more efficient data transfer. It incorporates features like multiplexing to enable simultaneous transmission of multiple data streams, built-in encryption for enhanced security, and advanced congestion control algorithms to optimize network performance. With its standardization efforts by the IETF and increasing adoption by major internet players, QUIC holds the potential to revolutionize internet communication, offering improved speed, security, and reliability for a better web browsing experience.

QUIC is still under development.

Here are some of the benefits of using QUIC:

Performance: QUIC can improve the performance of web applications by reducing latency and increasing throughput. This is because QUIC is a connectionless protocol, which means that it does not need to establish a connection before sending data. This can reduce the amount of time it takes to send data, which can improve the performance of web applications.

Security: QUIC can improve the security of web applications by providing encryption and authentication. This is because QUIC uses TLS 1.3 to encrypt all data that is sent over the connection. This ensures that the data is secure from eavesdropping and tampering.

Efficiency: QUIC is more efficient than TCP in terms of bandwidth and CPU usage. This is because QUIC does not need to resend data that is lost, which can save bandwidth. QUIC also uses less CPU than TCP, which can save power.

Advantages of WebTransport over WebRTC/Websockets

WebTransport offers several advantages over WebSockets and WebRTC in certain use cases. Here are some key advantages of using WebTransport:

Enhanced Performance: WebTransport introduces the QUIC protocol, which offers significant performance improvements over WebSocket and WebRTC. It leverages UDP-based transport, reducing latency and providing faster data transmission. This means quicker response times, smoother real-time interactions, and improved user experiences.

Efficient Resource Utilization: Unlike WebSocket and WebRTC, WebTransport utilizes a more efficient resource management approach. It requires fewer server resources to establish and maintain connections, allowing servers to handle a larger number of simultaneous connections without compromising performance or scalability.

Bidirectional: WebTransport is a bidirectional protocol, which means that data can flow in both directions between the client and server. This is useful for applications that need to send and receive data simultaneously, such as chat applications and multiplayer games.

Streamlined Data Transfer: With WebTransport’s data grams and streams, data can be sent and received in a more organized and efficient manner. It allows for the creation of bidirectional streams, enabling simultaneous data transfer between the client and server. This enables the development of advanced features such as reliable file transfer, simultaneous video streaming, and real-time collaboration.

More Reliable: WebTransport is a reliable protocol, which means that data is guaranteed to be delivered in the correct order. This is important for applications that require high reliability, such as gaming and video streaming.

Robust Security Measures: WebTransport’s streams API, based on the secure QUIC protocol, offers robust security for encrypted streaming. With built-in encryption, it ensures data confidentiality. Additional measures such as Origin header usage and specific opt-in requirements enhance security. WebTransport provides a secure environment for streaming, protecting the integrity and privacy of transmitted data.

Seamless Integration: WebTransport is designed to seamlessly integrate with existing web technologies. It can be easily adopted and incorporated into web applications without requiring major architectural changes. This makes it a viable option for migrating from WebSocket or WebRTC while preserving the functionality and user experience of the existing application.

Support for server push: WebTransport enables servers to proactively push data to clients, eliminating the need for clients to continually poll for updates.

Specific Problems Addressed by WebTransport

Higher latency in WebSockets: WebSockets introduce additional latency due to the handshake and framing overhead, which WebTransport minimizes.

Lack of stream multiplexing in WebRTC: WebRTC does not natively support stream multiplexing, making it less efficient for scenarios requiring multiple concurrent data streams.

Limited transport options in WebSockets: WebSockets primarily provide reliable, ordered transport, whereas WebTransport offers flexibility by supporting both reliable and unreliable transport modes.

Inefficiency of polling for updates: With WebTransport’s server push capability, the need for clients to continually poll the server for updates is eliminated, reducing network congestion and improving efficiency.

Difficulty in extending protocols in WebSockets and WebRTC: WebTransport addresses this problem by providing a more extensible framework, allowing the introduction of new protocols and features without disrupting existing implementations.

Connect to a server using WebTransport QUIC using JavaScript

  1. Client creates a new WebTransport object.
  2. Client calls the connect() method on the WebTransport object, passing in the URL of the server.
  3. WebTransport object establishes a QUIC connection to the server.
  4. Client and server negotiate the parameters of the QUIC connection, such as the encryption and congestion control algorithms.
  5. The client and server can now send data to each other over the QUIC connection.

Here is an example using javaScript:

const webTransport = new WebTransport();

webTransport.connect(‘https://example.com’);

webTransport.on(‘message’, (data) => {

  // Handle the data received from the server.

});

webTransport.on(‘error’, (error) => {

  // Handle the error that occurred while connecting to the server.

});

Possible use cases 

𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠: WebTransport’s bidirectional streams are super helpful for making games. They make sure that the data sent by the server arrives quickly with very little delay. This is awesome for action-packed games like shooting, driving, or fighting because it reduces the time between when you do something on your device and when you see the game respond. It’s also great for cloud gaming services, where the game is run on a powerful server and streamed to your device. With WebTransport, the back-and-forth communication between you and the game server happens fast, making the whole gaming experience smoother and more responsive.

For example, it could be used to send real-time game state updates and player input to other players.

𝐕𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠: WebTransport is a good choice for video streaming, as it can provide a secure, reliable, and efficient way to send and receive video data. In addition, WebTransport can be used to multiplex multiple streams of data over a single connection, which can be useful for streaming video alongside other data, such as audio data or chat messages.

For example, it could be used to send video and audio data to the client without buffering.

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: WebTransport is a great fit for chat apps because it allows for fast and efficient communication between users. When we chat with someone, we want our messages to reach them quickly, and we want their responses to come back to us right away. WebTransport makes this happen by providing a smooth and low-latency connection. It ensures that our messages are sent and received almost instantly, creating a more seamless chatting experience. Additionally, WebTransport is designed to handle a large number of users at once, so even in busy chat rooms with lots of people, communication remains smooth and responsive. In simple terms, WebTransport helps chat apps work really well by making messages travel fast and keeping the conversation flowing smoothly.

IoT( Internet of Things) applications: WebTransport can be really useful for transferring data from Internet of Things (IoT) devices to servers. These devices often collect and send small bits of data regularly. With WebTransport, this data can be sent quickly with very little delay. This is important because IoT devices usually run on batteries, so it’s better if they use less energy. Plus, if there are a lot of devices connected to the internet, it can sometimes make the network slow. But with WebTransport, the devices use fewer resources and create less congestion, which means everything works better. So, WebTransport helps make IoT devices work well and saves energy at the same time.

Browser Support:

Chrome: 97+

Firefox: 114+

Edge: 97+

Safari: 16+ (partial support)

Samsung Internet: 19+

Opera: 97+

Current State of WebTransport Adoption and Future of This Promising Technology

The current state of WebTransport adoption shows promising signs for the future of this technology. Although still in its early stages, WebTransport has received significant interest and attention from developers and industry experts. The potential benefits it offers, such as improved performance, lower latency, and increased reliability, make it an attractive choice for building modern web applications. Major browser vendors have started implementing WebTransport protocols and APIs, signaling their belief in its value. As more developers become familiar with WebTransport and explore its capabilities, we can expect to see wider adoption and integration of this technology into various web applications and services. With ongoing advancements and the active involvement of the web development community, the future of WebTransport looks promising, and we can anticipate exciting developments and innovations in this space in the years to come.

Building upon Lakin’s original article, our latest piece delves deeper into the subject, providing fresh insights and a broader perspective. Unlock the true potential of real-time communication with Mindfire. Our experts specialize in enhancing applications through cutting-edge technologies like WebTransport, including QUIC and HTTP/3. Elevate user experiences and stay ahead in the dynamic digital landscape. Let us transform your apps into seamless and efficient communication hubs. Reach out for a consultation today!

 

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Effectiveness of the Membership/Subscription Model in E Commerce

eCommerce, Enterprise Application Development, iOS App Development, IT Outsourcing, Mobile App Development, Web Application DevelopmentMindfire Solutions

Subscription Model in e-Commerce

In recent years, the membership/ subscription model in e commerce has become increasingly popular among businesses across the board. Platforms such as Netflix, Amazon, and Spotify are some examples that have tremendously benefited from the subscription-based model. The subscription-based pricing strategy is seen as a way to attract and retain customers by providing incentives such as discounts, loyalty programs, and early access to products or services.

According to Gartner, by the end of 2023, 75% of organizations selling direct-to-customers will adopt a subscription-based pricing model. From these numbers, one can easily conclude that the subscription model is here to stay.

But why are businesses so keen on adopting this pricing model?

In this article, we will discuss the effectiveness of the membership/ subscription model and some of the challenges businesses can face while adapting to this model.

Benefits of a Membership/ Subscription Model in E Commerce

  • Accurate Revenue Prediction

Subscription-based businesses can accurately forecast their revenues and profits as they receive a relatively consistent level of income from the customers. This allows them to plan their operational, marketing, and development costs better.

Additionally, since the customers purchase their products at a regular cadence, the pricing model businesses can also better manage their inventory.

  • Reduce Customer Acquisition Costs

The cost of acquiring new customers is continuously increasing, with Harvard Business Review estimating that customer acquisition can be about 15 times more expensive than retaining a customer. The average customer acquisition cost, or CAC, for ecommerce businesses, is around $45 per customer.

The membership model allows businesses to build long-term relationships with already existing customers. This way, companies can focus on customer referral programs and word-of-mouth marketing, which is less expensive than paid marketing campaigns and result in a reduced CAC and increased profits.

  • Higher Customer Retention Ratio

The ecommerce subscription model offers businesses opportunities to improve their customer retention ratio. With this pricing strategy, businesses can offer exclusive incentives and rewards that encourage subscribers to stay longer with the platform and provide a more personalized service to their customers.

For example, Stitch Fix, an online fashion company that offers a subscription-based model, asks its customers a few questions about their clothing style at the time of onboarding and recommends clothing items accordingly. This way, customers receive personalized outfits tailored to their individual needs, which improves the customer experience on the platform and results in a better retention rate.

  • Increased LTV

LTV, or Lifetime Value, is an important metric for ecommerce stores that measures how much a customer spends in their entire life on the platform. Studies have shown that the platform that offers subscriptions can increase their LTV by 230%. This is due to the fact that subscription business models are more focused on providing consistent value over an extended period of time to their customers.

  • Higher Customer Engagement

For businesses with a one-time product purchase mode, it takes significant effort, strategizing, and investment to engage customers with the brand. However, if a customer has subscribed to a business, it means they found value in the products and services of the brand and are interested to hear more from them. This makes it easier for companies to engage with the subscribers and also encourages them to use the platform more frequently.

Challenges with the Subscription Model

From the above benefits, we can see that the subscription/membership model is an effective way to scale your business and generate more revenue. However, ecommerce businesses can face several technical challenges while adopting this pricing strategy on their platform.

Subscription Customer Management

Usually, subscription-based businesses have several customers visiting the platform at the same time. It can be challenging to manage customers’ orders, purchase history, billing information, and communications needs with a dated system. This can lead to inaccurate customer data and result in poor customer experience.

Flexible Subscription Options

Subscriptions are often tailored to fit the customer’s needs. Offering flexible subscription plans is a great way to attract more customers; however, it also comes with its challenges, such as added complexity in billing and inventory management system integration.

Security Threats

According to studies, the ecommerce industry is currently facing 32.4% of all successful cybersecurity threats annually, making it essential for such businesses to be well-equipped with appropriate tools to avert such threats. This is especially crucial for businesses with a subscription model, as they consist of customers making recurring payments at once. If appropriate measures are not taken to ensure the safety of each payment gateway, it can make the platform vulnerable to attacks. Subscription businesses must invest in advanced security technologies to provide secure payment gateways and protect customers’ data and privacy.

Failed Transactions Management

For businesses with a significant number of subscribers, it can be difficult to notice when transactions fail. Furthermore, manually going through customer records and identifying failed transactions can be a time-consuming task. Subscription businesses need an effective system to send alerts about such incidents and take prompt action.

Conclusion

The membership/ subscription model in e commerce has proven to be an effective pricing strategy for ecommerce stores and other businesses. It allows businesses to increase their customer loyalty and lifetime value while reducing costs associated with an acquisition. Overall, it is a great option for any business that is looking to build long-term relationships with its customers and drive more sales.

However, adapting to a subscription model also comes with its own set of challenges, which, if not addressed, can lead to poor customer experience and, eventually, loss of subscribers.

We provide e commerce software development services, assist businesses in navigating these challenges and creating a customer-centric ecommerce platform. We leverage cutting-edge technologies to address the pain points and provide a solution that is tailored to your business
Visit Mindfire Solutions to learn more about us.

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Thriving in an Age of Tech Disruption

Blockchain Technology, Custom Application Development, Enterprise Application Development, Mindfire Solutions, Web Application Development, , , , Mindfire Solutions

tech disruption by mindfire solution

Since the past decade, the pace of tech disruption has significantly grown with the increasing applications of technologies like AI, ML, and IoT. The global pandemic has only accelerated the wave of tech disruption by creating the demand for innovative and dynamic solutions.

Companies are constantly experiencing the need to innovate faster while keeping up with customer expectations so as to stay competitive. According to McKinsey, businesses adopted digital solutions 25 times faster than their own estimates during the pandemic.

In this blog, we will explore how IT firms are helping customers thrive during this period of rapid change and what they should do to prepare for further disruptions.

Leveraging Cutting-Edge Technologies

One of the key ways IT firms are allowing their clients to overcome tech disruption is by leveraging cutting-edge technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and the Internet of Things (IoT). These technologies enable IT organizations to create innovative solutions that can address problems quickly and efficiently.  

  • Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

AI technology is used to automate manual processes, while ML algorithms provide a way to analyze large volumes of data at high speeds. A survey has revealed that 72% of business leaders believe AI gives a focused edge on scaling enterprises. The AI market is expected to grow from $89 billion in 2022 to $407 billion by the end of 2027.

With the help of AI and ML, IT firms offer several solutions like customer segmentation and targeting, fraud detection, inventory management, behavior prediction, product recommendations, testing software, and many more. These solutions can enable their clients to maximize the value derived from their data.

  • Natural language Processing

Natural Language Processing, or NLP, is a subfield of AI that deals with analyzing and generating text and speech. IT companies leverage NLP to allow their clients to offer customized customer support services by using conversational bots. These bots can understand natural human language and respond accordingly.

In addition, tech companies are leveraging NLP to develop solutions like voice biometrics, automated content moderation, and sentiment analysis. With the rising application of NLP, its market capitalization is compounding at a CAGR of 18% and is projected to grow from $26 billion in 2022 to $161 billion by 2029.

  • Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) is another technology that IT companies are using to help their clients overcome tech disruption. Reports suggest that by the time we reach 2030, there will be about 30 billion IoT-connected devices.

IoT solutions enable IT firms to build connected systems which gather real-time data for their clients from any device in the network. Businesses can then use this data for predictive decision-making, such as identifying when a machine needs maintenance.

Additionally, these technologies are combined with existing business intelligence tools, such as analytics and reporting software, for deeper actionable insights into customer behavior.

IoT devices have applications across different industries. For example, IT firms are utilizing IoT with a combination of technologies like AI, ML, and cloud computing to offer improved healthcare services so that healthcare providers can monitor and treat patients remotely.

  • Cloud Computing

Cloud computing has been one of the most transformative technologies over the past decade. According to studies, the cloud computing market is currently worth $480.04 billion and is predicted to reach about $1.7 trillion by 2029.

Cloud solutions make it possible for IT companies to offer scalable and secure services that can be accessed from anywhere in the world. With cloud technology, tech companies can facilitate agile business operations by allowing their clients to scale their resources depending on their requirements.

Future-Proof  Your Business: Prepare for Tech Disruption

Along with leveraging cutting-edge technologies, IT firms also need to be proficient in the tech that is set to transform the market in the coming years. This will allow their clients to stay ahead of the curve. Some of these technologies include:

  • Blockchain Technology

Blockchain technology is a distributed ledger system that can be used to store data in an immutable way. It is a decentralized form of record-keeping that makes it difficult for cybercriminals to breach confidential data. IT companies can leverage this cutting-edge technology to help their clients protect sensitive data from unauthorized access.

It can allow IT companies to offer services like smart contract creation, asset tracking, and digital identity management.

  • Web 3.0

Web 3.0 is the upcoming generation of the internet that has been designed to provide users with complete control over their data. It utilizes technologies like blockchain, AI, and ML to provide a better and more dynamic web experience than the current version of the internet. This will enable IT firms to offer web-based services that can be used to create secure digital ecosystems for businesses.

As Web 3.0 becomes more prevalent, IT firms will have to focus on developing decentralized applications powered by blockchain technology to deliver integrated functionality.

The market cap for Web 3.0 was estimated to be $1.36 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach $64 billion by 2029.

  • IPA

Cloud computing has been one of the most transformative technologies over the past decade. According to studies, the cloud computing market is currently worth $480.04 billion and is predicted to reach about $1.7 trillion by 2029.

Cloud solutions make it possible for IT companies to offer scalable and secure services that can be accessed from anywhere in the world. With cloud technology, tech companies can facilitate agile business operations by allowing their clients to scale their resources depending on their requirements.

Conclusion

Technology is constantly evolving, and IT firms must stay ahead of the curve by implementing cutting-edge technologies in their services. Blockchain technology, Web 3.0, and IPA are some of the technologies that have the potential to transform the market in the coming years. IT firms should invest in these new technologies and focus on developing integrated solutions that utilize these tech disruptions for better results.

At Mindfire Solutions, we understand the importance of staying ahead of the curve and preparing for the future. That’s why we are always working on new and innovative technology solutions that can help our clients thrive in an age of tech disruption. Whether it’s using artificial intelligence and machine learning to make better business decisions or harnessing Blockchain technology for enhancing process flow, we have a team of experts who can help with your every business needs.

If you are looking for looking to leverage cutting-edge technology to fulfill your business goals, contact Mindfire Solutions today.

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Unsure if your Enterprise needs a Website or a Mobile App?

IT Outsourcing, Mobile App Development, Web Application DevelopmentRoohul Khan

The remark “There is an app for that” is so common nowadays and underlines the deep influence of mobile apps in our lives. But, when Apple went on to register a trademark for it, you knew it was more than that. 

So, you have decided to go digital and create an online identity for your business. But, you are stuck with the difficulty of choosing between a mobile app and a website. Eager to get a quick solution? Turns out, in most of the cases, both mobile app and website are not mutually exclusive but are complementary, with each serving a different purpose and target segment. So, there isn’t an answer that is universally correct. It depends on various different things.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

App First

Some cases are better served with mobile apps, especially the ones that need frequent or repeated use. For instance, e-commerce, food ordering, social media, chat, news, travel, productivity-related applications, utility apps, real-time tracking like stock apps.

App Only

Then there are those which, because of their dependency on the underlying hardware, can only be served through mobile apps. For instance, home automation, alarm, games, navigation apps, mobile wallets, AR(Augmented Reality) & VR(Virtual Reality) apps and games.

Website or Mobile App?

For the sake of this article, the above two categories need not be considered, for the obvious reason that the mobile app seems to be the default choice for them. However, for categories that can be served equally well by both the mediums, there are certain inherent advantages of using either an app or a website. Let’s understand them from the perspectives of a user and a business.

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User’s point of view, what really matters.

1. Convenience

Websites are convenient for informative and non-frequent use like finding details about a business, exploring a place, looking for services, R&D for projects, and yes, deciding the best app to download for a particular need. Basically, all the Google searches we do can be better served by a website. Mobile apps seem to be more convenient for activities that are performed more frequently. The initial hurdles of downloading and setting things up might seem daunting. But things ease out subsequently, and users get pulled into a more convenient, personalized, and engaging experience.

2. Data Consumption and Offline Mode

To use a mobile app one needs to download it first, an act pulls into the mobile resources that the app will need to function -images, icons, layout inbuilt, etc. Once done, there isn’t much left to download during consumption, which results in quicker loading and sometimes offline access too. In contrary to this, you can’t even load the website without an internet connection.

For mobile apps, during the offline mode, tasks can be queued up in batches and then be pushed to the server when online. Such a sophisticated way of dealing with the offline mode isn’t just possible in case of a website.

3. Performance

For CPU intensive tasks such as games, heavy graphics layouts, complex lists, mobile app scores way higher than a website for its close proximity to the device hardware.

4. Updates

Whether it’s an app or a website, it gets developed alongside. Hence the user expects updates. Pushing an update to the website is easy, you do it on the server-side and users get a brand new look and feel next time they check you out. If you can strategically manage the downtime, there is not much that bothers the user. On the other hand, the whole app needs to be downloaded all over again to get the update. Not to mention, the review process apps go through to be live in the app store which takes time.

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Business’s point of view

1. Customer base – Existing & Potential

Initial acquisition cost is high for mobile apps. You need to get the user to download your app first, to be able to use it. In contrary to this, anyone can visit your website through any browser and from any device having a browser. People can even find your website through Google search. This opens up a lot of possibilities for your business. In short, you can serve both existing and potential customers through a website. Whereas, mobile apps can only serve the existing user base.

2. User Engagement

Re-engaging with users using rich and powerful notifications and getting meaningful insights through analytics is better done with mobile apps than websites.

3. Learning Curve and Cost of Development

Mobile apps are highly customizable. In terms of features and capabilities, they can do a whole lot of stuff that a website can’t do, thanks to the close hardware integration. This, combined with the tons of possible unique use cases, helps create an ever-increasing range of UI/UX and feature possibilities. Thus, you have a steep learning curve even if you need to build a basic app. In other words, there is no such thing called an ‘App builder’. Even if you can find one, chances are, it will let you create a basic HTML type webpage app or an app functioning as a container of your website. In that case, you are better off creating a responsive website instead. Not to mention the whole point of creating an app is to create a tool for your users and you want it to be fully customizable in the first place.

On the other hand, a single screen website with some basic viewable features can be made using website builders needing almost no technical skills. A few examples would include blogging sites, personal/resume type websites, a website showing just the details of your business. However, to create a customized and full-featured website, you need a lot of technical skills.

4. Multiple platform support

Because of the way they have been distributed around the globe, you can’t ignore any of the 2 major platforms of the mobile OS- iOS & Android. People in the US, Canada, Australia, and European nations prefer iOS, whereas, Android is the global leader in terms of market share. Apart from this, iOS users are generally high paying customers in any region. This essentially means, to get high ARPU(Average Revenue Per User) you need to support iOS and to get to the masses, you need to support Android.

Mobile OS preference across the world

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(credit: https://deviceatlas.com/blog/android-v-ios-market-share)

Supporting 2 completely independent OS will result in higher development and maintenance costs. On the other hand, a single set of code will result in a website which works universally for every device with a browser.

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Website vis-à-vis Mobile Apps! Can one replace the other?

No matter how tightly websites and apps are attached, they are uniquely placed with each serving a purpose different from the other. However, the matter of the fact is that they cannot replace each other. We might see things in the future that will bridge the gap between them both from the business and the user’s point of view. In fact, we already have things like Progressive Web Apps and tools like Flutter and React which are trying to bring websites and apps closer in terms of use and development.

Even Technologies like AR which is by far better served by mobile apps are finding their way to websites. By creating a new file type USDZ, Apple has made it possible for websites to enable users to try 3D virtual objects in their Physical space. This creates a compelling possibility for E-Commerce websites. Of course, for this to work, the website needs to be viewed on a mobile phone/iPad with a camera supporting AR.

To draw an analogy, mobile app and website are like parallel lines, they remain close to each other without overlapping in terms of their existence. We might speculate about their getting merged in the distant future but that distant future might just never come.

Final Thoughts?

Your website is your online identity. As businesses have an office address in the physical world, they have a website in the digital one. And, a mobile app is like a tool you provide to the user to get things done with ease, as well as engage. In most of the cases, you will need to have both.

Depending upon the nature and the stage a business is in, one medium might find itself positioned more favorably than the other. But, when the cost is not a deterrent, it has become customary to embrace both the website and the mobile app, almost as if they were an obligation. It gives a business the chance to meander seamlessly into the mental realms of its target customers, the users, and unleash many possibilities.

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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. To know more about our company, please click on Mindfire Solutions.  For over 20+ years now, we have been the preferred Software Development Partner of over 1000+ Small and Medium-sized enterprises across the globe.

 

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Web Accessibility

Overlooking Web Accessibility

Web Application Development, Ashakiran Mohanta

The Internet is an ever-increasing storehouse of knowledge. The web and the internet as a whole serve as an important resource in many aspects of our lives: education, employment, recreation, commerce and more. Web Accessibility simply means that the web is to be made accessible to everyone. And that includes people with special abilities too – an aspect generally overlooked in haste. 

The concept of Web Accessibility has been around for a decade, but it is unfortunate that true meaning in its entirety has been lost on many of us, the web developers. It’s time that we built ramps to our sites so that it benefits not only people with disabilities but also enhances the experience of all types of users as a whole.

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Let’s see some examples:  When you are watching a video in a noisy environment and cannot perceive the audio correctly. Without being able to hear the audio, you have to guess what the whole video is about. It can be frustrating, right?


Let’s take another one:  If you have broken your arm in an accident and can’t use the mouse to explore the web. You have to remain cut off from the internet until you recover. Or find ways to manage to access it with difficulty, mostly through pain, or be at the mercy of people who would spare some time to assist you.

There are people out there who face these challenges at every instance of their attempts to access the Web. The true essence of Web Accessibility lies in addressing such concerns and ensuring that the Web is accessible by all, without any discretion. 

The World Wide Web Consortium(W3C) published a set of guidelines, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines or WCAG 1.0 in 1999, as an initiative to the Web Accessibility Initiative(WAI) project. The revised version, WCAG 2.0 was published in 2008, which is more technology-neutral, and therefore, is widely accepted by the developers to make their site more accessible.

It may seem like a huge task to accomplish at first, but in reality, it takes only small steps to make your website accessible to all. Steps that should be undertaken are 

  • Using alternative texts, and descriptions for the images.
  • Adding subtitles and transcripts for videos.
  • Ensuring that your site is fully and equally accessible by the keyboard.
    Making use of the Accessible Rich Internet Tags (ARIA) tags.
  • Having a good color contrast.

These are some tools which can help to make your website more accessible:

So, let’s look at the bigger picture and start taking the necessary steps towards building a platform that is more accessible and more usable, and fulfill our responsibilities as web developers. It’s high time we focused on the masses who might be unable to access the internet just like normal people can. The onus lies with us to take individual responsibility of the same and spread the awareness to others. The realization that mere oversight or negligence on our part can be the source of much trouble for others should guard us against it. 

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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. To know more about our company, please click on Mindfire Solutions. 

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AWS-Lambda-Computing

Getting started with AWS Lambda

Web Application Developmentsambits

AWS Lambda is an ingredient in amazon serverless computing. Lambda allows us to run server-side code without thinking about the server. It abstracts all of the other components i.e. servers, platforms, virtual machines, etc. that are needed to run server-side code. So we can just focus on the code and not the server. That way the time to production or deployment becomes very less. We can write a lambda function, configure it and run it in minutes.

Another great benefit of lambda is that we just pay for the compute time we consume. That means it will charge only for the time that our code is actually executed. Also, the first one million requests are free. We have to pay for request thereafter. This a very cost-effective way to run the server-side code. To get started first we need an AWS account. After creating the account we need to go to the AWS management console.

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Create a Lambda function with Node.js

Let’s create a lambda function that picks a random number between 2 given number. First of all, login into the AWS console and then click the “Lambda”  button under the compute section. Then you can come to the “Select blueprint” section. Then, under the select runtime combo box, select the latest node.js version. Amazon gives you some basic blueprints there. We will just select the simple hello world function to start with.

Image1-Lambda

We will skip to the configure function section to create a new function. We will name our function random-number-generator. Then specify the description. Then the run time that is node 4.3. Our function is a small function so we will select to Edit code inline. The blueprint of amazon gives a very basic function.

We will change this default code to generate our random number between two given numbers.

In the beginning, just add console.log(‘Loading function’). This will help in debugging the code.’ In the default amazon function, there are some event values that are logged and in the end, it returns the first value in the callback function. Then we will add a handler function to the exports variable. And this function receives 3 variables. I.e. event, context, and callback.

 exports.handler = (event, context, callback) => {
            console.log(‘value 1 =’ , event.key1);
            console.log(‘value 2 =’ , event.key2);
            console.log(‘value 3 =’ , event.key3);
            callback(null, event.key1)
}

The callback is something we will call when our result is ready and we want to send some result back to the user. It takes 2 parameters. 1st one is the error and the second one is the success message. The variables could be string or JSON object.

We will delete all these default codes and write our own code. So, first of all, we will define and set the minimum and maximum number.

 exports.handler = (event, context, callback) => {
           let min = 0;
           let max = 10;
}

Now we will define another variable for the random number.

exports.handler = (event, context, callback) => {
            let min = 0;
            let max = 10;
            let generatedNumber = Math.floor(Math.random() *  max) + min;
}

Mmath.random() generates a random number between 0 and 1. And it’s a floating-point number, so we multiplying it by max and the round it and add the minimum. That gives us a random number between the minimum and maximum number.

Now we are done and want to return the random number. So we will call the callback function.

callback(null, generatedNumber);

 Here there is no error handler implemented so we will just return null in place of the error parameter. And the  generatedNumber.

That’s it, the code part is done.

Now scroll down. And let’s define our handler. The default is index.handler. Index refers to the filename and handler is the name of the variable that is attached to the exports. We will leave this by default.

Now, we will create a new Role and give the role name as ‘basic-lambda-execute-role’. Then under the policy template, we will select ‘Simple Microservice Permissions’.

Next is the advanced settings.

Each lambda function will run in a container & that container will have some memory allocated to it. So here we can pick how much memory should be allocated to our function. Our function is a basic function. So will select 128MB. That is more than enough for our function.

This does not only defines the memory allocated to the function but also the amount of processing power amazon uses to execute our function. If we have a more resource-intensive function then we can increase the memory usage and we will get a faster performing function. Then for the timeout, we will leave it to 3 secs that is enough. If our function does not finish within this timeout then Amazon will return an error message. We will leave the VPC to no VPS and move next. In the next page, amazon lets us review our configuration for our function. And then click the create function. There we will get the msg that our function is created. And we can see the dashboard for our function.

On the dashboard we can see our code, configuration, triggers, and also we can monitor our function as well

Let’s test it by clicking the Test button there. If we scroll down we can find that the function has executed successfully and also we can see the result random number.

So that’s it. We have our random number generator lambda function is running now.

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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. To know more about our company, please click on Mindfire Solutions. 

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Image-Accounting Software Tools Information Exchange

Integrating Multiple Accounting Tools for Information Exchange

Web Application Development,

This article will be helpful for those developers who are trying to integrate multiple accounting tools with a custom web or desktop application; with the accounting tool database exposed either using ODBC/JDBC or APIs.

The solution was explored when I worked in a project where there was a need to automate the data transmission (bi-directional) between different accounting tools (like Adagio, QB Desktop and Online version, etc.) interfacing with a central database. And make it possible for devices (like iPhone) to transmit data to the central database and subsequently to the accounting tools. In a nutshell, the main application, devices and multiple accounting tools needed to be in sync all the time/whenever required.

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The Solution

The major features that were provided/implemented:

  • Connector: it acts as a bridge between web API and desktop/online accounting tool.
  • Data transmission between different entities using customized XML
  • Logging request and response on each event with a different status
  • The parser in the background (it basically parses the data from XML and maps it with the database)
  • Common database structure to handle request and response for different tools

Following diagram shows the flow and integrations process-:

 

Here, the user has the freedom to use different custom applications based on need. For e.g. in some cases where the API is exposed to the outside world for web accounting tools, we can merge the request-and-response processes in one place along with the parsing of data.

#1 Window Service

It is being used for parsing data coming internally from accounting tool in a specified format. Here, the approach can change as per need because sometimes the customer doesn’t want to put extra load on the server; then we can do it at the same level (i.e. in the request-and-response process).

#2 Web Service/Web API

It is used for running the connector. Actually, the connector will act as a bridge between the accounting tools and the central database.

#3 Main web or window application-

Here we need to have one page which will facilitate the user to generate requests in specified formats (XML or JSON) for required entities (like retrieving customer data or adding a new customer in the Accounting tool).

#4 Accounting tool

Accounting tool which exposes database/API to the outside world. Nowadays most of the applications have shared API or database to the outside world for integration with other applications.

The diagram below describes the data flow between different applications in a stepwise manner:

 

 

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Error handling and Logs

Since accounting tools are being used here, it means there are bound to be information pertaining to the flow of money involving different vendors and stakeholders. This section thus holds a lot of relevance. The provision for logging is done either in the database or somewhere else on the disk. Since there different levels and sublevels like web service/API for connector  has 4 important  sublevels (Authenticate(), SendRequest(), ReceivedResponse() and CloseConnection() ), it is highly relevant to know at every step exactly what data got processed. Also, the availability of results opens up the provision for performing analyses later, whenever needed. Logging makes it possible to handle internal errors as well.

Security Handling 

The whole solution should follow the security rules as per the industry norms like SSL implementations for all web-based calls, Cryptographic methodology (wherever required), AntiForgery checks once session established, etc.

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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. To know more about our company, please click on Mindfire Solutions. 

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Python Web Frameworks To Learn In 2018

Web Application Development, Mindfire Solutions

Python Web Frameworks 2018Unlike other web programming languages, Python enables developers to build web applications with concise, readable, and maintainable code. In 2018, many web developers will prefer Python to other server-side scripting languages to speed up web application development and simplify web application maintenance. But Python does not provide the built-in features required to accelerate custom web application development. The programmers use a number of Python web frameworks to write custom web applications in Python quickly and efficiently. Continue reading Python Web Frameworks To Learn In 2018 →

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