What is a Web Application?

• A. A desktop software installed on a user's machine.
• B. An application accessed via a web browser or web services, possibly over the Internet or internal network.
• C. A hardware appliance for payment processing.
• D. A command-line tool for system administration.

Answer: (B)

Web applications are software that runs on a server and is accessed by users through a web browser or via web services, over a network such as the Internet or an internal intranet. This means you don’t install the program locally on your device; you interact with it through a browser or allow other programs to talk to it via APIs. This distinguishes them from desktop software, which is installed and run directly on your machine, from hardware appliances (physical devices designed for a specific function), and from command-line tools that are operated through a text terminal rather than a browser interface. Web apps typically involve a front-end interface in a browser and a back-end on a server, communicating over HTTP/HTTPS. Examples include online banking, email, and e-commerce sites.