What is open source software?

Open Source

What is open source?

The term open source refers to something people can modify and share because its design is publicly accessible.

The term originated in the context of software development to designate a specific approach to creating computer programs. Today, however, "open source" designates a broader set of values—what we call "the open source way." Open source projects, products, or initiatives embrace and celebrate principles of open exchange, collaborative participation, rapid prototyping, transparency, meritocracy, and community-oriented development.

What is open source software?

Open source software is software with source code that anyone can inspect, modify, and enhance.

"Source code" is the part of software that most computer users don't ever see; it's the code computer programmers can manipulate to change how a piece of software—a "program" or "application"—works. Programmers who have access to a computer program's source code can improve that program by adding features to it or fixing parts that don't always work correctly.

What's the difference between open source software and other types of software?

See Also: Open Source vs Proprietary Software

Some software has source code that only the person, team, or organization who created it—and maintains exclusive control over it—can modify. People call this kind of software "proprietary" or "closed source" software.

Only the original authors of proprietary software can legally copy, inspect, and alter that software. And in order to use proprietary software, computer users must agree (usually by signing a license displayed the first time they run this software) that they will not do anything with the software that the software's authors have not expressly permitted. Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop are examples of proprietary software.

Open source software is different. Its authors make its source code available to others who would like to view that code, copy it, learn from it, alter it, or share it. LibreOffice and the GNU Image Manipulation Program are examples of open source software.

As they do with proprietary software, users must accept the terms of a license when they use open source software—but the legal terms of open source licenses differ dramatically from those of proprietary licenses.

Open source licenses affect the way people can use, study, modify, and distribute software. In general, open source licenses grant computer users permission to use open source software for any purpose they wish. Some open source licenses—what some people call "copyleft" licenses—stipulate that anyone who releases a modified open source program must also release the source code for that program alongside it. Moreover, some open source licenses stipulate that anyone who alters and shares a program with others must also share that program's source code without charging a licensing fee for it.

By design, open source software licenses promote collaboration and sharing because they permit other people to make modifications to source code and incorporate those changes into their own projects. They encourage computer programmers to access, view, and modify open source software whenever they like, as long as they let others do the same when they share their work.

Is open source software only important to computer programmers?

No. Open source technology and open source thinking both benefit programmers and non-programmers.

Because early inventors built much of the Internet itself on open source technologies—like the Linux operating system and the Apache Web server application—anyone using the Internet today benefits from open source software.

Every time computer users view web pages, check email, chat with friends, stream music online, or play multiplayer video games, their computers, mobile phones, or gaming consoles connect to a global network of computers using open source software to route and transmit their data to the "local" devices they have in front of them. The computers that do all this important work are typically located in faraway places that users don't actually see or can't physically access—which is why some people call these computers "remote computers."

More and more, people rely on remote computers when performing tasks they might otherwise perform on their local devices. For example, they may use online word processing, email management, and image editing software that they don't install and run on their personal computers. Instead, they simply access these programs on remote computers by using a Web browser or mobile phone application. When they do this, they're engaged in "remote computing."

Some people call remote computing "cloud computing," because it involves activities (like storing files, sharing photos, or watching videos) that incorporate not only local devices but also a global network of remote computers that form an "atmosphere" around them.

Cloud computing is an increasingly important aspect of everyday life with Internet-connected devices. Some cloud computing applications, like Google Apps, are proprietary. Others, like ownCloud and Nextcloud, are open source.

Cloud computing applications run "on top" of additional software that helps them operate smoothly and efficiently, so people will often say that software running "underneath" cloud computing applications acts as a "platform" for those applications. Cloud computing platforms can be open source or closed source. OpenStack is an example of an open source cloud computing platform.

Why do people prefer using open source software?

People prefer open source software to proprietary software for a number of reasons, including:

Control. Many people prefer open source software because they have more control over that kind of software. They can examine the code to make sure it's not doing anything they don't want it to do, and they can change parts of it they don't like. Users who aren't programmers also benefit from open source software, because they can use this software for any purpose they wish—not merely the way someone else thinks they should.

Training. Other people like open source software because it helps them become better programmers. Because open source code is publicly accessible, students can easily study it as they learn to make better software. Students can also share their work with others, inviting comment and critique, as they develop their skills. When people discover mistakes in programs' source code, they can share those mistakes with others to help them avoid making those same mistakes themselves.

Security. Some people prefer open source software because they consider it more secure and stable than proprietary software. Because anyone can view and modify open source software, someone might spot and correct errors or omissions that a program's original authors might have missed. And because so many programmers can work on a piece of open source software without asking for permission from original authors, they can fix, update, and upgrade open source software more quickly than they can proprietary software.

Stability. Many users prefer open source software to proprietary software for important, long-term projects. Because programmers publicly distribute the source code for open source software, users relying on that software for critical tasks can be sure their tools won't disappear or fall into disrepair if their original creators stop working on them. Additionally, open source software tends to both incorporate and operate according to open standards.

Community. Open source software often inspires a community of users and developers to form around it. That's not unique to open source; many popular applications are the subject of meetups and user groups. But in the case of open source, the community isn't just a fanbase that buys in (emotionally or financially) to an elite user group; it's the people who produce, test, use, promote, and ultimately affect the software they love.

Doesn't "open source" just mean something is free of charge?

No. This is a common misconception about what "open source" implies, and the concept's implications are not only economic.

Open source software programmers can charge money for the open source software they create or to which they contribute. But in some cases, because an open source license might require them to release their source code when they sell software to others, some programmers find that charging users money for software services and support (rather than for the software itself) is more lucrative. This way, their software remains free of charge, and they make money helping others install, use, and troubleshoot it.

While some open source software may be free of charge, skill in programming and troubleshooting open source software can be quite valuable. Many employers specifically seek to hire programmers with experience working on open source software.

Content Source: https://opensource.com/resources/what-open-source

How to Outsource Mobile App Development – The Definitive Guide 2020

Android Application Development

With over 2 million apps on the Play Store and App Store, the mobile app development industry has progressed into a multi-million dollar business. By 2020, it is estimated that the number of mobile users will grow to around 6 billion, accounting for over 194 billion app downloads. It means, for businesses, investing in mobile app development is not just a trend but a requirement of the times.

There are various ways to go about developing an app: hiring an in-house team of developers, and outsourcing the app idea to a suitable development company like android app development GoodCore.

Outsourcing app ideas allows you to shorten the timeframe for marketing, decrease overall costs, and ensure a better quality of the product. Around 52.5% of IT companies outsource their development projects.

Here, we’ll discuss how to outsource mobile app development, the benefits of outsourcing, and the total cost of outsourcing that you should expect:

What Is Outsourcing Mobile App Development

If an in-house team is not an option for your app development needs, then turning to a third-party development agency is your next best choice. When you hire an outside agency to develop your app, you outsource mobile app development.

Outsourcing offers a much more extensive range of skills and experience than an in-house team as an app development firm concentrates on developing apps for a variety of businesses. It means they have the expertise and the tools to solve any issues swiftly and aptly. 

Additionally, with application development outsourcing, you have multiple choices, unlike with an in-house team:

Options for Outsourcing App Development

With an in-house team, you only get a set of individuals with expertise in specific areas of app development processes. On the other hand, with outsourcing app development, you get diversity in who builds the app:

• An offshore or onshore development company
• Freelancer developers
• Or an off-the-shelf app

Let’s explore the pros and cons of each option:

Pros

Development Companies

• You have a complete team at hand immediately.
• From the cost to the scope of the work, everything is recorded on paper to eliminate any discrepancies later.
• A diverse range of experiences within the team.
• The development process is organized with proper maintenance and post-launch services.

Freelance Developers

• More cost-effective compared to top-notch development companies
• An exceptional talent pool of developers exists among the freelancers.

Off-the-shelf Solutions

• Cheaper than designing custom apps.
• Less time to launch.
• Feature-rich apps.

Cons

Development Companies

• More expensive option than hiring freelancers and off-the-shelf apps.
• Offer less flexibility in their mode of work than freelancers.

Freelance Developers

• Limited specializations in platforms and the latest technologies.
• No guarantee of the quality of work and no client protection measures.
• Communication and time-management is an issue, mainly if time zones are different.

Off-the-shelf Solutions

• A readymade app may not fit your needs.
• Customization and transition to another platform are complicated.
• Some features may be unnecessary for your business.
• Standard UI/UX design.
• Updates in response to market change are limited.

The company to outsource app development depends on the complexity of your app, the type of app you need, and your budget. If your app idea is simple with minimal features, then an off-the-shelf solution would be sufficient for your need, especially if you are short on time with a limited budget.

Similarly, freelance developers can be a good option if the app is simple in design and falls into the developers’ area of expertise.

Contrarily, opting to outsource app development to a full-cycle development company gives you access to a team of specialists. Android and iOS developers, UI/UX designers, QA testing team, as well as project managers, and business analysts are part of the deal. The individual experts would work together as a team to build the app from scratch, making offshore mobile application development the best choice for custom app design.

Benefits of Outsourcing

Outsourcing app development offers more flexibility in terms of cost and features, app design, and allows leveraging advanced technologies. It has many advantages over in-house development, some of them are:

• Faster Turnaround

Outsourcing app development offers a quicker turnaround than an in-house team or freelance developers. With an offshore development company, project managers and business analysts are also part of the package. It means that the company will regulate the development processes to ensure the timely delivery of the app and client satisfaction.

Additionally, with an in-house team, the developers may have to coordinate their tasks with other projects on their plate. So, app development will take a longer time than it will if you outsource the project.

• More Extensive Talent Pool for Developers

An in-house team comprises of limited individuals, minimizing the expertise to a specific level. With application development outsourcing, on the other hand, you have access to diverse developers’ talent pool. Outsourcing to companies or freelancers in Europe, Asia, or Africa, allows you to leverage the talent in these regions.

Additionally, you can outsource iPhone app development or Android development to a single development firm. With access to a broader talent pool, offshore companies have developers for native apps or hybrids for iOS, Android, and Windows development.

• Access to Different Technologies Under One Roof

Another benefit of outsourcing is that you can find all the latest technologies for app development under one roof.

For full-cycle development companies, app and web development are their bread and butter. Thus, they have experts with ample knowledge of the best techniques for software development and the tools to put their skills to use. Additionally, companies also have access to the latest technologies.

• Cost-effective

While outsourcing gives you less control over the development processes, it is much more cost-effective than an in-house team. Outsourcing to agencies based in the US will cost less, and offshore mobile application development to companies in Europe, India, and Africa is even more affordable.

Additionally, with in-house hiring, you need to invest in a team of developers and the technology to develop an app. The overall cost of hiring new employees, making arrangements for their workspace and the equipment for development is more than the cost of hiring an offshore agency.

Development agencies charge an hourly rate that includes the cost of developers, equipment, maintenance, and post-launch services.

How to Outsource App Development?

With the benefits of outsourcing done, let’s see how to outsource app development to offshore or onshore agencies. As with hiring any development company, you need to be sure of what you want for your business before you reach out to software companies. Here are the steps you need to take for outsourcing your app idea:

Solid Outline

A top-notch development company will offer its insight and analysis of your business needs, but it’s better to have an initial idea of your aim with the product and the future of the company. Knowing what you want will help in finding a development agency that fits your needs.

Furthermore, if you outsource app development to freelancers instead of a company, your research is even more invaluable. Miscommunication will lead to the creation of an app completely different from your expectations.

So, when outlining your app idea, keep the following questions in mind:

• How will the app help in the progress of the company?
• What is the purpose of the app? What problem does it resolve for the target users?
• Do you want a native app for iOS and Android or a hybrid app?
• What features do you want in the app?
• What about the MVP, its cost, and its features?

Highlighting your requirements with the app design and function will help narrow down the list of offshore app development companies or freelancers that you can hire. It will also ensure the product delivered is as you expected.

Estimate Your Budget

Estimating the budget for mobile app development should be included in your initial business analysis. The amount you allocate for the app will determine the options available to you, including in-house development, offshore companies, or off-the-shelf solutions.

Readymade mobile apps are the cheapest option offering minimal features and standard UI/UX.  The cost of custom apps, on the other hand, depends on a variety of factors, including the complexity of the app, platform, features, and more. For example, a simple app can cost up to $50,000+ whereas complex apps can rate as high as $300,000+.

Mobile app development is a little costly, but there are end-to-end software development companies or freelancers that build apps from the ground up on a budget-friendly price.

Research Developers

Before you can outsource app development, you need to research the app developers that match your requirements. Check their experience with the iOS or Android platforms, their skills with the technologies you want in your app, and more. The geography and mode of communication are other factors you need to consider when choosing an outsourcing app development firm.

The outsourcing agencies are divided into three categories based on their location relative to your company: onshore, nearshore, and offshore. Onshore developers are those in the same country as yours, whereas nearshore companies are in the bordering nations. Offshore, contrarily, are the developers based furthest away.

When you want to outsource web application development, determine the location of the development company early in your research. With onshore app developers, you can expect smooth communication. But if you are based in the US, onshore companies will be more expensive than offshore app developers.

Therefore, when considering outsourcing app development, research the developers as well. Besides their location, consider the following factors:

• Portfolio: Check their collection to analyze their experience in app development. Do they have attractive, user-oriented applications in their portfolio?
• Tech Stack: Ensure the team has the expertise to leverage the technologies required by your app idea.
• Industry: Does the agency have experience working with a client in the same industry as you?
• Client References: What do their past clients say about their quality of service?
• Partners: Is the company in a partnership with leading tech companies like Google?

Analyzing these factors will help in shortlisting potential agencies that fit your requirements, making it easier to contact them for their services.

Service Model

Not only do you have multiple options with outsourcing app development, but you can also choose the service model that fits your needs. There are three types of service models in app development:

• Project-Based

Project-based service models imply that the team has predetermined requirements they need to reach within a defined timeframe. With everything outlined by the client, it makes them responsible for the product quality instead of the technologies used in development.

A project-based model includes limited team members, a defined timeline, and a fixed budget. Additionally, the project outcome also depends on the backlog the outsourcing company has.

• Dedicated Teams

Through the ‘dedicated team’ service model, the outsourcing company is responsible for allocating resources to your project, ensuring personal management and process quality. The dedicated resources include a full-cycle development team with Project Managers and Business Analysts outlining the project pipeline or offering complete services.

The outsourcing company is responsible for assigning tasks, dedicating team leaders, ensuring proper project management, scheduling tasks, and following up on the project status. The client holds the decision-making power in project management, but at varying degrees.

• Out-staff Working Model

Out-staff or extended team means allocating some of the tasks to resources outside the company and providing them the space to work as well. Since the client is hiring individuals for specific tasks, they will be responsible for regulating the development process, working time, vacations, and salaries. They would be managing the project, promoting within the team, and ensuring the members are motivated.

Between the three options, startups and small-scale businesses prefer project-based working models. Mid-sized companies opt for a dedicated team, while enterprises hire specialists for specific tasks within the project’s budget.

Mode of Payment

With an extended team or out-staff hiring, you pay the individuals monthly salary like any other company employee. But if you pick a dedicated team or a project-based working model, you can choose the payment model as well.

A fixed price is applicable if the project is relatively small-scale, with a limited budget, a defined scope of work, and an estimated timeline. It is ideal for startups who also need to develop an MVP.

Time and Material, on the other hand, is called Pay as You Go by companies that use an Agile development process. The client and the development company decide on the hourly rates of each developer during the initial project meetings, then the client pays the dues based on the actual development time.

The software development companies choose Time and Material payment model when the scope of work is hard to predetermine. It is also the best option when clients need to make adjustments to the project requirements without changing the agreement.

Where to Find Outsource Agencies?

With the mobile app development industry progressing, there are various sources on the internet where you can search for outsourcing development companies. From freelancers to industry-leading agencies, there are sites dedicated to all:

• B2B Directories – Clutch and Good Firm are two of the top B2B platforms listing software development companies for outsourcing app development. They group agencies based on their location, rating, and expertise.
• Freelance Websites – Sites like Upwork, Fiverr, PeoplePerHour are top platforms for freelancers and employers to connect. Here you can hire expert individuals or outsourcing teams for a fixed-price or hourly rate.
• Blogs – Development teams also run tech blogs where they post tips and case studies showcasing their expertise. Sites like the Manifest also post blogs listing top development companies in the world.
• Design Networks – Full-cycle development companies offer both coding and designing services. Design networks like Behance or Dribble are platforms where freelancers or development teams showcase their skills. Here you can analyze their portfolio before outsourcing app development.

How Much Does It Cost to Outsource App Development?

App development cost depends on many factors, including the complexity of the app, features, platform, the tools used, and more. Even the location of the outsourcing company influences the total cost of the app. US-based development agencies and freelancers, generally charge higher than the offshore companies in Europe or India.

Additionally, freelancers’ hourly rates also differ by location. For example, a developer based in the US will charge up to $61 per hour, whereas a developer in India will cost $18 per hour. Similarly, a project manager in the US and Western Europe will charge from $40-$84 per hour, but in India or Eastern Europe, the rates will drop to $21-$37 per hour.

App development cost with a full-cycle development company will be $10,000 on average. Most project sizes range from $5000 to $10,000 including $10,000 maintenance costs per annum.

Based on the features or type of the app, here is a cost breakdown:

• A photo-sharing social platform app like Instagram costs between $70,000 to $100,000.
• A ride-sharing app like Uber costs between $100,000 to $1,500,000.
• Marketplace app like nTrust or Etsy can range from $90,000 to $2,00,000.
• Booking apps for rentals like Airbnb cost between $1,40,000 to $2,00,000.
• Apps like WhatsApp or QuizUp charge between $61,000 and $69,000.
• Business apps like Starbucks can cost from $70,000 to $1,00,000.
• Matchmaking platforms like Tinder costs between $40,000 to $60,000.

Is Outsourcing Mobile App Development Right for You?

Outsourcing mobile app development is a risky feat, especially if you venture ahead unprepared. The choice of company or freelancer you hire will determine how smooth your experience goes with app development.
You can easily find efficient android app developers or iOS experts for your project with some research.

I hope the blog helps you understand the ins and out of outsourcing app development. Share your idea with our experts, and we’ll help you design the app to suit your business needs.

Source: https://www.cubix.co/blog/outsource-mobile-app-development

Modern Web Application Development: Top 6 Highly Preferred Principles

web application development

Have you ever wondered what makes a software developer productive?

The answer could be as simple as the question seems, the dedication of a developer, knowledge of the latest tactics, and expertise in the specific technology. But the reality is completely different from my friend. In the web application development productivity has often been considered with speed. Still, this isn’t right to co-relate speed with productivity.

Let me explain this with an example: if a software developer is completing the given task in half of the time than expected, then the developer can be considered as productive, right? Still, I will say it depends because a productive developer is a one who has expertise in building applications in the right way and in the most efficient manner possible. So, productivity stands for speed along with quality.

How to build an application?

Let me explain it in a simple term. A quality application is one that is developed considering the present as well as future needs. The app is developed solving the user’s long-term needs, changing technology and it can scale as the business grows and it is easily maintainable.

To build a quality application, it requires an in-detail understanding of modern 6 principles of web application development. The listed principles have undoubtedly helped our skilled developers to create successful applications to meet the user’s present as well as future needs. It’s not a comprehensive list, but considering these 6 principles can surely help you hail on the ride of success either with a web app, mobile app, analytical dashboard or a web app.

Principle #1: User First

Web has evolved initially; earlier it was tools, then technologies and now devices have emerged. However, there is one principle that has remained the same is user experience. When it comes to focus on the user experience, there is a question that is often overlooked is who wants this? Identifying the answer to this question will help you understand the purpose. Instead of looking at it as an application, you will start developing it as a solution for a specific problem. Once the purpose is identified then go for great user experience. Because its user experience that keeps any users loyal to the brand and a product.

Principle #2: Security is a Significant Part of the Development Process

When it comes to web application security, it is tested through common vulnerabilities like SQL Injection, cross-site scripting and others. Everyone knows the importance of security, but still prevent security vulnerabilities. In my 15 years of experience, I have seen the majority of the developers adding security as a feature in the last stage. Still, in the modern web application, it is built from the first stage, design and architecture include all the security aspects to avoid any financial and reputation costs associated with data losses, downtime, and vulnerability discoveries.

Principle #3: Tools: Web Developer’s Best Friend

Any client wants to bring their product idea to the market faster. One the other hand, security and significant features should not be sacrificed. Adopting the tools can help to speed up the development process. This is the reason there is a significant growth in the development tools, and developers are accessing libraries, frameworks and templates and using IDE’s, GitHub, and low-code development platforms as an ever-evolving skill set to bridge the skills gap.

Principle #4: Web Application Architecture

You shouldn’t catch up in the interface, because architecture also plays a significant role in building an application. Architecture is an inevitable part, but it impacts security, flexibility, maintenance, scalability and more. Building a sound architecture will take some time, but it is essential for building a long-lasting application.

Planning an application architecture is beyond its initial requirements. What if you have to switch to a different server? What if the app requires more features? What happens if it does not support the number of users than you have considered? So, build an architecture considering all the possibilities and future aspects.

Principle #5: Change is Constant

Web is continuously advancing with new tools, new technologies and frameworks as it is being introduced on a regular basis. This progression leads to efficient development. For the software developer it has become mandatory to keep the app with the latest security features. Modern web applications are never complete because developers have to continually update their apps to adapt security trends and considering the changing trends.

Principle #6: Separation of Concerns

Earlier developers were following a monolithic approach to implement new features directly into the application. The only issue with this approach was maintenance, because a minor change in a small area can make or break other applications. Sometimes apps were becoming unmanageable.

Modern web application architecture has a separation of concerns that separates the application into layers to enhance the application’s layer separately. In case, if you want to improve the application’s UI and UX, then take help of multilayered architecture to replace it without interrupting the other layers.

Wrapping Up

There could be numbers of modern web application principles, but I have only listed those whom I found absolutely necessary. The above 6 principles ensure that your software is stable and ready to scale.

Content Source: https://www.technosip.com/modern-web-application-development-top-6-highly-preferred-principles/

What Is Offshore Software Development and How to Do It Right

software development company

Many software companies across North America and Western Europe are starting to evaluate offshore software development company UK or worldwide and how it can help them to achieve their business goals. For those who consider this approach for the next project, we’re providing a detailed explanation of this outsourcing model. Here you’ll find more about its advantages and disadvantages and a few simple tips that will make a search for the reliable service provider a bit easier.

When starting a new software development project, many companies are used to involving not only their in-house teams or developers in their countries but also the ones from all over the world. This kind of cooperation has justified itself and resulted in the benefits for both sides. It is clear that outsourcing is an inevitable part of software engineering. Here comes another question what is offshore software development. In short, this term has the same meaning as the regular outsourcing but with the indication of the geographical distance between the customer and the provider.

List of the contents:

• Difference between offshore, nearshore and onshore

• Offshore software development firms and their typical service

• Pros and cons of this model

• Remote product development and how to do it right

• How to choose the service provider

• Conclusion

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OFFSHORE, NEARSHORE, AND ONSHORE

Considering the geographical standpoint, outsourcing can be presented by onshore, nearshore and offshore development services.

Onshore

When the company decides to hire software developers within their own country, it is onshore outsourcing. They find this option rather convenient and approachable. For instance, the company can choose the provider just from the different regions of their country.

Nearshore

Nearshore service is characterized by a similar time zone. For this reason, providers will be chosen from the neighboring countries. The customers count on cultural similarity and geographic proximity. In particular, Western European countries have the nearshore choice among Eastern European ones such as Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, etc.. The USA customers can apply for the providers in the nearest neighbor Mexico. In case they decide to choose other Latin American countries, it will not be called nearshore one.

Offshore

Therefore offshore software development indicates that the company of providers is located in a foreign country far away from your country. It can be even a different continent thus the customers might face the notable time zone difference. Fortunately, nowadays it is not a problem at all. North American and Western European companies successfully collaborate with providers from all over the world.

In this article, we have prepared the explanation and overview of offshore development services, its advantages and disadvantages, and how to choose services provider.

Content Source: https://medium.com/existek/what-is-offshore-software-development-and-how-to-do-it-right-94a96cd569e4

How Do Free Mobile Apps Make Money?

Android App Development

Do you have an idea for a free mobile application but you doubt whether it's worth investing? How do free apps make money?

Your doubts are quite clear: mobile IOS / android app development (See: goodcore.co.uk/services/mobile-app-development/android/) requires a lot of time (typically, several months) and, more importantly, money. Before kicking off the development process, you should clearly understand how you’ll recoup your investments and how to make money with apps in 2020.

We’ve decided to help you get your idea off the ground and show how exactly you can make money on free apps.

Free Apps Grossing Big Bucks

According to Sensotower, the App Store and Google Play users spent a total of $39.7 billion on mobile apps and games during the first half of 2019. This is a huge market you don’t want to miss out on

If you think that it’s the paid apps that bring the lion’s share of this huge revenue, you’re wrong. In fact, if you check the list of the top grossing mobile applications (including games) in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store, you’ll notice they’re all free.

The vast majority of users on all continents prefer free mobile applications. In fact, the number of free app downloads is constantly rising. Statistics provided by Sensotower show that in the first half of 2019, free mobile apps downloads in Google Play increased by 16,4 percent and made up $41,9 billion. Whilst the App Store lost 1,4 percent in downloads. However, the overall tendency remains positive.

Image source: Sensotower

Developing a free mobile app is definitely the right business strategy.

Before shedding light on how to make money with apps, we’d like to draw your attention to another matter: correct app presentation. Remember that users must be able to quickly find your app and understand what it’s designed for.

Incite User Interest Through Accurate App Packaging

As of the second quarter of 2019, there were 2.46 million apps (of all types) in the Google Play Store and 1.96 million in the Apple App Store. The competition is really strong!

How many users will find your free mobile app? How many of them will download it? No matter how good your app is and what monetization methods you use, you may still fail to attract customers without a clear app packaging.

Potential users of your app should be able to quickly find it through search in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. To make your mobile app visible and easy to find, you should provide it with an attention-grabbing name, an informative description, and screenshots.

Here are tips that will help you create a top-class app description:

Choose a Clear and Catchy App Name

Your mobile app should have a snappy name that reflects its major functions. Though many applications have names that convey nothing about their functionality, your app is likely to attract a lot more users if it has a name that hints at what it does. It’s particularly useful to include keywords in the app name.

In general, the name of your app shouldn’t be too long – 100 characters at most. Think carefully about the name, as it’s the first thing people see and pay attention to when they’re considering whether your application is worth downloading.

Come up With an Informative App Description

The next step is to provide your app with a meaningful and informative description.

The first several sentences (up to the “Read More” or “More” buttons) of an app description should give general information and illustrate the app’s main idea. This part mustn’t be long – up to 225 characters. Few people read further, so make sure to tailor this part of the app description to perfection.

Make Eye-Catching App Screenshots

An app’s name and description are important, but users want to know how your app will look on their mobile devices. That’s why you should include several screenshots – and make sure you pick the best.

We recommend that you add some text to your screenshots, describing some functions of your application.

As you can see, this screenshot shows that the app can work on smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches.

Note that Uber uses verbs in their screenshot descriptions, which is the correct approach. Verbs are the parts of speech used to describe actions.

People are more likely to act (i.e. to download your free mobile app) if they see verbs.

How to make money with free apps?

Now that you know how to package a five-star app, we can move on to explaining the strategies you can leverage to make money on free apps.

Strategy #1: In-App Purchases

In-app purchases is an extremely popular strategy used by thousands of apps in both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. In-app purchases allow users to buy something right in the app.

There are three major types of in-app purchases:

• Consumable. Consumables are products that a user can use only once: for example, virtual money or health points. Such in-app purchases are usually used in mobile games.
• Non-consumable. Non-consumables are features that users buy for permanent use: for example, additional functions or ad blocking (this is how free apps make money without ads).
• Subscriptions. Your mobile application may offer subscriptions that unlock some content or functions for a certain period of time. Subscriptions can be either non-renewing or automatically renewing.

 

Strategy #2: In-App Ads

 

• Ads are a driving force of the global market. They’re literally everywhere, and mobile apps aren’t an exception. In-app ads are actually tools of affiliate marketing. With in-app ads, you advertise your affiliates’ products (apps, games, etc.) inside your app and get paid if your users interact with those ads.
  There are several types of campaigns used in affiliate marketing, so let’s mention the most popular:
  • Cost per click (CPC). This model means that you get paid for each click on ads displayed in your mobile application. Typically, a single click is nearly worthless, so revenue is calculated on a cost per mille basis (mille is Latin for thousand).
  • Cost per view (CPV). These campaigns are usually applied to video ads. The more times users of your app watch video ads, the higher payout you get.
  • Cost per install (CPI). With this model, you get paid whenever a user of your app installs an advertised application.
  If you wish to monetize your application through ads, there are many networks to work with, such as AdMob and Flurry. Most ad networks support apps on iOS and Android, as well as on some other mobile platforms. Also, don’t forget to check what kinds of campaigns they offer, since you need to understand what exactly you’ll be paid for.
  There are several ways to display ads in your mobile app:
  • Banners. Banner ads usually appear at the top or at the bottom of a screen and have some text and graphics. Banners are considered to be relatively unobtrusive, as users are able to keep using your mobile app even if a banner is active. However, banners have low click-through rates (CTR) and heavily depend on brand recognition (users are far more likely to click if a banner advertises some well-known brand).
• Native. Most people don’t like ads and try to block them completely. How can you reach out to the users of your mobile application, then? Use native ads that don’t really look like ads. Native ads are seamlessly integrated into mobile applications, making them subtle but quite efficient.
• Videos. According to an article by Invesp, the CTR of video ads is 1.84%, so they’re quite effective. Typically, video ads appear automatically when users interact with apps.
• Interstitial. These ads take a whole screen and typically appear when users launch or close an application. However, interstitial ads may also look like pop-ups appearing from time to time.
• Rich media. If you’re wondering what type of in-app ads is the most efficient, here’s the answer: rich media ads that, according to the previously mentioned eMarketer article, show a CTR of 0.44%. Rich media ads use multiple methods to reach out to users, including audio, video, text, and more.
• In-app ads allow you to make money off free apps, but this monetization strategy works well only for applications with big audiences. If your app is a startup, don’t expect it to bring big bucks this way.

Strategy #3: Freemium

• To benefit from the freemium monetization strategy, you need a second, paid version of your application. If users like a free version, they’re likely to opt for a paid one that has some extra functions.
  With a freemium model, users are typically offered to upgrade an app to a paid version, and if they agree, they’re directed to an app store.
  For example, have a look at MX Player, a popular video player available on Google Play.
• This monetization option is quite efficient, but you shouldn’t provide too many functions in your free app; otherwise, few users will shell out for the paid one.

Strategy #4: Sponsorship

Finding a sponsor is a really lucrative monetization model. Usually, it works this way: you create a mobile app that gains quite a lot of users, after which you contact a sponsor company and offer to update the design of your app to match the sponsor’s brand.

There are two types of sponsorship deals: you can either split the revenue with your sponsor or receive a monthly sponsorship fee.

The main difficulty of sponsorship is finding a sponsor. Needless to say, your mobile app should be good enough to be interesting to potential funders.

Strategy #5: Email Marketing

Email marketing has always been and still is a powerful money-making strategy. You can leverage this method and ask the users of your mobile app to provide their emails and, later, send them messages.

Adding a Facebook login option to your free app is a great way to subtly collect user emails. However, give users a chance to cancel email notifications, as this will make your app more credible and people will know they won’t be receiving loads of spam.

Tips for Choosing the Best App Monetization Methods

As you can see, there are many ways you can make money from free apps. You can pick one or opt for several strategies at once. However, there are several handy tips that will help you monetize your free app in the most effective way possible.

Consider the Business Goals of Your Free App

Any application has a business goal, which means it helps its users solve their problems. Therefore, you should select a monetization strategy based on your app’s business purpose.

For example, let’s say you wish to create a cool audio player with lots of sound adjustments. Can in-app purchases be an effective profit generating method? Probably not. Instead, you can opt for ads or offer an ad-free version with a subscription.

Or imagine that you launch an educational app. It can offer in-app purchases, such as access to additional functions or paid tips. Needless to say, such apps can contain ads as well.

Define Your Target Audience

You should clearly realize who you’re creating a mobile app for. Draw a user portrait and decide what functionality users need, how much time they’re likely to spend using your app, and so on. A clear picture of your target users allows you to create an app tailored to their needs.

Though your free app may boast large download numbers, the truth is that only a small part of your users (you may call them the money-spending core) will actually bring you profit by clicking on ads or making in-app purchases. The majority of users won’t spend a cent in your app. You may not like it, but that’s how it is in reality. Therefore, set a goal of attracting as many users as possible and do your best to succeed.

Research Your Competitors

If you’re thinking of launching a mobile application, you should carry out a competitor analysis. Explore the app stores you’re going to offer your free app in and search for similar apps. Next, find out what your competitors offer, what kind of designs they have and, more importantly, what monetization methods they use.

This information will help you learn from your competitors’ experiences and see what mistakes they’ve made so you can make your free app better and more helpful to customers. In the end, a better app means higher profits for you as its creator.

Don't Overuse App Monetization Methods

You shouldn’t make your free app inconvenient for users. If it’s full of ads or in-app purchases, your audience may stop using your app and install a similar one. App creators should always remember that their apps bring profits only as long as people use them.

Your users should feel comfortable when using your app, so be prudent and make all ads and offers in your app as subtle as possible.

Now that you know how free apps make money, you can give your idea a go and turn it into a real-life application.

Content Source: https://rubygarage.org/blog/how-do-free-apps-make-money

MVP Is the Key to Agile Project Management

MVP Development

MVP (acronym explained below) is a concept that can improve agile project management planning by ensuring that teams iterate intelligently. To unpack that sentence, let’s back up a little.

Agile project management emerged from the agile software development model, which emphasizes iteration, testing, and incorporating feedback from that testing into the next iteration. Agile “sprints” quickly produce iterations of a software product. The approach focuses on customer experience, collaborative MVP development, and responsiveness to customer feedback.

Agile project management, according to Megan Torrance, chief energy officer at TorranceLearning, is “a way to manage the near-constant change we face in our organizations … with an attitude that expects and accepts change.” But to succeed, it’s not enough to iterate. Iterations have to work; they have to move the team—and product—to the end goal of an eLearning product that enables learners to meet learning and performance goals.

Enter the MVP.

What’s an MVP? It’s a minimum viable product. Torrance describes the MVP as “the simplest thing that could possibly work.”

“The goal is to get a simple version of the solution out into the hands of the users to make sure that you’re on the right track and identify the highest-priority things to do next,” she said.

In essence, the MVP is the “first draft” of a product, and it has to meet the threshold of a successful iteration. A sketch or wireframe is not an iteration. According to Torrance, an iteration has to:

• Do real work,
• Be able to be evaluated, and
• Actually be evaluated…

For the iteration to be evaluated, someone has to use it—and provide feedback. That feedback has to be gathered, studied, and, most importantly, used to improve the next iteration.

In short, the first iteration—the MVP—has to be a reasonable stand-in for the actual product under development.

Without the MVP, all is lost

“The MVP is the thing that actually makes an iterative development process—like agile, LLAMA, or SAM—work,” Torrance said.

That’s not an exaggeration. The idea behind an iterative process is creating a “rough version of a product” with the express purpose of getting feedback on it. There are two enormous benefits, Torrance said:

• It’s easier to make changes to an early “draft” than to a finished product.
• Problems and needed changes are identified “before you’ve burned all your budget and timeline developing the ‘perfect’ finished product.”

“Each cycle of an iterative development process is an opportunity to advance the product both iteratively (making it better) and incrementally (making it more). For an eLearning product, it could be things like fine-tuning scripts and graphics (iteratively) and moving from a script-and-screen draft to a playable online draft (incrementally),” Torrance said.

 

Defining the MVP

Before defining an MVP, the project team has to clearly define the learning objectives, which are related to the client’s or organization’s business goals. A business goal solves a business problem. Training is not a goal; training is a means to an end—solving the business problem.

Torrance recommends starting by defining an observable goal. “What will I see a successful learner doing on the job after the course?” An observable goal uses an action verb, for example:

• The employee will enter data accurately (then define “accurately”)
• The employee will provide verbal feedback to direct reports
• The employee will make sandwiches (or pack orders or assemble widgets) according to the established process and to meet defined standards

Next, the team has to define what the learners need to know in order to meet the observable goal. That’s what the eLearning will teach them.

Agile project management, like agile software development, encourages working out loud, publicly, collaboratively. Torrance suggests breaking down goals into discrete tasks, and creating task cards—or sticky notes, or lines on a whiteboard—where each task is defined. Tasks should be small, and planners should keep constraints in mind: deadlines, budget, staff schedules—and scope.

Once the goals are clear, planning begins. Plan from big to small, Torrance advises, and work small to large: Define and create the MVP first.

Don’t skimp on user testing

“The biggest mistake I see people making is in not getting their iterations out to actual users,” Torrance said. 

Developers often do testing with the client, with SMEs, or with team members. But that’s not really going to tell them whether the eLearning will work with the people who actually need to use it.

Developing an advisory board or committee, or other group of actual learners—people who might actually use the end product or who closely reflect the abilities and knowledge level of the real learners—is one way to conduct meaningful user testing. Another is creating learner “personas”—archetypes or “learner stories” that capture the business needs and desired performance outcomes of the typical learner.

“Ideally, you should be testing your MVPs with the primary learner persona(s) for your project or as close as you can get. So if you’re building new-hire training, test an MVP on actual new hires, or people who are recent new hires, or the immediate supervisors of new hires,” Torrance said.

For a project to train mentors and their protégés, Torrance said, “Our first iteration was a live ILT [instructor-led training] that we delivered to members of the target audience. We then made adjustments to that ILT course, gave it to the client, then started working on the eLearning courses. We used the ILT version of the course to validate the content and the job aids for the program.”

So, yes, it takes time to do actual user testing, but the whole point of iterative processes—like agile project management and development—is to be responsive to learners’ needs, so it is time well spent. “Perfect is in the eyes of the user, not the developer,” Torrance said. It’s not (only) about whether learners “like” the product or even whether they can pass tests based on the content; it’s about the learners’ performance after completing the eLearning: “Specifically, we’d really like to know if the users can perform the tasks successfully as a result of the training.”

Data gathered by testing the MVP and each successive iteration is used to improve the next version. Project managers generally set the number of iterations at the beginning of the management and development cycle; three iterations is common.

 

Content Source: https://learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/2308/mvp-is-the-key-to-agile-project-management

SAAS Web Application Development Principles To Be Followed In 2020

web application development

If you’re reading this article, it probably means that you aren’t satisfied with the progress of your web development project. More often than not, it means something went wrong during the development cycle.

It could have been a problem with delivery, scalability, or cost estimation. Regardless, whether it’s a new build or an implementation of new features, it can quickly become overwhelming.

So what’s a product owner to do?

Those product owners I was consulting with, react in different ways. But most often, they tend to put all other business activities on hold to dive deep into managing the development process.

The process of developing sophisticated web-based software is more like a marathon than a sprint. But we have to keep moving forward. To avoid potential problems, follow the best practices introduced in this guide. The following recommendations are based on The Twelve-Factor App methodology.

The web application development best practices discussed here can be applied to any Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model. It covers everything from back-end development on a local machine to cloud architecture.

They are also based on the contributions of a broader community of software engineers who boast significant expertise in enterprise web development.

Technology choice: Symfony PHP framework

This journey into web application development best practices can be used as a guide to designing back-end architecture, and more. You can also do this by using any programming language you like.

However, for this post, we will focus on examples that leverage the Symfony PHP framework. It makes perfect sense as this framework is often used to build mid-sized cloud-based SaaS products.

According to the Roadmap, Symfony has continued to evolve since it was first released in 2005. Today, the framework follows PHP Standards Recommendations and boasts SOLID design principles for web development. So software engineers will be able to follow these best practices, seamlessly.

Principle 1: One codebase can accommodate multiple deployments during the web development cycle

If you’re designing a web application and not a distributed software, I strongly recommend sticking to a single codebase. The best way to go about it is to store your code in a Git repository (or any other version controlled solution).

WEB APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT CYCLE FOR THE NEW FEATURES WILL LOOK (MORE OR LESS) LIKE THIS:

• Software engineers work with the same codebase on their local computers.
• After each feature is developed, they’ll push the code to a Git repository.
• The updated codebase is then deployed and tested on a staging server by the Quality Assurance team.
• The same code is then deployed to production, but only after it’s tested on a staging level to ensure that it works as intended.

Principle 2: Explicitly declare and isolate dependencies for the software

The golden rule is to first make a list of all external libraries and services that have been used. These should be separate from the code and quickly switched on/off or changed as needed. This enables you to do more with minimum influence on the overall code.

To manage libraries, for example, use a Composer. It’s a great way to add and manage libraries demanded by your web application.

The Composer will create a file called composer.lock. Here, you’ll find the same (exact) version of each package downloaded. These are the same packages that ran during the composer installation.

Store composer.lock in your Git repository and exclude the vendor folder from Git. This approach will ensure that each deployment (for another developer, for staging, or production servers) will get the same versions of libraries after the run “composer install” command.

If you fail to do this, you may end up with different package versions on production that will result in unstable app behavior.

Check our case study about moving a Web product from monolith to microservices architecture and reducing dependencies to a minimum.

Principle 3: Separate configuration files and application code base

According to the Twelve-Factor App principles, “an app’s configuration is everything likely to vary between deploys.”

Often, software configuration settings can be changed between development, staging, and production environments. However, according to the application development principals, storing them in the codebase as configs or constants is prohibited.

THE FOLLOWING ARE EXAMPLES OF SETTINGS THAT SHOULDN’T BE STORED WITHIN THE CODE:

• Database and cache server connection settings
• Credentials to third-party services
• APIs and payment gateways
• Everything that changes depending on the deployment stage

Not following these web development principles may lead to scenarios where your app works perfectly on the developer’s machine and at the QA stage, but not when it’s deployed to production. Typically, something always breaks because of the changes made to the configuration in the code.

However, Symfony web development uses DotEnv library to work with environment variables. Here’s an example of different environment variables for development, staging, and production.

So it doesn’t matter where the web app is deployed because there won’t be any need to change the code. Only proper environment variables have to be set. If you’re using Docker, run different Docker containers from the same image with different environment variables for different deploys.

Principle 4: All the variety of services your web app runs, have to stay detached

The software community verdict is clear. It doesn’t matter if the application uses some third-party back-end services, APIs, or built-in components like a MySQL database. The best practice in this scenario will be to treat them all as attached resources.

Enable software access via a URL or use any of the other methods stored in the configuration. This approach will allow the development team to manage components without making changes to the code.

Symfony development is all about following SOLID principles. For example, to change database storage from MySQL hosted on EC2 instance to Amazon RDS, you just need to change the DSN style URL in the environment configuration without making any changes to the code.

You can even change static storage from Amazon S3 to any other Cloud Storage just by changing the environment variables, without changing the code.

Some libraries support various types of storage with an implemented abstraction layer. Flysystem, for example, supports different types of cloud storage. Doctrine is another example, but it’s abstracted around database storage. So you can switch from MySQL to PostgreSQL after making minor changes to the code.

Principle 5: Build, release, and run each software development stage separately

To ensure stability during all stages of the build, you can leverage automation tools like Gitlab CI and Jenkins.

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PIPELINE STAGES:

During the build stage – the code must be set, depending on the PHP libraries and CSS/JS assets that need to be prepared. Finally, the Docker container with a version tag has to be built and pushed into the Docker registry. You’ll also have the option of executing unit tests and code sniffer.

At the release stage – combine the Docker container (produced during the build stage) with the configuration for the environment (staging, and/or production) where you will run your build.

At the run stage – execute the app in the selected environment with proper environment configuration. This will be based on the release stage.

Principle 6: Make processes, stateless, and store the data outside the Web application

Leading web development practices recommend the storage of persistent data in separate services. It can be any relational database, for example, like Redis, Amazon S3, and so on.

However, if you’re working with Docker, you don’t have to store all the data inside the container. This is because your app has to be stateless.

Going forward, this approach will be critical to scalability. If you need authorization in your API, you can use stateless JSON Web Tokens, or you can use sessions, but store them in Redis.

The Symfony framework can work both ways, and such techniques enable scalability benefits. For example, you can run one container or hundreds of containers that use the same code and work with the same services.

You can restart your cluster (or a bunch of containers) or run a new one with a new version-without data loss.

At some point during the growth cycle, you’ll need more than one server. At this juncture, the software will start running on several servers using a load balancer.

It’s the best approach to orchestrate the execution of functions and various requests. This is the exact moment when all the processes have to be stateless.

The users will be authorized on one server, but their requests will be pointed to another server to be executed. Unless the authorization service is stateless (and can support both servers), the user won’t be able to continue running the app due to lack of authorization on the second server.

Principle 7: Keep software self-contained and export services via port binding

All web apps have to be made available without dependencies. If an app uses several services, each service has to be made available via separate ports.

Once you run Docker Compose on the developer’s local machine, for example, the application will become available on http://localhost:8085. At the same time, a separate GUI for Database management services will be available on http://localhost:8084.

Such an approach allows us to run many Docker containers and use load balancers (like HAProxy and Amazon Elastic Load Balancing.)

If the development team refuse to follow this approach, it’ll make the launch process more complicated. All the unnecessary (extra) steps may create additional bugs in the system.

Principle 8: Apply the process model with NO sharing

As the web application is developed, there will be a variety of processes running within the app. However, it’s important to keep all these processes separate. You can even divide these processes into separate ones if some of them are getting “too heavy” to manage.

So nothing has to be shared between several different processes. It’s the best way to keep the application simple and stable. What’s great about this approach to web application architecture is the fact that it makes it easy to scale.

BELOW, YOU’LL FIND THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ILLUSTRATED WITH A PHP DEVELOPED MULTI-TENANT APPLICATION:

• The app can run as many PHP containers as needed to scale (up or down).
• It can work for as many clients as needed.
• If we need to handle more HTTP requests, we can just add more running PHP containers.
• If we need to handle more background tasks, we can add more containers with background workers to handle these needs.

Principle 9: Stay sustainable with fast launching and shutting down processes

All web applications have to be developed in a manner that enables scaling (up or down) at will. It should be able to run 100 containers, for example, during business hours (when the app users are most active), and run ten containers at night (to save money allocated for the infrastructure).

This approach can be applied to your software product by containing the processes, separately. However, you have to enable them to be launched or terminated rapidly.

That’s why minimization of the launch time for processes is a must. If you use Docker, you can run more PHP containers.

The container image should be ready for launch. Don’t compile at startup, and don’t run PHP Composer during the launch. The time to launch should always be as short as possible.

When you want to scale down, all you have to do is shut down some containers. It’s also critical to shut down the containers without disrupting the system.

Users don’t want to see request timeout or error messages. So use proper termination signals by sending daemons, like in most queue servers.

RabbitMQ and Beanstalkd are great examples that work efficiently in the background and queue the job in case of failure. You should also apply transactions to the Relational Database.

Principle 10: Keep development, staging, and production stages as similar as possible

The development, staging, and production environments have to be as similar as possible. Following this rule will help web application development teams avoid situations like a production software failure (which often happens when the web app was developed under different conditions).

There are some cases where the developer can run an application on a local machine with Docker and use the same Docker containers for staging and production. To use something that works only in the cloud, it’s better to go with the Adapter pattern.

For example, the production Docker cluster uses the same containers that were tested on staging but with different environment variables. The PHP and PostgreSQL versions will be the same (and unchanged), but the latter will run on Amazon RDS.

Log level is different as the users don’t see details about errors like the ones seen on the developer’s machine or staging server. Anyway, we will still receive reports about errors (with error details) in our error log aggregator server. This way, you’ll know about the error before users report it.

Principle 11: Good practice collecting application logsis is to perceive them as event streams

Software engineers should approach logs as event streams and not a steady stream of data that’s headed for storage. It’s the optimal way to reach high-visibility while running an application.

Storing logs as separate files for each Docker container (or separate services) should not be an option for your team.

By default, the Symfony PHP app writes logs on to log files, but you can configure the logs output to Linux stdout/stderr stream. You can do this by setting “php://stderr” string in the log path.

After that, you will be able to see all active logs from the console. Anyway, such an approach will be good for development but not good enough for production. You can see the logs while your Docker container is running but not after the container has been terminated.

For production, I would highly recommend the use of log aggregator services. Sentry, Graylog, Logstash, or Splunk are excellent examples.

Such services can aggregate logs from all running containers and enable analysis from a centralized platform. You can also leverage notifications to be informed about production issues and avoid losing data logs after a crash.

Principle 12: Manage admin activities as one-off processes

Administration and management activities play an integral part in the development and deployment of software products.

Database migrations, operations with cache, creating new system users and backups are just some examples. All these web development principles have to be applied to those activities as well.

Symfony provides a bin/console command to handle admin/management tasks. It’s best to run such commands as a one-off process in the same identical environment as the regular long-running processes of the app. It means that we need to run a new container for just one task instead of using an existing container.

Here’s an example of how Symfony accomplishes database migrations in Docker:

We use Docker run, not Docker execute. This command works with the container that’s already running. After the migrations are complete, the Docker container can be exited. This will be a one-off process.

Achieve web application stability and scalability

All the web application development principles mentioned above should act as a baseline for your software development team. Such implementations should also be made wisely and aligned with business priorities.

They should be technically reasonable and seamlessly applicable to specific use cases. If you choose to ignore one or more of these best practices, there should be an excellent reason for it.

The key to a successful web development project is to create a culture of CI. It matters because it’s becoming effortless to automate things like deployments, updates, and setting up infrastructure for new users. Check our Case study on creating Advisory Web Platform For Education & Mentoring with CI.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it’s critical to follow these steps and only divert from it when it’s absolutely necessary. When followed accordingly, these development principles ensure that your software is stable and ready to scale.

It has paid dividends time and again in my software development career and promises to do the same for you in your next web development project.

 

Content Source: https://mobidev.biz/blog/web-application-development-principles