Web Application Framework

The framework aims to alleviate the overhead associated with common activities used in Web development. For example, many frameworks provide libraries for database access, templating frameworks and session management, and often promote code reuse.

Some of the Features of Web Application framework

1. Security:

Some web application frameworks come with authentication and authorization frameworks, which enable the web server to identify the users of the application, and restrict access to functions based on some defined criteria.
2. Database access and mapping:

Many web application frameworks create a unified API to a database backend, enabling web applications to work with a variety of databases with no code changes, and allowing programmers to work with higher-level concepts. Additionally, some object-oriented frameworks contain mapping tools to provide Object-Relational Mapping, which will map objects to tuples.

3. Caching:

Web caching is the caching of web documents in order to reduce bandwidth usage, server load, and perceived "lag". A web cache stores copies of documents passing through it; subsequent requests may be satisfied from the cache if certain conditions are met. Some application frameworks provide mechanisms for caching documents and bypassing the web template system.
Development Languages and the Framework

Many languages have an associate web application framework. However, certain languages either have a critical mass of developers to give a higher level of support to frameworks, or provide features that prove conducive to the development of web application frameworks
Java: There are numerous Java frameworks either in development or in use. Many of these frameworks are built on top of, or borrow elements from the Java EE platform.

ASP.NET: ASP.NET is a web application framework marketed by Microsoft that developers can use to build dynamic web sites, web applications and XML web services. It is part of Microsoft's .NET platform.

Perl, Python and Ruby: There are numerous dynamic language frameworks. Perl has Maypole and Catalyst. Python has Django, TurboGears, pylons, Quixote, and Karrigell. Ruby on Rails is a particularly well known framework.

PHP: PHP's original design for dynamic web pages has given support to many web projects.
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Keith McGregor is a partner of Strawberrysoup, a web design agency with offices in Chichester and Bournemouth. Strawberrysoup specialise in creative web design, content managed websites, search engine optimisation, search engine marketing and graphic design