The Complete In-Depth Guide to Developing a Single Page App in 2024

So, you’ve decided your business needs a web page. A personalized experience that a website designed specifically for your needs offers is something that cannot be replaced by anything else — and your customers will agree. Looking for the best solution to the unique challenges of your project? Then why not opt for a single page app? This blog has everything you need to know about SPAs to make the best choice for your business endeavor. 

What is an SPA?

So, what is an SPA? As the name of this technology suggests, it is a web application that has only one HTML page with all the information on it. When a user starts interacting with the page, it dynamically updates its content instead of reloading every time it receives a request. 

You have probably noticed that certain apps have elements that stay in one place no matter what page you open. For instance, on Instagram, the bottom bar never moves, whether you are creating a new publication, looking up someone’s username, or watching reels. 

You might have already guessed that simply changing an element or two of something is much easier and faster than changing the thing as a whole. Imagine your teacher told you to fix your written essay, but instead of simply correcting spelling errors and adding a few references, you had to retype the entire essay again. 

Single Page Application Examples: They’re Everywhere!

Even if you have never heard the term “single page app” before, you have probably already encountered this technology in your daily life when checking your work email or messaging with your friends. Some examples include Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Maps, and Netflix — all these applications are incredibly successful and belong to massive corporations. While all of them are pretty different in terms of the services and content they offer, they were constructed with pretty much the same building blocks.

If you need a demonstration of how SPAs work, look at Gmail, one of the most popular single page application examples: if you try to access your sent emails, you will notice that the page stays pretty much the same except for minor changes. 

How Do SPA Apps Work?

Wouldn’t you agree that making bread from scratch using ingredients you bought at the store is much faster and easier than growing your own wheat? In web development, there are many ways to simplify complicated processes. Of course, those solutions will only seem “simplified” to seasoned developers. 

To efficiently build a JavaScript SPA, developers use frameworks, two of the most popular being React and Angular. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, so they are usually chosen based on specific requirements a developer was tasked with.

React Single Page App vs AngularJS Single Page App

Here at CHILLICODE, we opt for React JS to create flexible, dynamic, and complex single page apps with a robust user interface. In addition, React offers better code maintainability, which means that debugging in case something goes wrong in the future will be a piece of pie. Furthermore, React is faster thanks to its smaller bundle size (which basically means the amount of code that must be processed and rendered). 

To summarize, which framework or JS library a developer chooses solely depends on their preference. What really matters is that they are well-versed in the subject and can perform complex operations quickly and efficiently using their preferred method. 

Single Page Applications: Advantages and Disadvantages

Whether you should opt for an SPA or another type of application will solely depend on your goal. Let’s take a look at the main advantages and disadvantages of single page apps. 

Pros of Single Page Applications

1. Faster and more responsive

You already know that the main feature of single page applications is that they load most of the necessary content right away without needing to reload the whole page. Since there is no need to repeatedly access the server, a page loads faster, gradually updating its content drawn from already loaded data as the user interacts with it by scrolling down, clicking buttons, etc. 

Not only a page that takes ages to load can be incredibly annoying to your clients, but it can also harm your revenue. Amazon, one of the biggest e-commerce platforms on the planet, has released data showing that a one-second loading delay could cost them around a billion dollars in sales. Moreover, customer satisfaction was also proven to decrease the longer it took for a page to load, which led to potential customers never returning to the website again. That could be especially harmful for an emerging business that doesn’t have a loyal client base yet. 

2. Smooth user experience

No matter how complex the user interface of a single page app is, it will work smoothly without interruptions. 

3. Caching 

Another reason why SPAs are much faster than other kinds of apps is that they partially store local data in a cache and access it as needed instead of reaching out to an outside database. Basically, the “closer” the storage, the faster the retrieval. This also allows certain features of single page apps to function when the device is offline or connected to an unstable network. 

4. Easier, quicker, and less expensive to develop

A single page application is much simpler to develop than a multi-page application because programming one single page requires way less code. SPAs also often rely on JavaScript frameworks that offer ready-made reusable tools, which accelerates the developing process. For that same reason, building an SPA is way less expensive than other kinds of applications.

Cons of Single Page Applications

1. SEO issues

One unfortunate issue that SPAs are infamous for having is search engine optimization challenges. Search engines don’t interact with websites in the same way humans do. Most search engines crawl the content of a webpage by accessing its HTML code. However, since most SPAs are very JavaScript-heavy, this might pose an issue to search engines, which, in turn, can affect a website’s visibility. 

Fortunately, developers have come up with effective ways of combating the SEO problems associated with SPAs, such as server-side rendering. With this technique, the contents of the web page are first pre-rendered on the server-side and then sent to the client’s browser in the form of an HTML page. When the rendered page is requested by crawlers, they can easily index its contents, improving its visibility and ranking. 

2. JavaScript Dependency 

As we just mentioned, SPAs are reliant on JavaScript. That doesn’t seem like a huge issue until a user who disabled JavaScript in their browser tries to access your web page. On the bright side, research shows that the number of people who go out of their way to turn off JS is extremely low. 

3. Initial Loading Time 

While it is true that SPAs are faster than traditional web pages, it sometimes takes them a bit longer to load for the very first time. That is because, instead of loading a single page out of many others, they are loading an entire application with all its code and content. For that reason, developers do their best to make lighter apps in order to minimize initial load time. 

SPA vs MPA 

It is impossible to give the full picture of the state of modern web development without mentioning multi-page applications (MPAs). Multi-page apps are practically your classical websites. Their name is self-explanatory: instead of loading everything once and dynamically updating one page, like SPAs do, MPAs load a new page each time. 

Pros of MPAs

1. Easier SEO

MPAs are notably easy to SEO-optimize. Unlike SPAs, MPAs usually consist of several HTML pages, which makes them crawlable and indexable to bots. This results in better search visibility and makes it easier for your target audience to find your product.

2. Scalability

There is no limit to either the number of pages or their length in traditional MPA. You can add limitless content to them, which makes this architecture perfect for building complex websites. Because of this feature, most e-commerce platforms, marketplaces, or other websites offering multiple products to various target audiences are built as multi-page applications. 

Cons of MPAs

1. Slower and less responsive 

Because MPAs rely on reloading entire pages each time, they can be much slower than SPAs. This can negatively affect user experience, making switching between pages and opening links ponderous and frustrating.

2. More challenging to develop

Because of their architectural complexity, it takes developers way more time and effort to build MPAs than SPAs. There is simply more coding and testing to be done, not to mention that developers will have to spend time building both backend and frontend code from scratch. 

As you can see, there are some drastic differences between single page apps and multi-page apps, from the amount of content you can fit in them to their performance characteristics. Which one of them will be the most beneficial for you depends on your specific situation. In general, if you are offering several services or goods or plan to dominating search engines by producing large quantities of content, then opting for an MPA might be the right solution.

SPA vs PWA

Finally, let’s talk about PWAs or progressive web applications. First, we need to establish that a PWA is not really a type of application architecture. It is more of a web development technology that combines the main characteristics of web and mobile applications. 

PWAs also mimic the experience offered by native apps but can be accessed from all devices, downloaded to a smartphone or tablet, or opened through a mobile or desktop browser. A well-known example of a company successfully introducing a PWA as an alternative to their native iOS or Android apps is Starbucks. 

Pros of PWAs

1. Fluid User Experience

Progressive web apps are known for offering a smooth-sailing user experience thanks to service workers, and an asynchronous API that always runs in the background without interfering with the main thread of code. They accelerate code execution and ensure that the application loads instantly.

2. Caching

Thanks to advanced caching technology, PWAs can also work without any connection to the Internet by storing files on the user’s device, helping reduce the amount of data that needs to be loaded from the server. They can also queue push notifications with the help of service workers and send them to the user after the device comes back online. No need to worry about your customers missing new offers or sale announcements!

3. Automatic updates

While native apps require manual updates, PWAs always stay up-to-date because they update automatically. That way, all users can enjoy the new version of the application without wasting time or putting in extra effort. 

Cons of PWAs

1. More costly development

PWAs are generally more expensive to develop than SPAs because their architecture is more complex. However, they are considerably cheaper to build than native applications. 

2. More resource-costly

Progressive web applications are often packed with a lot of features and can handle complex user interactions. While that can be a strength, that can also be a weakness. Complex PWAs tend to exhaust the battery of the devices they are used on way faster than any other web app. 

All things considered, SPAs seem like a more cost- and time-efficient choice for simpler projects that still need to provide an efficient and uninterrupted user experience. 

Is An SPA App The Right Choice For Your Goal?

Keeping all of the pros and cons of SPAs in mind, how do you decide whether they are the right option for your business? 

With single page apps, the possibilities are pretty much endless. Whether you are setting up a marketplace or advertising a specific service, you will be pleasantly surprised at what an SPA app can accomplish. User engagement is incredibly important for businesses because it encourages users to interact with your webpage more often and guarantees a continuous inflow of revenue. 

Companies offering many different features and tools also often opt for SPAs since their content updates without delays. For example, Trello wouldn’t be such a popular option for so many teams across different spheres if it wasn’t as smooth and didn’t allow collaborators to view updates from each other in real time. In short, if you are looking to provide a seamless interactive experience to your clients and save money and time on development, single page apps are the best thing you could possibly opt for. 

 

Building An SPA App: What Are Your Choices?

We have already discussed extensively the advantages and disadvantages of single page applications. But if you wanted to use one to manage and promote your project more effectively, where would you start? Well, there are two popular routes you can take. The first one is using off-the-shelf software to build your single page website.

 

Off-the-shelf application-building software

An off-the-shelf software is a software that anyone can download and install to start using immediately. When it comes to building SPA applications, many off-the-shelf software options let you build single-page and full-blown websites without the involvement of professional developers. Some of the most popular examples of such software are Squarespace and Wix. These services can help you set up a web application in hours and offer a variety of templates that you can use to construct your SPA. 

That all sounds great, right? So what, you might ask, are the cons of such a seemingly universal approach? Well, just like any mass-market product created to please as many people as possible, these off-the-shelf solutions lack customization options. A template-based website-building service is limited by definition. While it might be enough to some point, for example, if you are still developing your business, ultimately, your goal should be to grow past the constraints of a template — not remain within them. 

Сustom approach to application development

An alternative, much more flexible solution to your app development-related needs is a custom approach. There are several reasons why building a custom app from scratch might be a more beneficial decision in the long run.

1. No templates — no limits

While templates might be helpful, they can also set limitations on the true potential of your project. With custom-built applications, there are no constraints to hold you back. Whatever you want to see in terms of user experience and interactions, you can receive if you opt for a custom-made website. 

2. Become independent

If you decide to opt for an off-the-shelf solution, you need to remember that you are never fully your own boss. You will always depend on the service provider in some way or another. In case a company that released your software decides to push updates, removes an important feature or tool, or ceases to exist entirely, you will have no say in it. By choosing a custom-built web app over a ready-made one, you are freeing yourself from unnecessary worries about the fate of your business in the future.

3. Grow your website together with your business 

You might be thinking that you don’t need a custom solution at this stage. However, isn’t expansion the ultimate goal of any entrepreneur? Why not prepare for the future greatness of your endeavor by creating a website from scratch that will not only respond to your current needs but also match your pace in the future?

Now that you know why choosing a custom-made website over a template-based one is the way to go, you need to know where to find the people who can help. Here is where professional developers come into play. 

Hiring A Team of Professional Developers to Build Your SPA

Having an entire in-house web development team is not necessary. Nowadays, most businesses outsource their job to specialized companies, which allows them to save money and efficiently tackle issues as soon as they arise. A team of expert developers works together to make sure your SPA single page application performs well on all levels. From the very first line of code to the last testing stages, they will tailor the app to your unique requirements and create solutions to your specific issues. 

Here at CHILLICODE, we have everything it takes to create a high-performing single page application. Our experienced developer team usually consists of several web developers, a team lead, a QA engineer, and a project manager. All of them work closely together to ensure excellent communication and process efficiency at all stages of development. 

By implementing agile development methodology, we can tackle complex projects while guaranteeing transparency to both the members of our team and our client. Our team will also make sure to provide well-maintained documentation once the project is over so that you have an easier time managing and debugging your SPA in the future. 

CHILLICODE team can also rebuild your website or application to maximize its potential. We also offer full-spectrum technical support to ensure that your application or website functions at its full capacity. 

To Sum Up

SPAs are an optimal solution for anyone who needs a swift, fluid, and dynamic webpage. We hope this blog helps you become a little more confident when the time comes to make a choice. No matter the road you take, you need to be sure you will be safe and supported during your journey. CHILLICODE is ready to help you on your way to providing a top-notch user experience to your audience.