Web applications have gone through many evolutions over the last two decades. Web development is a relatively young industry, yet the expectations have grown rapidly putting all sorts of constraints on our tools and workflows. Because of the constant churn, it’s difficult to keep up with all the changes and evolutions in how we approach building web applications. Starting with server-centric models, swinging all the way to fully client-side SPAs, to revisiting server-first MPAs, it seems like the ecosystem has been all over the place. At the same time, platform limitations and tooling complexity has led to developers seeking simpler solutions to more relevant problems.

This session attempts to explain the various approaches and architectures of web applications by going back to fundamentals. We will see the issues with server-centric models that led to client-first development, issues with client-first model that have led the push back to server-centric models, and how both architectures have learnt from each other and addressed their own limitations. You will walk away with a solid understanding of web architecture, and some ideas on how to improve the architecture of your own web applications for better user and developer experience.