The Advantages and Disadvantages of Building a Single Page Application in 2022

A website can be a single-page application or a multi-page application. Compared to the former, the latter apps are more in numbers on the web. However, the modern nature and enhanced usability of single-page applications (SPAs) have given them widespread popularity among users and app developers.

What are Single Page Applications?

Single Page Applications or SPAs are a type of web application that rewrites the existing web page dynamically instead of loading fresh pages from the server. SPAs consider only a single HTML page.

Usually, when a request is sent to the web page, the browser forwards it to the server and receives an HTML file in response. In the case of SPAs, the server sends the HTML file only on the first request while JSON files are sent on subsequent requests.

Put simply, it allows users to interact with the page without having to refresh it. This not only reduces the server load but also accelerates the page load speed, eventually leading to a better user experience.

For a long period, people were only aware of the concept of multi-page applications until Ajax technology was introduced. While the former used to process multiple requests between the client and server, the latter enabled web updates without actually reloading the web page.

Benefits of Single Page Applications

Let’s understand how SPAs tend to improve website performance and overall user experience.

1. Fast and Responsive

Single page applications significantly reduce the page load time as most resources like HTML, CSS, and Scripts are loaded only once throughout the application lifecycle. In other words, a SPA has to only load the page at the first request, unlike a multi-page app which has to load pages at every request. Moreover, SPAs enable prompt interactions by loading content in chunks.

2. Caching Ability

SPAs have the ability to cache any local data effectively. The SPA sends only a single request to the server and then stores all the data it receives. This makes a SPA work even offline or when the connection isn’t stable.

3. Smooth User Experience

SPAs offer a very seamless user experience. Users don’t need to wait for a new page to load as in a SPA, the next page content gets loaded on the same page, making the users stay longer on the website.

4. Streamlined Development

Developing SPAs doesn’t require writing code to render pages on the server. You can begin the development process from a file “file://URL” without actually needing any server. Also, in the case of a single-page application, the developer can use the same backend code for both web app and native app.

5. Easy to Debug With Chrome

Single-page applications are easy to debug with the Chrome browser. It allows monitoring network operations, investing page elements, and the associated data.

Cons of a Single Page Application

SPAs do possess some disadvantages as well, such as-

1. SPAs aren’t SEO-friendly

The SEO performance of a website depends on the number of web pages it has. Since SPAs load the entire content on a single page (there is only a single URL), it isn’t a good option from the SEO perspective although dynamic pages can now be indexed as per Google’s recent algorithm updates.

2. Not Much Secure

As compared to traditional multi-page apps, SPAs are more prone to XSS attacks. Attackers can inject client-side scripts into the web app. Furthermore, there is also the risk of sensitive data getting leaked.

3. Won’t Function Well If JavaScript Disabled

For a single-page application to work properly, JavaScript must be enabled. If a user disables JavaScript in his/her browser, the application won’t be able to function in the correct way.

4. Back Button Exits The App

Unlike multi-page applications where you can move back and forth between web pages, a single-page application doesn’t allow so since there is only a single page. Hitting the back button often exits the app or website completely.

5. Difficulty in Tracking Performance

Another con associated with single-page applications is that you can’t actually (and accurately) track your web pages’ performance given the fact that it consists of only a single page. You can’t compare the performance of different web pages in Google Analytics.

Frameworks for Developing SPAs

There are a number of frameworks you can use to develop single page applications, some of which are Angular, React, Vue.js, Ember.js, and Meteor.

Summing Up

Whether or not you should build a SPA would depend on what kind of application you want to build. It’s a perfect option if you are looking to build dynamic websites. Since one of the main drawbacks of SPAs is poor SEO optimization, it makes a good option for dynamic web apps. This includes social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. On the other hand, if you are concerned with the SEO aspect, you shouldn’t consider SPAs and stick to traditional multi-page applications.