DEV Community: Alona Tomina

Key differences between websites and web portals

Alona Tomina — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 21:28:10 +0000

Online presence is a great way for entrepreneurs to reach their target users. But businesses sometimes come over a stumbling block when deciding what type of web presence to choose. There is a lot of overlapping functionality between websites and portals; however, they differ in many respects.

Let’s dive in and define them individually & understand their differences.

What is a website?

A website is a collection of linked web pages hosted from the same domain. It could be accessed through a web address.

All publicly accessible websites constitute the World Wide Web. A website is one of the most popular solutions on the web.

A website could be industry-specific, product-specific, or services-specific, etc. Websites are typically dedicated to a particular topic or purpose, for example, e-commerce website, blog, brand-building site, corporate website, a government website, news site, gallery, etc.

What is a web portal?

Unlike websites, web portals are private locations on the Internet. A web portal is a website providing a broad array of services, for example, search engines and forums. It is a custom-made website that immerses information from a wide array of sources.

Some of the most popular examples include:

• Yahoo is known for its search engine, but it is primarily a portal.

• Grants.gov allows applicants for federal grants to apply for and manage grant funds online.

Web portals are classified as:

• Horizontal
It is employed as a platform for companies in the same sector.

• Vertical
It is a specialized entry point to a specific industry, subject area, or interest.

Most web portals require the user to log in, which allows the site to deliver more detailed content and services based on who that user is. There are many types of web portals depending on the usage, such as:

• Cultural
• Financial
• Government
• Search
• Corporate
• Tender and bidding

Website vs. web portal

When you are looking to build a web portal or a website, it is crucial to know the key differences so that nobody rips you off in the wrong way.

Audience

• Website: It is a destination that everyone can get to. Websites are designed for a broader audience.
• Web portal: Web portals require a user to log in, which allows delivering more specific content.

Access

• Website: The website is open for all. Content is globally visible.
• Web portal: Its content is login-protected, available after you sign up. Web portals are limited to people who decide to create their accounts.

Management

• Website: The information on a website is rarely updated.
• Web portal: The information is regularly updated.

Features

• Website: It is owned by an organization.
• Web portal: It is user-centric.

Interaction

• Website: Users can not interact with a website.
• Web portal: There is two-way communication between users and portal.

Which one to choose?

Both websites and web portals are fabulous mediums to promote businesses. Like every virtual solution, the decision to develop a website or portal comes down to the unique situation and company needs.

When you’re deciding between a website and a portal, you need to consider factors such as the project characteristics, current technology investments, the team’s needs, etc.

The website is a good option if:

• company is interested in a broader audience;
• company wants to focus on managing content;
• there is no need for many integrations with other applications;
• you need to have a site that operates separately from internal systems.

The web portal is a good option if:

• company wants to have advanced control over what users see;
• company needs this solution to work with internal and third-party applications;
• company caters to a specific audience;
• company need advanced features.

Wrapping it all

Websites help to attract clients through content. On the other hand, web portals serve a more interactive purpose.

Before entering market with a website or web portal, it’s crucial to conduct diligent research to identify the needs of the target audience.

Technology stack for building a marketplace

Alona Tomina — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 14:02:34 +0000

People have become more and more familiar with the idea of a marketplace. It takes only minutes to find what you are looking for. If a company wants to expand its ecommerce business, an online marketplace is a must.

What is an online marketplace? At its core, it is a website or web app where one can compare and buy goods or services. It is a mediator between the buyers and the sellers.

Choosing the right technology stack for your marketplace development project can be a daunting task. There are so many options available that it can become overwhelming. When choosing a technology often people ask themselves:

Is it reliable?
Will it scale?
Will I be able to find good developers?
Is there a community to help with technical issues?
What’s the best combination for my niche?

It is really important to choose the right technologies as they greatly influence the time of the development, its cost, and how the product will perform in the future.

In case you've got lost in the abundance of marketplace development innovations, this article will help you decide on a highly performant technology stack.

What is a technology stack?

A technology stack is all the suitable software, programming languages, and other tools that will be used to develop a marketplace. The term sprang from the notion of technologies being stacked on top of each other since tools layer up one on top of another to create a fully functioning system. There are two sides to web development:

1. The client-side (front-end technology stack)

The client-side of the tech stack is the visual part of the website, the one that users will interact with. It includes:

HTML and CSS, which tells the user’s browser how to display the web page’s content;
JavaScript, which allows the user to interact with the website.

2. The server-side (back-end technology stack)

The server-side tech stack is the part that powers the whole website or application but isn’t visible to users. It consists of:

programming language, which is used to build the basic logic of the website or application;
a database, which is the place where the site will store the necessary data;
a server, which deals with the requests from the users’ devices.

Let’s examine these technologies in further detail for the best understanding.

What technology stack should you go for?

Selecting the right technology is a significant factor in the success of a marketplace.

Front-end e-commerce technologies

Client-side web development involves everything users see on their screens. Front-end technology stack includes:

HTML tells a browser how to display the content of web pages, while CSS styles that content. Bootstrap is a helpful framework for managing HTML and CSS.
JavaScript makes web pages interactive. There are many JavaScript libraries (such as jQuery, React.js, and Zepto.js) and frameworks (such as Angular, Vue, Backbone, and Ember) for faster and easier web development.

Back-end e-commerce technologies

The server-facing part of the technology employs an army of tools and frameworks to perform its functions. Let’s review the main back end technologies:

- Programming language

Programming languages use different syntax to command a computer to do whatever is desired. These are the major programming languages used for developing websites with respective frameworks.

· Ruby [Ruby on Rails]
· Java [Spring]
· Python [Django, Pylons, Flask]
· Scala [Play]
· PHP [Laravel]

- Databases

Databases allow you to maintain and process a lot of data points. The most popular databases are:

· MySQL
· MongoDB
· DynamoDB by Amazon
· Firebase database by Google
· PostgreSQL

- Web server

Web servers are software that takes requests from users, analyzes them, and provides an output of the requested documents to the user. Two major web servers that are open source are:

· Apache
· Nginx

How to choose a technology stack

Here are several important factors that will help to choose the best fit for the marketplace. The success of a marketplace directly depends on the following factors:

- Security

It is crucial to choose a tech stack that safe-guards the important information. The chosen tech must be able to minimize the vulnerabilities and unwanted threats.

However, the security does not depend solely on the technology stack. The developers must be proficient enough to use the right encryption models and suitable technologies.

- The magnitude of your project

How will you define the size of the project? First, identify the features that will be integrated into the marketplace. After this, check with your development team and finalize the best technology stack.

Make sure that the selected tech stack is in coherence with your idea. If you want to create a big online marketplace, you should opt for high-end programming languages.

- Talent availability

Take into account talent availability for your chosen tech stack. The more popular a technology is, the more developers master it.

For example, it’s easy to hire a developer who’s good at working with Java, but if you want something rarer like PHP, finding a good expert may be a problem.

- Scalability

Scalability in e-commerce is the fundamental factor that can make it or break it. If your platforms and frameworks are not capable of scaling fast without much extra investment, a significant market share could be lost.

Understanding the costs involved

Creating and then maintaining a website requires a fair amount of resources. All expenses associated with the marketplace development can be divided into 3 categories:

- Developer payment

The more skilled the developers are, the higher their salary is going to be.

- Technologies

The more complex your technology stack, the more the final price will be. While it is your choice to build your web app on open-source technologies for enabling cost-efficiency, maintaining your application and keeping it running will require additional costs.

- Site maintenance

It’s not enough just to make a site, you also need to keep it running. You can reduce maintenance costs by using open-source technologies.

Choosing the right online marketplace type

When you understand your project requirements, such as size & niche-specific characteristics, you can narrow down your choices.

At the very beginning, you should decide whether the marketplace will be:

1. Centralized

It is managed by a single authority. For example, Uber controls nearly everything, including payments, customer support, vehicle locations, and driver verification.

2. Decentralized

Platform participants connect and make transactions directly. For example, eBay controls only payments and customer support. Pricing, transaction terms, photos, and communication are decentralized.

Also, before creating a marketplace, ask yourself what value your users will exchange. Here are the most popular types of online marketplaces:

- Goods and products

These marketplaces operate by charging a fee during a payment transaction. If you need to build an e-commerce marketplace, think over what product categories the platform will offer.

Examples: eBay, Amazon, Etsy, AliExpress.

- Services

These marketplaces match service providers with clients who want help.

Examples: Uber, Airbnb, Booking.com, Couchsurfing, Upwork.

- Media

The participants of such marketplaces buy and sell the products of their intellectual work, such as videos, pictures, and blog posts.

Examples: TravMedia IMM, Matpra Media Marketplace, MediaMath.

- Investment and crowdfunding

With crowdfunding marketplaces, it is possible to find investors and suppliers.

Examples: Kickstarter, Indiegogo, CircleUp.

What marketplace technologies power up world-known companies?

The right technologies make a world of difference. Let’s consider what technologies fuel up top marketplace platforms.

Amazon works on C++, Angular.JS, and Java.
Airbnb uses React.js for the front-end and Ruby on rails for its backend.
Fiverr implements React.js and Ruby on Rails.
Etsy has its faith in Backbone.js and PHP.

Final thoughts

Technology stack enables the creation of a system where different application functions work on the same infrastructure. The success of the online marketplace solely relies on it.

State-of-the-art trendy technology may involve innovative solutions, but bumps along the road might occur as well. Maturity means smooth operation, yet it may also mean old-school ways.