Even before the pandemic, the internet was an indispensable part of our lives. But now as we’re stuck indoors, it’s become an essential utility for all of us to get groceries, stay connected with loved ones, and even do our jobs. In previous episodes of the LSEG Tech Talk series, we saw how machine learning was empowering professionals in the financial sector.
The upcoming episode titled Modern Web Application Architecture, featuring two Software Architects at LSEG Sri Lanka, Chamila Liyanage and Gayan Dharmadasa, dives into the fundamentals of building the web applications we now rely on. It’ll be happening on the 3rd of September from 4 PM onwards and registrations are open. Speaking to Arteculate, the duo gave us a quick glimpse of what we can expect.
Understanding how the internet works
To understand how the internet works, it helps to know how it used to be. Only two decades ago, the only way we went online was with a desktop computer. The applications you found on the web were hosted by servers in closed data centres. Since then, technology has advanced considerably and the way we use software has changed.
The rise of cloud computing and smartphones has brought the entirety of the internet to your fingertips. Even the most complex software applications today are on the cloud. It’s this phenomenon that now allows you to safely work from home irrespective of the industry you are in. As such, even the way we create software itself has changed.
Speaking to Arteculate, Chamila explained this trend saying, “The old concept of owning servers for a long-term period is dead. Today, cloud computing is the norm and operates on a pay-as-you-go model so application developers no longer need to worry about infrastructure costs.”
Today, most cloud computing providers, developers only pay for the infrastructure needed to serve their exact users at a given time. If the number of users increases or decreases, then the number of resources required will be adjusted without any intervention from the developers. Hence, it’s described as a pay-as-you-go model, which is why cloud computing offers great flexibility for developers to serve their users.
But as web applications become more complex, the way we build software has changed. “Most applications today are decomposed into small units called microservices. The front-end, which users interact with is completely separate from the back-end that lives inside cloud servers to manage the business logic or the complex functionality of the app. These backend microservices can scale up or down based on demand and will have automatic backups,” shared Gayan.
What to expect from the upcoming session of LSEG Tech Talks
At the upcoming episode of LSEG Tech Talks, Chamila and Gayan will walk you through how you can design your application to operate seamlessly on the modern web. Along the journey, they will be sharing use cases of migrating traditional applications to the cloud, overcoming challenges to decompose applications into microservices, and building a rich functional user interface. So if you’re curious about how to build better web applications, click here and register now!