Web Development Intermediate

What is SPA (Single Page Application)?

A web application that loads a single HTML page and dynamically updates content without full page reloads.

SPAs load once and use JavaScript to render content dynamically. Navigation happens client-side using the History API, creating a smooth, app-like experience without page refreshes. Data is fetched via AJAX/fetch API calls.

Popular SPA frameworks include React, Vue.js, and Angular. Challenges include SEO (solved by SSR/SSG), initial load time (code splitting), and browser history management. SPAs communicate with backends via REST or GraphQL APIs.

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Related Terms

Web Accessibility (a11y)

The practice of designing websites that can be used by people with disabilities, following WCAG guidelines.

A communication protocol that enables full-duplex, real-time data exchange between a browser and server over a single connection.

An HTML element that tells search engines which URL is the preferred version of a page when duplicate or similar content exists at multiple URLs.

SSR (Server-Side Rendering)

A technique where web pages are rendered on the server and sent as complete HTML to the browser, improving SEO and initial load time.

Progressive Enhancement

A web design strategy that starts with basic functionality for all browsers and progressively adds advanced features for capable ones.

A query language for APIs that lets clients request exactly the data they need, reducing over-fetching and under-fetching.

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