Web applications: Java vs Javascript

We position Kauri as a REST-centric Java web application framework, and ourselves as Java developers, but the reality is that we are doing more and more with Javascript.

Web-applications moved from being “thin client” to “fat client“: every web-page can be a complete application downloaded into your browser. Web development is now about exposing server-side resources in a RESTful way, and developing fat clients using Javascript.

Previously web-frameworks focused on the thin client model. They offered solutions for managing transient application state: sessions, conversations and the like. Often they helped developers by hiding HTTP, URIs and HTML (not a bad thing per se). All UI-logic was on the server, sometimes enhanced with some optional client-side Javascript.

But this is more and more a thing of the past. Kauri counts on the browser to keep interaction state. As a consequence, for UI work the balance is moving from Java to Javascript. Major parts of application front-ends are now developed as Javascript running in the browser (cfr. Kauri Forms). Interestingly, this also means there is more shared ground between web-frameworks that employ different server-side base technologies.

For completeness, I should mention that there is still a lot of Web-centric server-side work. Neither does the focus on Javascript mean that I’m talking about Gmail-style single-URI applications.

While we can now develop richer applications, it did not necessarily become easier. But if you are interested in working on a platform focusing on RESTful web application development, with a broad scope, and rich browser-based clients, check out Kauri.