SPA vs MPA: A Comprehensive Guide

Are you thinking of digitizing your business? YES! Umm, then what would be the ideal approach for doing so? Of course, to create a web application or website or opt for web application development. And if you’re willing to go ahead with this approach, we’re pretty sure you’ve realized the importance of digital solutions in this technologically evolving era. This is when individuals would judge you and your business based on whether you have a digital presence. However, another thing to consider when opting for web development is SPA vs MPA, which is choosing between single-page and multi-page applications.

Yes, yes, you have to make this choice!

Also, congratulations as you’ve come to the moment of enlightenment. And you want your business to be top! Yes! On people’s mobile and desktops. In essence, let’s look at this fact, more than 60.06% of web traffic comes from mobile devices. Remarkable, right?

However, when you search for different ways to develop a web solution, you’ll realize there aren’t just a few options but several different ways to build your website or web. And at a certain point, you’ll get overwhelmed about which one to go for!

Don’t stress out! We’re here, happy to help you.

Thereby, we’ll help you decide the best of the best way for you to present your business online. So, the most important approaches you can use to create the best web apps or websites are SPA, single-page application, and MPA, multi-page application. In this blog, we will discuss the controversial subject of web development, single-page application vs multi-page application, and understand their fundamental differences.

So, without further ado, let’s directly dive into their aspects and learn how these web application development approaches differ. And why companies or businesses always take a good time and decide to go with either of them.

But first, let’s start with the basics and then flex your nerves by going deeper into a few technical aspects.

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What is Single-Page Application (SPA)?

Wondering what is single page application?

A SPA, single-page application, is a browser-based application that does not require the user to reload the page during operation. Consider some of the apps you use regularly: Facebook, Google Maps, Gmail, Twitter, Google Drive, and even GitHub. These are some of the best examples of single-page applications.

The application development software market is proliferating with an annual growth rate of 6.53%, resulting in a market volume of USD 250.70 billion by 2029. This underlines the growing demand for innovative web development solutions like SPAs.

SPAs are web-based applications that download data when users click on the page for the first time. It does not trouble the user. Once the app is opened, it will not reload with every click. If you were a Facebook user, you would know how this works.

Remember when clicking on a single picture on Facebook led to a page reload? Quite a mess! Similarly, page reload was a problem with Twitter too.

However, today things are different. Twitter and Facebook are now a hybrid solution between single-page applications (SPA) and multi-page applications (MPA).

Moreover, single-page applications such as Vuejs, Angularjs, Reactjs, and Emberjs have done wonders. Several other apps use SPAs, such as Google Drive, Gmail, Twitter, and Facebook. Now seeing the fan following, you can imagine the several benefits of single page application development.

How to Build a Single-Page Application?

If you opt for single-page application development, there are several JavaScript libraries. And you know the popularity of JavaScript in today’s time. Back then, all these JavaScript libraries were fresh and new, and everybody was confused about which to choose. A lot of research was needed to make the ideal choice. But nowadays, thanks to the changing technologies, it’s not an issue anymore. Why? Because among all these JavaScript libraries, only a few are taken under consideration for single-page application development.

Also, there’s a golden rule you should know, which says that you should only look and choose a proven technology and SPA framework. You must be wondering why? So, if you select a well-known library, you can experience several benefits from several existing libraries and reuse many UI components. Oops, sorry! We won’t have a deep comparison of JavaScript libraries because it’s a vast topic and, to our luck, a good case for another blog. Currently, the most popular JavaScript libraries are React, Angular, and Vue.

How Does Single-Page Application Work?

First, we must understand the single-page application architecture to understand the operational lifecycle. The single-page application architecture is designed so that as soon as you visit a new page, only the content part is modified. Some components don’t need to get reloaded every time and remain the same. The single-page application architecture is designed in such a manner that as soon as you visit a new page, only the content part is modified. As some components don't need to get reloaded each and every time and always remain the same.

Umm, how’s this possible? Allow us to tell you!

Our point is that when you load the website, the server sends all the necessary code directly to the computer or any other device. After that, all further interaction with the server occurs through AJAX requests, generating the page layout on the client side. So, only the content can be modified without a complete page reload. Simply put, after the first-page load, the user only gets the data itself from the server, and the data view is transferred from the cache.

Now, in the case of traditional MPAs, the user needs to open a new page to access its material. But when it comes to SPA, single-page application, the scenario change, and users communicate with different available states of the same page.

Single-page application architecture and techniques enable specific components and modules to load asynchronously (namely, on demand).

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Being in the technical field for quite some time, we understand that examples help you grasp a concept quickly. So, in the next section, we’ll be going through some real-time single-page application examples. Yes, yes, a small thank you will be fine!

Single-Page Application Examples

So, to put an adhesive to your understanding of different aspects of SPA, let’s go through some of the actual examples of single-page applications: Have you ever heard about Raven.GG? Halo Lab was the developer of Raven, which is a digital shop for designing sports clothing, including everything from joggers to jerseys. It also provides you with unique equipment that allows for user-friendly customization.

With its help, users can seamlessly choose their specific combination of color, logos, design, name, number, etc.

Other famous examples of single-page applications include Spotify, Airbnb, Trello, Evernote, Slack, Google Maps, etc.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Single-Page Applications

Following are some of the significant benefits of SPA:

1. Speed and Response Time: SPAs do not load the entire content when clicking a tab. Instead, it takes a certain request data to the service and acts. The server can load various resources like scripts, CSS, and HTML at the same time. On the contrary, multi-page applications load the entire page, even the footer.

Speed is an essential factor in enhancing the overall user experience. It ensures you have more users. Approximately 47% of users expect web applications to load within two seconds—performance and response time matter. With SPAs, you have both.

2. Mobile-friendly: The majority of online traffic comes from mobile users. SPA, single-page application pattern, shares a similar interest. SPA frameworks used for development help you with successful mobile application development and simplify the reuse of codes. All you need is to adjust the UI layout to match the mobile device, and voila! With an MPA, the developer has to adapt or rewrite the entire code to achieve the desired result.

3. Makes A Website Engaging and Unique: Single-page web applications are attractive. It provides a linear experience to users. It is unique because it has that WOW factor to make your website stand out in this highly competitive marketplace.

These applications also have excellent scrolling features to ensure users can navigate easily. It features parallax scrolling, which creates a transition effect on applications.

4. Better Conversions: Of course, you want to monetize and generate leads through the website. With the help of different single-page application frameworks, you can create a simple and user-friendly SPA. Moreover, web pages with less loading time ensure better conversion.

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Let’s now go through the disadvantages of SPA:

1. Poor SEO: SEO is the single major disadvantage of a single-page application. It is better to have a single web app with steady content and separate pages. However, it is not a significant problem for a proficient web application development team.

Google likes longer content with relevant keywords regarding any product or service. Search engines do not prefer JavaScript, and SPAs are built with JavaScript frameworks. Search engines rank different web pages, not websites. However, with SPAs, ranking separate pages like traditional websites may not be possible.

2. Security Issues: Cross-site scripting is another central problem area due to security problems. In such cases, attackers try to take advantage of the vulnerabilities of a site and the client site code. With this, attackers can deliver a malicious script to the browser. However, the problem is manageable. Also, owing to its dynamic nature, it is challenging to perform automatic testing of the application.

3. Scalability: Single-page application is not scalable. Load time increases as soon as you add more content to the page.

4. Browser History: A single-page application does not save jumping stages. The back button leads users to the previous page instead of the previous SPA set.

When to Use Single-Page Applications?

Speed is one of the best benefits of SPA. Most resources single-page application needs are loaded at the app’s publishing and don’t need to be reloaded during the utilization. The only thing that transforms is the data transmission to and from the server.

As a result, when following application development guide, the app becomes responsive that answers users’ queries spontaneously and doesn’t need to wait for client-server communication all the time.

Developing single-page applications is best when an expert development team works together. With its help, backend developers can easily concentrate on the API. And on the other hand, the frontend developers can now focus on developing the best user experience based on the backend API and deploy a beautiful user interface.

Herby, we end the first half of our article. In the sections below, we’ll know - what is multi-page application. And we’ll also go through different aspects related to it. That’s not all! In this part of the blog, we’ll also focus on the soul of our content, i.e., single-page application vs multi-page application—or simply, SPA vs MPA. And we’ll also go through different aspects related to it.

So, let’s move to the next part of the blog and discuss multi-page applications.

What is Multi-Page Application (MPA)?

Wondering what is multi-page application??

MPA or multi-page applications are web applications having multiple pages. These apps load the pages every time the user clicks on various links. Such apps are, in fact, separately developed pages that combine to form a website. You may find innumerable links to such websites, taking you to different pages.

Multi-page applications require a data transfer from the server to the browser and multiple UI design layers as it collates different pages.

Multi-page application examples include eCommerce websites, forums, blogs, and similar services. Amazon and eBay are the leading examples of multi-page applications.

How to Build a Multi-Page Application?

If you have a technical background, you must know that several frameworks are available for almost every backend language. And which backend framework you need to opt for should be based on your project specifications and requirements. Opting for the ideal backend language is more significant than selecting a JavaScript library for single-page application development. However, choosing an incorrect backend language or framework can lead to an inoperable product or poor performance.

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How Does Multi-Page Application Work?

Multi-page applications are a bit more traditional in architecture. When a user taps on the link to go to another page, the latter forwards the request directly to the server and completely brushes up all data, even if there is a teeny-tiny bit of it. To be specific, each demand drives to a 100% page reload. Up to our imagination, it influences the agility and productivity of the resource.

Yet, of course, software developers at Radixweb are trying to improve the scenario somehow. Among different approaches, they utilize various JavaScript/jQuery tools to minimize the load on the site. Another instance is online store filters: when a user applies the filters and sets the wishes for search results, let’s say they specify the size, color, occasion, and brand they want, the whole product list is instantly modified without reloading the page.

Is it that easy?

Alas, no, you can’t solve every issue this easily. And at that time, software developers opt for SPA, single-page application development.

Multi-Page Application Examples

Now, the best approach to figuring out the ins and outs of multi-page applications is by comparing the examples of single-page applications and multi-page applications. Therefore, to represent the web design of any multi-page application example, we will use the same single-page application example: Raven.GG.

In the case of Raven.GG, SPA was used as a tool to create the custom web design and the online shop of Raven.GG was created as a multi-page application.

Other multi-page application examples include eBay, Amazon, Acronis (case study), Alutech (case study), etc.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Multi-Page Applications

Let’s now focus on understanding the advantages of multi-page applications:

1. SEO-friendly: The best way is to apply a multi-page application. Web and mobile app development enterprises desire their service page ranks on the first page of a search engine. So, they have separate service pages and try to rank them through SEO. SPAs cannot do that. Undoubtedly, MPAs are the best choice for this.

2. Scalability: Multi-page applications have multiple pages. You can add as many pages to a website as you want. You can also add new pages for a new product without any limitations. You can also opt for the customization of new pages. As we’ve just used the phrase customization, we suggest you read this blog and understand the comparison between a bespoke app and an off-the-shelf solution.

3. Easy to Analyze: MPAs allow easy integration with Google Analytics. It is necessary for valuable information about your visitors coming to the page. That way, you would know which page is a better performer and what your visitors like on the website. Analyzing this, you can move ahead to make many new changes to the website and different fields that need improvement.

4. Several Development Solutions: You can find several out-of-the-box solutions in case of multi-page application development. This enables you to develop an MPA seamlessly and rapidly. An example to consider is e-commerce-focused Magento.

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Let’s now go through the disadvantages of MPA:

1. Slower: Unlike single-page apps, multi-page apps are slower. It reloads every time users click on a tab. Resources such as CSS, HTML, and Script refresh when an action occurs. As a result, it affects the speed and performance of a website or web app.

2. More Development Time: Coders start coding from scratch for the frontend and backend. Moreover, there may be some difficulties in frontend and backend separation. Programmers should utilize frameworks too. Hence, it takes more time to develop.

3. Security and Maintenance: Maintaining and updating a website constantly is complex. It also becomes difficult, as the website looks clumsy. Developers have to ensure that every page is secure, which is challenging. Hence, it is a cumbersome process. However, developers at Radixweb focuses on both application maintenance and application management processes.

4. Cost: You can incur additional expenses as you will need a server for multi-page applications (this is the main difference between single-page application vs multi-page application, which we’ll talk about in a later section).

When to Use Multi-Page Applications?

So, traditional multi-page applications benefit huge organizations like Radixweb that offers various services and products. These businesses include company websites, marketplaces, catalogs, and online storefronts. In the case of multi-page application development, the frontend developers need to focus on providing the best user experience to the clients based on the backend API and deploying a beautiful user interface.

Consequently, these organizations would also require different search engine optimization options. Why? In today’s time, not some but almost every such organization would want a digital presence and want to be found in Google, Bing, and other search engines, of course, to sell the services and products they offer.

Now, let’s move forward and go through an essential part of our blog and the most controversial subject – single-page application vs multi-page application.

Difference Between SPA And MPA

Before we dive into the difference between single-page application and multi-page application, let’s first look at the fundamental difference between the two.

A SPA, single-page application is a more contemporary approach to app development. Moreover, a SPA functions inside a browser and doesn’t need to reload the page repeatedly. On the other hand, a multi-page application is a more traditional approach to custom application development. In the case of a multi-page application, its web design pattern needs to reload the page every time as soon as the content modifies.

Yet, both approaches may follow the application development lifecycle.

Let’s now start with SPA vs MPA.

That was all for SPA vs MPA. We’re pretty sure that by now you would’ve understood which of the two approaches could provide an upper hand to your company.

SPA vs MPA: The Best For You!Now the question is - MPA or SPA? There is no precise answer to this question. We’ve discussed SPA vs MPA, and deciding which is better depends on the different features and functionalities of the web solution you are willing to create. Moreover, it also depends on the tasks the app will have to deal with. Therefore, any company should make a well-informed decision based on its business requirements and technical specification for a particular project.So, here’s the deal, if you need your website to display various services and products they offer and SEO is a significant aspect for your business to attract customers, developing a multi-page application will be a perfect choice. However, if you want to offer maximum features and functionalities in little web space, flexibly manage and support massive data, or develop a dynamic platform, a SPA, single-page application is your ideal choice.Both multi-page and single-page application architecture has their advantages and disadvantages. Wondering which one will be best for you? Deciding this will solely depend on your specific project needs and requirements.Still a little confusing?You don’t need to worry! If you’re eager to find the best solution for your business or if you’re willing to build a single-page or multi-page application, Radixweb, a reputable software development company, is always ready and happy to help. You can experience and enjoy our exceptional capabilities to build software solutions, whether you’re looking for multi-page application solutions or single page app development services. We help your business to grow with flying colors.So, get in touch with us ASAP, as we’re a market leader in web application development that can help you make a wise decision between SPAs and MPAs.