Developing a website with all features and functionality using only traditional coding techniques

When I mention "Vanilla Coding", I mean websites that rely solely on HTML, JavaScript, and CSS without any server side coding like PHP or ASP.

I've noticed there are many websites out there that seem to function perfectly fine without using common server side languages like PHP or ASP. It's puzzling! How do these sites manage to save login information, maintain records, and more without utilizing server side scripting? Is there some aspect of JavaScript that I'm unaware of that allows it to access databases and local files?

EDIT

It turns out I made a big mistake in assuming that a website ending in .html meant it was solely client-side. It's all part of the learning process. Thank you to everyone for your help!

Answer №1

Basically, without any server-side programming, building a website with functionality is nearly impossible. To simplify:

What you can achieve without server-side scripting:

Display static pages

What requires server-side scripting:

Everything else

Even tasks as basic as maintaining a consistent and updated website can be a major challenge without some form of server-side management system that pre-generates static pages. (Some may argue that using Copy+Paste in Notepad could fulfill this requirement.)

It's easy to mask the true technology behind a website, such as using PHP with URLs ending in .html.

Edit: In a hypothetical scenario, you could have a lighttpd server posing as an IIS server, delivering pages created by an offline renderer through a Perl FastCGI script, topped off with a PHP signature header and a mix of .asp and .jsp file extensions.

However, it's highly unlikely that anyone would actually go to such extremes. Or would they?

Answer №2

It is impossible for client-side scripts to access server-side information, such as a database, without utilizing some form of server-side communication, like AJAX or similar technologies.

If you are truly considering implementing logins and other server-side functionalities on the client side (which is strongly discouraged), you would need to create a cookie that is stored on the user's computer. Additionally, you would need a publicly accessible list of users to validate against.

Answer №3

While this response may be delayed, I wanted to share some insight for anyone who comes across it.

With the power of JavaScript and jQuery, along with various APIs, you can actually create a basic website using only client-side coding.

For example, you can develop a simple shopping cart functionality with this approach. I have personally built one in the past.

There are a few jQuery-based open-source shopping cart solutions available, although they are not abundant.

But how do you handle payment processing with a PG (payment gateway)? Options are somewhat limited to PayPal, Google Checkout, and direct deposit.

And what about features like customer comments or chat support? APIs like Disqus and Zopim can help with that.

When it comes to notifications for purchases, PayPal and Google Checkout will alert you.

And for sending mass emails, services like Mail Chimp can be used.

While I usually lean towards WordPress or other CMS options, building a simple site using only vanilla coding can be practical and effective in certain situations.

Answer №4

Determining whether a website is utilizing a server-side language can be tricky, as modern techniques like URL rewriting and MVC patterns can conceal this information. However, it is highly likely that websites you assume are static are actually powered by a server-side language.

While websites can store basic information in cookies, any significant functionality such as authentication requires server-side scripting to interact with a database.

Interestingly, I once worked on a project where the content appeared static but was actually dynamically generated to mimic a blog or CMS system. This approach resulted in numerous challenges and frequent errors.

Have you come across websites that you believe do not rely on server-side scripting?

Answer №5

In today's digital landscape, many websites are leveraging JavaScript as a server-side solution, with Node.js emerging as a top choice. For a comprehensive list of projects, applications, and companies utilizing Node.js, take a look at this link.

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