Web development- the final frontier for providing services to billions, is now itself being transformed through open sources technologies accessible to all.
With the internet continuously evolving and expanding to achieve previously imagined heights, web developers also have to match the pace in terms of creativity and efficiency to stay relevant. Keeping aside individual competence, one aspect that highly influences such factors are the tools they use for web development, which you might know are no less diverse than the web itself. But broadly classifying, most of the technologies fall into one of these two categories- proprietary or open source, with the latter being more popular among developers.
Most of the applications we see today on the internet are products of open source web development and the trend is likely to continue as new technologies emerge.
So, the question here is- what benefits do these technologies offer such that we have an entire domain of open-source web development services? What is it so alluring about these technologies that brands like Microsoft and Oracle have lost their hand in web development and technology?
#1 Cost
When it comes to price, nothing beats free! Most of the open source technologies have a free version of the software to use, and additional services can be easily used by paying a small fee. The same, if purchased from any propriety vendor like Microsoft or Oracle, can cost a fortune and still lag in many aspects.
#2 Source Code Access
This is possibly the key factor that has led to such widespread usage of open-source technologies and in some respects, is the source through which many more features beget. The ability to access source code not only helps developers to know the underlying mechanics of the software and tailor their application accordingly, but they can put to test the claims made by the vendors about the product.
#3 No Version Conflict
When using any proprietary technology, developers have no control when new versions are deployed and are often forced to switch every few years despite their comfort with the previous one. However, in open-source web development, they are free to stick to any version they like and can also modify the source code to create a version and distribute it with their will.
#4 Secure
Contrary to other technologies that are virtually a black box for developers. These technologies, when suffering any security breach, no one really knows the cause and extent of it and has to wait for the parent organization to fix the problem. No such problem exists for open-source technology as their source code is open for all and potentially thousands of developers can come to rescue as soon as any such threat is observed.
#5 Flexibility
Be it adding a new feature or the omission of any existing one, open-source technologies are flexible enough to accommodate all the requirements and preferences of web developers. Unlike others, who have to mend their ways according to the technology they are using, open source web developers are free to tweak technology according to their needs.
#6 Quality
Since proprietary technologies are developed and maintained by a specific team of developers, the quality is confined to the time and resources available with the vendor. On the other hand, open source technologies, under the watchful eyes of thousands of developers, witness rapid improvements and bug fixes.
#7 Support Community
Most of the open source technologies are supplemented by active support communities with seasoned developers, willing to lend a helping hand.
So, no matter the type of web application you are looking to build, using open source web development services can genuinely bring efficiency, security, and flexibility to your project, without making a hole in your pocket.
