Web portals play an important role in bringing users together and providing them with convenient access to various services and information. They can be used in business, education, healthcare, and other areas, providing a centralized interface for interaction. However, creating such a resource is a complex process that requires careful planning and the use of modern technologies. In this article, we will consider what web portals are and also analyze the key aspects of web portal software development.

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What Is a Web Portal?

A web portal is a system of websites designed for heavy loads and a wide audience. A regular website, in turn, is one or more pages united by a single theme and often created for a specific audience.

There are several types of web portals:

  • Thematic portals – dedicated to a specific topic, and therefore attract an audience interested in it (financial, medical, etc.);
  • Information portals – news resources, media;
  • Educational portals – projects of educational institutions, online courses;
  • Corporate portals – resources that unite company employees online and provide access to corporate data.

Websites, in turn, include blogs, business cards, landing pages, portfolios, promo sites, simple online stores or showcase sites. They do not have a wide functionality, and therefore other methods of web development and programming are applied to them.

Portal programming includes several stages:

  • development of a prototype;
  • creation of a functional component (services, control units, scripts, interaction with databases);
  • testing;
  • setting up interaction between systems.

Since portals are developed for a higher load and with a large number of interactive services, the following are used for their programming:

  • code editors (Komodo Edit, Vim, GNU Emacs, Visual Studio Code, etc.) – fairly simple tools that are used to create and edit code files;
  • multifunctional integrated environments (IDE) (Eclipse, Geany, Light Table, JetBrains, etc.) – a larger toolkit and wide application functionality;
  • cloud IDEs (Cloud9, Codeanywhere, Eclipse Che, Orion, etc.) – the functionality of desktop solutions for web development, implemented as an Internet service.

These are the most popular solutions that are used to write source code and edit it.

Web Portal Development Process

Web portal development is carried out in stages. The process is very similar to the development of a website, web application, or other software.

Prototyping a Web Portal

A prototype is a diagram of a future resource or its individual pages. Prototyping, in turn, implies the process of creating such a diagram. This is one of the main stages on the way to starting the development of web portals and visualization of each project.

A good prototype will become a solid foundation for the remaining stages of work. In addition, the time spent on developing the portal diagram will definitely save hours in the future. The importance of prototyping is not only that you will see a potential image of the future web resource, but also that you will be able to think about the arrangement of elements on each page and their interaction, as well as make edits to the diagram before you start creating the portal. Otherwise, if at the development stage, it turns out that some elements do not work as they should, you will have to redo them many times more, and this will require additional time and financial costs.

A project of any size needs a prototype, it is only important to choose the right type.

By depth of development, there are:

  • sketch (low detail) – suitable for single-page sites. You can draw it on paper or in a simple program for creating diagrams. Not suitable for implementing large-scale projects.
  • high detail – for multi-page sites and web portals. Created using special services.

By storage location:

  • analog (drawing);
  • digital (created in a program, and only the developer has access to editing);
  • cloud (the prototype is in the cloud, so several project participants have access to editing).

By interaction capability:

  • static – graphic image;
  • interactive – including interaction elements such as clickable links, sliders, pop-up forms, etc.

It is logical that a prototype can combine these characteristics: combinations such as a sketch on paper or a static prototype with low detail, as well as a static or interactive prototype with high detail, are possible.

Which one to choose? It depends only on the complexity of the project and the required depth of development. The more complex the project, the more attention should be paid to creating a prototype. If a landing page is being created, then a static layout of the elements on paper will be enough. But if this is a large, multi-page project with a large number of services, then it will be necessary to carefully think through the layout of each page before starting web development.

Web Portal Programming Environments

One of the most important stages of web portal development is choosing an IDE:

  1. Vim. This is an almost perfect editor that does not require a powerful station and works with a huge number of languages ​​and platforms. In addition, this environment has a function of working in the form of only a console and an infinite number of expansion options.
  2. Adobe Brackets. Despite the relative youth of this editor, Brackets has earned the trust of many developers. It is especially suitable for programmers and designers working with UI and front-end since the emphasis in this editor is on visualization and CSS. The editor allows users to view HTML code directly in the browser, and working with PSD files is optimized, and they can be imported into Adobe Photoshop. Finally, the editor has an open source code, so it can be customized to the needs of a specialist.
  3. Visual Studio Code. A multifunctional and at the same time compact editor was originally intended for processing JavaScript and its extensions. However, plugins to VSC allow you to add other popular languages ​​​​that will help in developing a portal. In addition, the program works well with the Node.JS platform.

Testing The Program Code

This stage is extremely important for any Internet resource. Testing is a thorough check of the site for potential errors. It is carried out both during the development of the portal and before the launch. During the check, not only errors and bugs are identified, but also the attractiveness of the service for users is assessed.

Conclusion

Web portal development is a complex process that includes design, programming, testing, and system support. Developing successful web portal software requires not only technical skills but also a deep understanding of user needs. A well-implemented web portal helps companies improve customer interactions, increase the efficiency of business processes, and create a convenient digital environment. If you are looking for a reliable provider for web portal development, we recommend paying attention to Digiteum.