AJAX
AJAX stands for asynchronous JavaScript and XML, and it is basically a suite of technologies used for web app development. AJAX provides a method of initiating communication from the client to the server without reloading the pages – just partial page updates. Web pages can be made more responsive when these technologies are combined. Web pages are not reloaded every time because small data packets are exchanged with the server whenever the user inputs anything. Therefore, website interaction is faster as only certain sections of the page get reloaded and refreshed. For the users, this translates into enhanced interactions with web apps, offering them better control of their environment, similar to a desktop app.
AJAX comprises the following technologies:
- XHTML and CSS to present information
- DOM or Document Object Model to enable dynamic interaction with the information presented and to display it
- XMLHttpRequest Object to enable asynchronous data manipulation with the web server.
- XML, XSLT, and HTML to manipulate and interchange data
- JavaScript to display information and bind data requests
These technologies are utilized by AJAX to have a novel approach to building web applications. AJAX helps developers to:
- Upload web pages without reloading the entire page
- Request the server to send data even after the page loads
- Transmit data to servers in the background
- Retrieve data from the server even after the page loads