Evolution of web systems architectures: A roadmap

Abstract

Web systems were initially supported by a client–server architecture and three standards (URL, HTTP, and HTML), and have considerable evolution in the last two decades. Usability, scalability, maintenance, portability, robustness, security, and integration with other systems are the main challenges of this software category. This tutorial presents the history and evolution of Web-based software architectures. We discuss current software architectural styles, patterns, and development platforms based on client-side and server-side technologies. In addition, we also discuss Web 3.0 requirements such as communication protocols, microservices, MV* browser-based frameworks, boilerplates client-side code, asynchronous programming, and integration with cloud computing infrastructures.