Client-Side vs Server-Side Programming Languages

Client-side vs Server-side Programming Languages

Basic Background

Web development is all about communication and data exchange. This communication takes place via two parties over the HTTP protocol.
These parties are:

Client side and Server Side

Server

The Server is responsible for serving the web pages depending on the client/end user requirement. It can be either static or dynamic.

Client

A client is a party that requests pages from the server and displays them to the end user. In general a client program is a web browser.

Example | Working

We can explain this entire mechanism using the following:

  • The user opens his web browser (client)
  • The user starts browsing

    (for example: http://c-sharpcorner.com)
     
  • The client forwards this request to the server, for accessing their web page.
  • The server then acknowledges the request and replies back to the client program.

    (An access link to that web page)
     
  • The client then receives the page source and renders it.

    (Into a viewable/under a stable website)
     
  • Now the user types into search bar
  • The client then submits data to the server
  • The server processes the data and replies back with a related search result
  • The client again renders it back for the user's view
  • The user gets access to the requested link.

Programming

Programming | Server-side

Server-side programming can be explained as:

It is the general name for the kind of program that runs directly on the server.

Or we can say that server-side programming must deal with dynamic content. It runs on the server. Most web pages are not static since they deal with searching databases.

Server-side | Uses

  • It processes the user input
  • Displays the requested pages
  • Structure web applications
  • Interaction with servers/storages
  • Interaction with databases
  • Querying the database
  • Encoding of data into HTML
  • Operations over databases like delete, update.

Server-side | Languages Example

There are several languages that can be used for server-side programming:

  •  PHP
  • ASP.NET (C# OR Visual Basic)
  • C++
  • Java and JSP
  • Python
  • Ruby on Rails and so on.

Server-side | Ref. Example

// This is a sample C# code.

Using system

// namespace

class ServerSide

{

    public static void Main()

    {

        System.Console.WriteLine(“Hello C# Corner”);

        // printing a line

    }

} 

Programming | Client-side

Similarly to server-side programming, client-side programming is also the name of the entire program that runs on the client.

Or we can say that client-side programming mostly deals with the user interface with which the user interacts in the web. It is mostly a browser, in the user's machine, that runs the code and is mainly done in any scripting language like JavaScript (or we can use Flash instead of JavaScript or VNScript).

Client-side | Uses

  • Makes interactive web pages
  • Make stuffs work dynamically
  • Interact with temporary storage
  • Works as an interface between user and server
  • Sends requests to the server
  • Retrieval of data from Server
  • Interact with local storage
  • Provides remote access for client server program

Client-side | Languages Example

There are many client-side scripting languages too.

  • JavaScript
  • VBScript
  • HTML (Structure)
  • CSS (Designing)
  • AJAX
  • jQuery etc.

(Some other languages also can be used on the basis of the modeling/designing /graphics/animations and for extra functionalities.)

Client-side | Ref. Example

// sample HTML code

<html>

<head>

    <title>Client Side </title>

</head>

<body>

    <h1>

        Hello C# Corner

    </h1>

</body>

</html>

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