Server-Side Scripting and Web Application Security Concepts

This homework assignment provides a comprehensive overview of web application development. It begins by defining web applications and outlining their advantages, such as cross-platform compatibility and centralized data management. The assignment then delves into a comparison of server-side scripting languages, specifically PHP and Java, highlighting their differences in stability, integration, and modularity. It contrasts their strengths and weaknesses to guide developers in choosing the appropriate language for their projects. Furthermore, the assignment explores client-side scripting, comparing VBScript and JavaScript, and explaining their roles in web development. Finally, it addresses essential security aspects, including authentication and authorization, emphasizing the importance of user verification and access control mechanisms to protect web applications from unauthorized access and potential threats. The assignment concludes with a list of references used for research and information gathering.

Answer 1.1:
What is the web application?
Web applications are dynamic websites. Server side programming provides various
functionalities such as interacting with users, connecting to back-end databases and generating
results to client browsers. Examples: Online Banking, Social Networking, Online Reservations,
e-commerce, etc.
Advantages of Web Applications:
1- Cross Platform- web applications can be easily ported to virtually any platform with
a web browser.
2- It becomes easy to access from anywhere.
3- No software installation required at the client side.
4- No data need to save at the customer's end.
Web application beneficial at the business front, all businesses can take advantage of it,
because it reduces the transaction costs means less time spent with customers over the
phone, indirectly eliminate printed materials and comfort all the users to update their
details. All data is centralized, and it increases the secure of data, and it is easy to keep
the backup of the data time to time. It benefits with the bigger audience over the world
and body can connect from anywhere in the world. It serves 24 hours a day and seven
days a week. It is very handy for the customers they can access from personal computers
or smartphones.

Answer 1.2:
Difference between PHP and Java (Server Side Scripting Languages)
1. Stability: PHP has some significant weakness like no actual deprecation mechanism,
procedural backward compatibility, messy functionality and libraries that are semi-independent.
Whereas Java is platform independent along with a well-defined amount of core libraries used by
apt standards;. This has made it quite stable and dependable.
2. Integration: The major strength of Java is its integration. Java by itself is like ‘Industry
Standard Language, but Java has many standard implementations.PHP it's entirely different;
because PHP web application and a particular protocol then there are limited library selections.
The unfortunate thing is partial compliance. The database layer induces the integration between
PHP applications and other services.
3. What to choose? , There is modular software both in Java as well as in PHP, some with no
open source while some with open source. But importantly more problems are exposed by PHP
modules in comparison to the ones written in Java. The complicated concepts like packages and
class loading have prepared Java for better modularization. If a code is well modularized then
easy to understand, extend, modify and most important to maintain it and this achieved in Java;
but not in PHP.
4. The main structural difference is that one is weakly typed and the other strongly typed. The
Java is strongly-typed, means it requires an explicit statement which a compiler must back; thus
strict expectations must met. On another point of view, PHP weakly typed. PHP is dependent on
common sense programming about accomplishing specific tasks and is quite flexible.
Comparison between VBScript and JavaScript (Client Side Scripting Language)
VBScript stands for Visual Basic programming language, and Microsoft developed
VBScript. Visual Basic is an extension of the very basic language, and It provides an
easy interface programmers.JavaScript used an extension of the C language. VBScript
and JavaScript are considered lightweight programming languages, both designed for
ease of use.
As we know scripting often requires interaction with browsers and other controlling
software. VBScript, since Microsoft developed it, it intended to function with Microsoft’s
Internet Explorer browser. Other browsers like Mozilla Firefox, does not support
VBScript, so many developers choose JavaScript over VBScript.

Answer 1.3:
Authentication: The application must determine who is an actual user? Is he/she claim person? ,
is she /he the right person to login to the system? User id and password can do this
authentication. Authentication policies, processes, and logging must be designed, developed and
documented to assure that the application keeps unauthorized users from accessing the site.
Checkpoints: To prevent the user account from being hacked, the total number of failed login
should trigger lock-out after a determined number of attempts. The account lock-out information
should be maintained for many hours to prevent and discourage the attacker from misusing the
account details. This activity should store. All authentication attempts should be recorded like
login, logouts, failed logins, and password change requests. This information should sent to the
administrator.
When the user forgets a password, then the system must ask to set new password rather than
recovered the old password because it can hack.
Authorization and Access Control: During the development of web application the role of each
user decided so that when the login to the system, they can access those things for which they are
allowed or their position fixed to do. Once you login to the system, the system able to identify
you who you are and what is your authority? What things you can do?

References
Advantages of Web Applications. (2016). Pssuk.com. Retrieved 5 November 2016, from
http://www.pssuk.com/AdvantagesWebApplications.aspx
Are, W., Work, O., Services, O., quote, R., Us, C., & stories, S. (2016). The Benefits of
Web Application Development for Businesses |Website Design and Internet Marketing
Consulting. Nirvanacanada.com. Retrieved 5 November 2016, from
https://www.nirvanacanada.com/businessonline/the-benefits-of-web-application-
development-for-businesses/
Web Application Development - Guides, Resources & Best Practices. (2016).
Comentum.com. Retrieved 5 November 2016, from http://www.comentum.com/guide-to-
web-application-development.html
Which server-side programming language is the best for a starting programmer: Perl,
PHP, Python, Ruby, JavaScript (Node), Scala, Java, Go, ASP.NET, or ColdFusion? -
Quora. (2016). Quora.com. Retrieved 5 November 2016, from
https://www.quora.com/Which-server-side-programming-language-is-the-best-for-a-
starting-programmer-Perl-PHP-Python-Ruby-JavaScript-Node-Scala-Java-Go-ASP-NET-
or-ColdFusion
Which server-side programming language is the best for a starting programmer: Perl,
PHP, Python, Ruby, JavaScript (Node), Scala, Java, Go, ASP.NET, or ColdFusion? -
Quora. (2016). Quora.com. Retrieved 5 November 2016, from
https://www.quora.com/Which-server-side-programming-language-is-the-best-for-a-
starting-programmer-Perl-PHP-Python-Ruby-JavaScript-Node-Scala-Java-Go-ASP-NET-
or-ColdFusion