Ajax

Ajax is a way to exchange data between client and server, and update parts of a web page without updating/reloading the entire web page. This web development technique is used to create faster and interactive web applications. This article describes the basic over view of Ajax, introduction to Ajax, advantages of Ajax. Summary of the article:

• What is Ajax?
• History of Ajax
• Example of Ajax
• Technologies of Ajax
• Why we should use Ajax?
• Where Ajax should be used?

What is Ajax?
Full meaning of AJAX is Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. It is not a new technology or programming language but a new way to use existing. It is a group of interrelated Web development techniques used on the client end to create asynchronous web applications. By using JavaScript, XML, HTML, CSS we can create faster and integrative web applications. Ajax was invented in order to use web application as like desktop application.
Ajax oriented web applications can send data to a server and retrieve data from a server asynchronously without interfering the display and behavior of the existing page. In a classic web application entire page is reloaded for any single action. Ajax can update parts of a web page without reloading the whole page. The XMLHttpRequest object for JavaScript is used to exchange data between browser and server in the background.

History of Ajax
In 2005, at first Jesse James Garrett mention the term Ajax in an article “Ajax: A New Approach to Web Applications”.

Example of Ajax
Some famous web applications which are using AJAX are given bellow:

• Google Maps -we can drag the entire map with the help of mouse instead of clicking on a button or something
• Google Suggest – for searching when we type Google will offer some suggestions
• Gmail
• Youtube
• Facebook

Technologies of Ajax
The Ajax technology is based on some elements. The main elements of Ajax are given bellow:

• JavaScript – scripting language.
• DOM – represents the structure of XML and HTML documents.
• CSS –presentation style of the content.
• XMLHttpRequest -JavaScript object that performs asynchronous interaction with the browser and server.

Why we should use Ajax?
The benefits of Ajax are more. It provides lot of facilities. Here is some advantages of using Ajax:

• It increases the page speed.
• It reduces the entire page postback. We can update a particular portion of a page instead of refreshing the entire page.
• It allows asynchronous process. Clients need not to wait until the entire data or page is loaded.
• It is very user friendly.

Where Ajax should be used?
In a web application Ajax should be used where small portion of the page or small amount of information could be saved or retrieved from the server without posting back the entire page.

The uses of Ajax are growing very fast. Now most of the developers try to use Ajax because of its fantastic functionalities.