In the most general terms, a web application is a piece of software that runs on a web server. A web server is just a specialized computer designed to host webpages.
Most web applications are comprised of two components: files and a database. When you install a web application, you will need to make sure all of the files are copied over into the appropriate location and that a database (and database user) has been set up to connect to those files. Often, you will have to do some configuration to make sure the application knows how to access the database.
The system we use for Domain of One’s Own uses a special script installer called Installatron (in cPanel) that allows you to automatically install dozens of open source applications. When you use Installatron, you don’t need to worry about moving files, creating databases, or doing the initial configuration. It’s all taken care of for you.
In order to run on the Domain of One’s Own server, web applications must be able to run on a LAMP server, which is the particular kind of web server that we use. Occasionally, a web application may require additional components or modules that need to be installed on the server.
This content is adapted from the Create Documentation by The University of Oklahoma’s Center for Teaching Excellence which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Reviewed by Abby Firestone 06/23/26
