Software used to develop Web sites. Although often synonymous with “Web authoring software,” it implies a more programming-oriented set of tools for linking pages to databases and for manipulating other software components. It generally includes an HTML editor. See Web authoring software, HTML editor, CGI script and application server. A Web application (Web app) is an application program that is stored on a remote server and delivered over the Internet through a browser interface. Web services are Web apps by definition and many, although not all, websites contain Web apps. Web applications are popular due to the ubiquity of web browsers, and the convenience of using a web browser as a client, sometimes called a thin client. The ability to update and maintain web applications without distributing and installing software on potentially thousands of client computers is a key reason for their popularity, as is the inherent support for cross-platform compatibility. Web applications do not require any complex “roll out” procedure to deploy in large organizations. A compatible web browser is all that is needed. Web applications integrate easily into other server-side web procedures, such as email and searching.