Web-based Applications run on web servers typically connected to internal databases and file storage. Users simply need to know what the address is of the web server. One important fact is that the web server does not need to be accessible to the outside Internet if your users only use the application internally.

Web-based applications do have some significant advantages; the biggest advantage is that typically installation of software is not required on a users computer except for a standard web browser. Any updates to the application can be done on the web server alone and will affect all users instantly. As well if your users use various operating systems (for example, Linux, Unix, or and Apple OS) all they need to have installed to run the application is a standard web browser. If your users travel often or people outside your organization require access to the application, a web-based application is often more practical.

One of the main disadvantages of web-based applications is that their onscreen functionality is often much more limited. Standard Windows controls and functionality that users are familiar with are often very difficult to imitate in a web-based application. Web-based applications also tend to be slower then their desktop counterparts, since each page including the user interface must be downloaded from the web server every time. Complex web-based applications tend to cost more to develop and put more stress on the centralized server running them since every single user action must be sent to the server and processed there.