The simplest way to think of a Web application is as just some code which sits on a server and is sent messages - specifically HTTP requests - to which it must respond by writing out messages to send back - specifically HTTP responses. When using WebStack, we think of the situation in terms of the following components:
| What it does | How much work | Where to look | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application | This defines what the user sees. | Most new code will be written in the application. | Applications are described in this part of the documentation. |
| Adapter | This "glues" the application to the environment. | Mostly copying an existing adapter or writing a short module. | Adapters are explained in the deployment documentation. |
| Server environment | This is where the application runs. | Some configuration needed, if any at all. | Server environments are covered in the deployment documentation. |