AJAX pros and cons
AJAX is rapidly becoming an integral part of several websites, several well established brands online now use AJAX to handle their web applications because it provides better interactivity to their users, this is due to the fact that implementing AJAX on a website, does not require a page to be reloaded for dynamic content on web pages. While there are numerous reasons to switch to AJAX there are quite a few matters that would make you reconsider using this combination of technologies as well. Below are some of the advantages and disadvantages of using AJAX.
Advantages
- Better interactivity
This is pretty much the most striking benefit behind why several developers and webmasters are switching to AJAX for their websites. AJAX allows easier and quicker interaction between user and website as pages are not reloaded for content to be displayed. - Easier navigation
AJAX applications on websites can be built to allow easier navigation to users in comparison to using the traditional back and forward button on a browser. - Compact
With AJAX, several multi purpose applications and features can be handled using a single web page, avoiding the need for clutter with several web pages. For our use of AJAX on goedkope-zomervakantie.com, it took just a few lines of code! - Backed by reputed brands
Another assuring reason to use AJAX on your websites is the fact that several complex web applications are handled using AJAX, Google Maps is the most impressive and obvious example, other powerful, popular scripts such as the vBulletin forum software has also incorporated AJAX into their latest version.
Disadvantages
- The back and refresh button are rendered useless
With AJAX, as all functions are loaded on a dynamic page without the page being reloaded or more importantly a URL being changed (except for a hash symbol maybe), clicking the back or refresh button would take you to an entirely different web page or to the beginning of what your dynamic web page was processing. This is the main drawback behind AJAX but fortunately with good programming skills this issue can be fixed. - It is built on javascript
While javascript is secure and has been heavily used by websites for a long period of time, a percentage of website surfers prefer to turn javascript functionality off on their browser rendering the AJAX application useless, a work around to this con is present as well, where the developer will need to code a parallel non-javascript version of the dynamic web page to cater to these users.