The book provides an in-depth examination of the core concepts and general principles of web application development, using examples from specific technologies. This conceptual knowledge is critical when designing, developing and debugging complex systems, and makes it easier to learn the new application programming interfaces (APIs) that arise in the rapidly changing Internet environment. The companion web site for the book is located at www.webappbuilders.com.

The text is organized into the following sections:



Core Internet protocols
The HTTP protocol as a foundation for web applications
Discussion of markup languages such as HTML, CSS, and XML
Server and browser architecture
Application design case studies using JavaEE/Struts and Ruby on Rails
Survey of emerging technologies

The second edition of the book has been updated with enhanced coverage of:



XML applications including XSLT, XSL-FO, and XPath
XML-compliant HTML including XHTML and XHTML MP
Web Services protocols including SOAP and REST
Platform for Privacy Preferences (P3P)
Security and encryption
XML and RDF query languages
Cloud computing, collaborative online services, and Web 2.0

and new chapters on:



JavaScript, Dynamic HTML (DHTML), and AJAX
Rapid application development using Ruby on Rails
Search technology including Search Engine Optimization