Alright, let's talk about the gym, shall we? I've been going for a couple of years, and it's done wonders for me. I used to do martial arts back in the day, and that was fab. But listen up, us tech folks need to look after ourselves too, you know.

## Why Exercise Matters for Coders
Going to the gym isn't just about lifting weights; it's a proper science. I don't just go to live longer or anything like that. It's more about feeling sharp in the head. It helps me stay focused and keeps my mood up.

## Watch Out for Burnout
We're often glued to our screens, right? Bad posture and all. That's a quick way to feel knackered and burnt out. I've seen mates who got so fed up, they quit their jobs.

## I Love Walking, Me
What got me into exercise? Walking, that's what. I'm mad about it. Some days, I've done up to 30,000 steps. I've even set up a thing that counts my steps and shows them on [my GitHub profile](https://github.com/SirwanAfifi). How about that?

![](https://content.communere.com/assets/9956fe58-ac21-48a3-bb8a-df0bdde29c42)

## The Perks: Not Just Muscles
To sum it up, exercise makes me feel more confident and focused. It also keeps me buzzing with energy. There's a lot of good stuff happening in the brain too, but let's keep it simple.

So, get off your bum and get moving! Whether you're a coding pro or just starting, looking after your body is a must. Here's to staying fit while we code!

Code Fitness: Balancing Bytes and Biceps

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In the dynamic landscape of web development, crafting a seamless user experience across devices is paramount. However, a common stumbling block arises when trying to ensure that website content displays correctly on mobile devices.
Despite setting an element's height to 100vh (representing 100% of the viewport height), users often find that their content remains scrollable. This issue stems from a fundamental miscalculation of the 100vh unit, which is optimised for desktop browsers and does not account for the presence of the browser's address bar on mobile devices.
This discrepancy can lead to frustrating user experiences and design complications. In response, a new set of viewport units has been introduced to address these challenges, allowing for more precise control over page layout and presentation.

## Exploring New Viewport Units with an Example
Have you ever encountered the frustrating issue of your website content being scrollable on your mobile device, even when you've explicitly set the element's height to 100vh (representing 100% of the viewport height)? If so, you're not alone.

This common problem occurs because the 100vh unit, which is meant to fill the entire vertical height of the viewport, is typically calculated with desktop browsers in mind. Desktop browsers don't account for the presence of the browser's address bar, so 100vh might work perfectly on a desktop browser but fall short on mobile devices.

To illustrate this issue further, let's take a look at the image below. Here, we've set both the height and width of an element to 100vh and 100vw, respectively, to make it occupy the entire screen without any scrolling. Now, let’s add a button at the bottom of the screen.

We can resolve this issue using several approaches. One effective method is employing positioning with 'bottom: 0'. By doing so, the button will stay at the bottom of the screen.

Everything is correct, and we don't have the scroll bar, but what's happening on the mobile side?

As you can see, initially, the button is not visible, and we can scroll the content. This behavior is a result of the dynamic toolbar, which includes elements like the address bar and tab bar on mobile devices, leading to different behaviors. When scrolling, the address bar becomes hidden, and the button becomes visible. In fact, the 100vh unit is calculated without including the address bar, causing the button to be initially placed out of view. This behavior can significantly impact your app's design.

To address this issue, new viewport units have been introduced. But first, let's define what 'small' and 'large' viewport means.

Based on the above image, the small viewport refers to the height of the container minus the address bar. (Note that here we have the Android devices and Chrome browser, it may be different in a different browser and iOS devices). On the other hand, the large viewport encompasses the size of the container, including the address bar.

## Google's Definition of Viewports
Here is the definition from Google for these two terms:

- **Large viewport**: The viewport is sized assuming any User Agent (UA) interfaces that are dynamically expanded and retracted, to be retracted.
- **Small viewport**: The viewport is sized assuming any User Agent (UA) interfaces that are dynamically expanded and retracted, to be expanded.
So, the new viewport units are designed to adhere to this assumption.

The large viewport units are denoted by the 'lv' prefix, for example, 'lvh' and 'lvw'. Conversely, the small viewport units are indicated with the 'sv' prefix, such as 'svh' and 'svw'.

Now, let's change the height of our example container to the values mentioned above and observe the changes.

As you can observe in the image on the left (height: svh), we have all the content on the page visible, even when the address bar is displayed. In this scenario, the page remains non-scrollable. However, when we assign a height of 'lvh', the button goes out of view, necessitating scrolling to access it.

In addition to these two units, we have the 'dv' prefix, which stands for dynamic viewport. This prefix indicates that it will adapt to either the small, in-between, or large units, depending on whether the address bar UI is shrunk or not. These units are represented as 'dvh' and 'dvw'.

## Use cases
One example of a use case can be our scenario where we have elements positioned at the bottom, which are sticky to the footer. Another use case can be when we want to calculate the amount of space needed to achieve scrolling behavior on a table, as illustrated below.

Here we use the following CSS for the table container:
`.header, .footer{
 height: 50px;
}
.table {
 height: calc(100svh - 100px);
 overflow-y: auto;
}
`
## Caveats
There are some caveats that are worth mentioning here:
- The size of the scrollbar is not taken into account when using horizontal (width) units.
- Calculations in dynamic mode are slightly more complex because the browser needs to calculate everything based on the toolbar's visibility. Additionally, the value will not be updated at a rate of 60 frames per second (60fps).
- The size of the virtual keyboard is not factored into the unit calculations and does not affect the units.

## Conclusion
The discrepancy between desktop and mobile browsers in calculating viewport units like 100vh can lead to frustrating user experiences. The introduction of small (sv) and large (lv) viewport units, as well as dynamic viewport units (dv), provides developers with a nuanced toolkit to overcome these challenges. By understanding and utilising these units effectively, developers can ensure that their websites deliver a seamless, user-friendly experience across a wide array of devices and platforms. This level of precision is crucial in an era where accessibility and user satisfaction are at the forefront of digital design.

Viewport Units Explained: Achieving Pixel-Perfect Mobile Displays

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In the realm of web services, user authentication stands as the first line of defence, determining who gains entry to digital resources. This document serves as a comprehensive guide to the various methods employed in authenticating users within a web service. Before delving into these methods, it's imperative to distinguish between authentication, which asks, "*Who are you?*" and authorisation, which inquires, "*What can you do?*" This foundational understanding underpins the subsequent discussion on the techniques that safeguard digital spaces. There are several ways to authenticate users in a web service, which will be discussed in this document.

Firstly, it's important to understand the distinction between the following two terms:

- **Authentication**: Who are you?
- **Authorization**: What can you do?

Authentication precedes authorization. A user must be validated before being granted access to resources based on their authorization level. The most common method of authenticating a user is through a combination of a username and password. Once authenticated, different roles, such as admin or moderator, are assigned to them, granting them special privileges in the system.

## Top 6 Web Authentication Methods

Now, let's explore the various methods used to authenticate a user.

### HTTP Basic Authentication
Basic authentication, integrated into the HTTP protocol, is the simplest form of authentication. In this method, login credentials are sent in the request headers with each request:
`"Authorization: Basic dXNlcm5hbWU6cGFzc3dvcmQ=" your-website.com
`
Usernames and passwords are not encrypted. Instead, the username and password are combined using a colon (:) symbol to create a single string: `username:password`. This string is then encoded using base64.

This method is stateless, meaning the client must provide the credentials with every request. It is suitable for API calls and straightforward authentication workflows that do not require persistent sessions.

### HTTP Digest Authentication
HTTP Digest Authentication (or Digest Access Authentication) is a more secure form of HTTP Basic Auth. The main difference is that the password is sent in MD5 hashed form rather than in plain text, making it more secure than Basic Auth.

### Session-based Authentication
With session-based authentication (also known as session cookie authentication or cookie-based authentication), the user's state is stored on the server. It does not require the user to provide a username or password with each request. Instead, after logging in, the server validates the credentials. If valid, it generates a session, stores it in a session store, and then sends the session ID back to the browser. The browser stores the session ID as a cookie, which is sent with every subsequent request to the server.

Session-based authentication is stateful. Each time a client requests the server, the server must locate the session in memory to associate the session ID with the corresponding user.

### Token-Based Authentication
This method uses tokens to authenticate users instead of cookies. The user authenticates using valid credentials, and the server returns a signed token. The most commonly used token is a [JSON Web Token (JWT)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JSON_Web_Token), which consists of three parts:

- **Header** (includes the token type and the hashing algorithm used)
- **Payload** (includes the claims, which are statements about the subject)
- **Signature** (used to verify that the message wasn't changed along the way)

All three parts are base64 encoded, concatenated using a period (.) and hashed. While encoded, anyone can decode and read the message, but only authenticated users can produce valid signed tokens. The token is authenticated using the Signature, which is signed with a private key.

Tokens do not need to be saved on the server-side; they can be validated using their signature. In recent times, token adoption has increased due to the rise of RESTful APIs and Single Page Applications (SPAs).

### One Time Passwords
[One-time passwords (OTPs)](https://www.twilio.com/blog/what-does-otp-mean) are commonly used for authentication confirmation. OTPs are randomly generated codes that can be used to verify if the user is who they claim to be. They are often used after user credentials are verified, especially for apps that utilise two-factor authentication. To use OTP, a trusted system must be in place, such as a verified email or mobile number. Modern OTPs are stateless and can be verified using multiple methods. While there are several types of OTPs, Time-based OTPs (TOTPs) are arguably the most common type. Once generated, they expire after a period of time. Due to the added layer of security, OTPs are recommended for apps that handle highly sensitive data, such as online banking and other financial services.

### OAuth and OpenID
OAuth/OAuth2 and OpenID are popular forms of authorisation and authentication, respectively. They are used to implement social login, a form of [single sign-on (SSO)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_sign-on) utilising existing information from a social networking service, such as Facebook, Twitter, or Google, to sign in to a third-party website instead of creating a new login account specifically for that website. This type of authentication and authorisation is suitable when you require highly secure authentication. Providers like these have ample resources to invest in robust authentication systems, which can ultimately enhance the security of your application. This method is often coupled with session-based authentication.

## The Wrap
In navigating the intricate landscape of user authentication, we've explored a range of methodologies, each with its unique strengths and applications. From the straightforward HTTP Basic Authentication to the robust Token-Based Authentication, each approach provides a toolkit for securing digital interactions. While One-Time Passwords offer an additional layer of security, OAuth and OpenID extend their scope towards seamless social logins. With this comprehensive understanding, we equip ourselves to make informed choices in safeguarding digital identities, acknowledging that in the evolving landscape of technology, authentication remains a cornerstone of digital security.

Top 6 Web Authentication Methods

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*Written by [Sirwan](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirwan-a-73225345/), our Chief Technology Officer (CTO), this article delves into the versatile capabilities of PowerShell, a scripting language, automation engine, and cross-platform shell. It highlights its deep integration with the .NET Framework, making it a powerful tool for both .NET developers and those without prior .NET experience.*

PowerShell is a scripting language, automation engine, and cross-platform shell. The great thing about PowerShell is that it is built on top of the .NET Framework, which means that it has access to all of the .NET Framework classes. This means that you can do things like create a new file, read the contents of a file, and even create a new process. Everything in PowerShell is an object:

`PS /> $company = "Communere"
PS /> $company | Get-Member`

PowerShell is deeply integrated with the .NET framework, allowing users to directly interact with .NET types and libraries. This makes it a particularly powerful tool for those already versed in .NET, such as yourself with your C#/SQL Server background. However, its versatile design ensures it remains accessible to those who might not have .NET experience.

## For .NET Developers
If you're a [.NET](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/) developer, you can access .NET libraries directly within PowerShell. For instance, `System.String` methods like `Substring()` , `IndexOf()` , or `Replace()` can be used on string objects in PowerShell. This is particularly beneficial for someone like you, with an extensive background in [C#](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/csharp/) and [SQL](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SQL) Server. You'll find that many of your existing skills and knowledge transfer smoothly into scripting with PowerShell.

## For Non-.NET Developers
If you're not from a .NET background, fear not. [PowerShell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerShell) is designed to be user-friendly and accessible. The cmdlets are usually self-explanatory ( `Get- Process` , `Set-Location` , etc.), and there's a wealth of online resources and community support. You can accomplish a lot without having to delve into .NET specifics.

## Common Ground
Whether you're a .NET developer or not, PowerShell offers an array of functionalities:
- Automating Tasks: From simple scripts to automate repetitive tasks to advanced automation of infrastructure.
- Data Manipulation: Be it text files, JSON, or XML, PowerShell can parse and manipulate various data formats.
- System Administration: It excels at tasks like managing the file system, configuring services, and manipulating registry settings.

## Real-world use-case
For instance, I recently encountered two typical scenarios where I employed PowerShell as my go-to scripting tool, given my familiarity and confidence with it.

### Case 1: Automating IoT Device Data Retrieval
We found ourselves working with IoT devices that had a very specific limitation: they could only connect directly to a PC and could be accessed through a dedicated [Windows Application](https://communere.com/win-dev). While this setup worked for basic interactions, it didn't lend itself well to automation. Our a-ha moment came when we discovered that the sensor data from the IoT device was stored on the disk in the form of a CSV file. We promptly wrote a PowerShell script to act as an agent that would fetch this data and
send it to our backend system. One of the major benefits here was that PowerShell is pre-installed on Windows systems. This eliminated the need for any additional software installations or runtimes, making the solution lean and straightforward.

### Case 2: Simplifying Invoice Signatures for HR
Our HR team faced a laborious process when it came to signing invoices for employees. The traditional method involved manually editing the PDFs using specialised editing tools, a process that was both cumbersome and time- consuming. To simplify this, I wrote a PowerShell script that automated the entire procedure. The script integrates with the iTextSharp library to handle the PDF manipulation. All the HR team had to do was specify the invoice and their signature file. The rest was handled by the script, reducing the entire process to a single command. It was as simple as that:

```
Set-PDFSingature -PdfToSign "./invoice.pdf" -SignatureImage 
"./sign.jpg"
```

The Strengths of PowerShell as a Command-Line Shell

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It was an enlightening day for us at Communere as our CEO, [Ben](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-bahmani-90778312/), and I had the privilege to attend a compelling by [Microsoft Reactor](https://www.linkedin.com/company/microsoft-reactor/) at [Microsoft](https://www.linkedin.com/company/microsoft/) London Paddington office. The event revolved around the rapidly evolving landscape of #AI, featuring two gripping sessions. [Nikhil Sehgal](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAjq540BMhDRxDlkJj6XO78bKU6LpFiE4YE), an entrepreneur with hands-on experience in AI, kicked things off with an intriguing talk about AI agents training Language Learning Models (LLMs) like the GPT-family on Azure OpenAI. He delved into the idea that these AI agents could soon autonomously execute tasks in real-world environments for fields such as IT support or sales, introducing a new era where businesses could “hire” AI for entire workflows.



[Amy Kate Boyd](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAvDLrkBHjDcfryneVcAWzrCu5oGVWe-sLQ) took the stage next with her session titled “AI without Data is like Bonny without Clyde,” stressing the indispensability of data in AI workloads. She covered various facets including preparing your data platform for AI applications and integrating cutting-edge models into Microsoft’s broader ecosystem. Responsible AI, especially in the age of Generative AI, was another hot topic she covered.



Both sessions underlined that while AI technology is undoubtedly progressing at breakneck speed, equal emphasis must be placed on the data infrastructures that enable these advancements. All in all, it was an eye-opening experience that certainly broadened our perspective on the current and future potentials of AI.

In addition to gaining technical knowledge, it was a wonderful experience to meet and connect with individuals from diverse backgrounds and discover the remarkable work taking place in this innovative field. I had the opportunity to engage in conversations with people like [Ed Seen](https://www.linkedin.com/in/edshee/), who possesses extensive expertise in Cloud, DevOps, and Machine Learning. Similarly, I had an insightful discussion with [Francesca Parris](https://www.linkedin.com/in/francescaparris/), a dedicated student eager to expand her knowledge in the realm of technology, among others.

Thanks Microsoft Reactor & [Liam Hampton](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAABdKMIgBeaGDvSV6FG1VPbuZCbKwXBCZDKk) for organising this event. Looking forward to attending more such events in the future.

Glimpsing into the Future of AI: Insights from Microsoft Reactor 2023

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My colleague was tasked with configuring open-source software on one of our servers. The process proved to be somewhat intricate, rendering the installation a challenging endeavour. Consequently, he was a tad disheartened not to have completed his assignment. It's one of those instances when you're eager to resolve a problem, yet a multitude of events occur concurrently, causing you to lose sight of the actual issue. This is colloquially referred to as [Yak-Shaving](https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgrammerHumor/comments/54dmni/when_fixing_one_bug_leads_to_another/). Scott Hanselman has penned [a fascinating article](https://www.hanselman.com/blog/yak-shaving-defined-ill-get-that-done-as-soon-as-i-shave-this-yak) on this very subject.

![](https://content.communere.com/assets/18eb7e2e-dd15-48d7-8ae2-346eb32f3926)

This, in essence, encapsulates the essence of software engineering. It demands patience, and one mustn't allow setbacks to dampen their spirits. Challenges will inevitably emerge, often leading you to reach an impasse and feel as though you're chasing your own tail. In such scenarios, the best course of action is to step away from the computer, take a leisurely stroll, or even better, get some rest. Frequently, it is through such means that challenges are ultimately surmounted. So, when you find yourself stuck, take a respite and return to it later, or quite simply, [sleep](https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/sleep-to-solve-a-problem-202105242463) on it.

![](https://content.communere.com/assets/4926ae96-587c-45ad-b61a-4865e84c59ef)

Another prevalent experience involves a desire to grasp the intricacies of a complex system. You continue to delve, yet find yourself devoid of any leads, culminating in a sense of having achieved naught by day's end. The strategy to combat this quandary is known as Code Spelunking. This entails the debugging of issues, the addition of new features, or quite simply acquainting one self with the code. The term "spelunking" is borrowed from the recreational pursuit of exploring caves, which serves as an apt metaphor for delving deep into intricate, maze-like codebases.

Speaking of Code Spelunking, You might like to checkout [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiyLXklIQHc).

Navigating the Labyrinth: Insights from a Software Engineering Challenge

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Kubernetes, often abbreviated as K8s, emerged as an open-source container scheduler from Google, drawing on insights gained from developing and managing Borg and Omega. It offers a loosely connected set of components, focusing on application deployment, maintenance, and scalability.

## What is Kubernetes?
Kubernetes serves as the Linux kernel for distributed systems. It abstracts the underlying node hardware and presents a consistent interface for application deployment and resource utilization.

## Kubernetes Structure
At its core, Kubernetes exhibits a hierarchical structure that efficiently orchestrates containerized applications. This structure comprises master nodes and worker nodes, collectively forming a robust foundation for managing distributed systems. The master nodes serve as the central brain of the cluster, overseeing critical functions such as workload distribution, scheduling, and overall system health. On the other hand, the worker nodes, often referred to as the cluster's workforce, execute tasks assigned by the master nodes, ensuring the seamless operation of applications and services. This well-defined structure enables Kubernetes to abstract complexities, provide scalability, and maintain the desired state of the cluster's components.
### Kubernetes Masters
These serve as the central control plane for Kubernetes. They manage essential tasks like the API Server, scheduler, and cluster controller. They also handle cluster state storage, cloud-specific elements, and other vital services.
### Kubernetes Nodes
These act as the 'workers' in a Kubernetes cluster. Each node runs a lightweight agent that oversees the node itself and executes assigned workloads as directed by the master.

## Key Master Components in Kubernetes:
Several key components play pivotal roles within the Kubernetes master nodes, collectively orchestrating the cluster's operations.

- **Kube-apiserver**: This component offers a REST interface to access the Kubernetes control plane and data store. All interactions, whether from nodes, users, or applications, are mediated through the API Server. It functions as the cluster's core, managing authentication, authorization, request handling, mutation, admission control, and serving as the front-end to the data store.
- **Etcd**: Etcd serves as the cluster's data store, providing a reliable, coherent, and highly accessible key-value repository for preserving the cluster's state.
- **Kube-controller-manager**: As the central daemon, the controller-manager oversees core component control loops. It observes the cluster's state via the API server and guides the cluster towards its desired state.
- **Kube-scheduler**: The scheduler, a comprehensive and policy-rich engine, evaluates workload specifications and endeavors to allocate them to appropriate resources. These requirements encompass various factors such as hardware prerequisites, affinity, anti-affinity, and custom resource needs.
## Key Node Components in Kubernetes:
Within the realm of Kubernetes worker nodes, essential components collaborate to execute workloads seamlessly.
### Kubelet
Operating as the node agent, the kubelet manages the lifecycle of pods on its host. It understands YAML container manifests sourced from various origins:

- File path
- HTTP Endpoint
- Etcd watch, responding to changes
- HTTP Server mode, which accepts container manifests via a simple API.
### Kube-proxy
This component handles network rules within each node and facilitates connection forwarding or load balancing for Kubernetes cluster services. It offers different proxy modes:

- Userspace
- iptables
- ipvs (alpha in 1.8)

What is Kubernetes? [A Quick Overview]

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In the dynamic world of frontend development, mastering web security is vital to ensure the safety and reliability of your applications. Let's explore key web security concepts in depth, providing explanations to empower you in creating secure and robust front-end projects.

## 1. HTTPS: Securing Communication for Data Privacy
HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is a security protocol that establishes a safe and encrypted connection between a user's web browser and a website's server. It's a crucial element of modern web communication, guaranteeing that sensitive information shared between the user and the website remains confidential and shielded from potential eavesdroppers.

The main purpose of HTTPS is to prevent unauthorized access, data interception, and tampering during data transmission over the Internet. This is achieved by encrypting the data using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) or its successor, TLS (Transport Layer Security) protocols. Encryption transforms the data into code that only the intended recipient can decipher, ensuring that intercepted data remains unreadable to malicious actors.

Here's a breakdown of how HTTPS works:
1. **Secure Handshake**: When a user accesses an HTTPS-enabled website, a secure handshake initiates. The web server presents its SSL/TLS certificate to the user's browser, containing the necessary public key for encryption.
2. **Key Exchange**: The browser validates the certificate and generates a random symmetric encryption key. This key encrypts and decrypts data during the session.
3. **Encryption**: The browser encrypts data using the web server's public key before sending. Upon receiving the encrypted data, the server uses its private key to decrypt.
4. **Secure Data Transfer**: Data is securely transferred between the user's browser and the web server, thwarting potential attackers from comprehending exchanged data.
5. **Data Integrity**: Alongside encryption, HTTPS ensures data integrity. Any attempts to alter data during transmission are detectable by the receiver.

HTTPS offers multiple benefits:
- **Data Privacy**: Sensitive data like login credentials and credit card information is encrypted, preventing unauthorized access.
- **Trustworthiness**: SSL/TLS certificates enable users to verify website authenticity, building trust in its legitimacy.
- **SEO Boost**: Search engines prioritize HTTPS-enabled sites, potentially improving search rankings.
- **Compliance**: Industry regulations often mandate HTTPS to safeguard user data.

In modern web browsing, implementing HTTPS is essential, especially for sites handling user data or requiring logins. Users expect secure browsing, and HTTPS fulfills this by ensuring private interactions, safeguarded from cyber threats.

## 2. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): Defending Against Script Injection
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) is a malicious attack where attackers inject and execute scripts into web apps viewed by other users. This vulnerability is perilous as it compromises user trust in a site, potentially leading to data theft or unauthorized actions.

XSS exploits user trust in websites. Browsers trust content from visited sites. If a site inadequately validates and sanitizes user inputs, attackers can inject malicious code executed by users' browsers as genuine content.

Three main types of XSS attacks exist:
1. **Stored XSS**: Malicious scripts injected on the server are served to users viewing a specific page. For example, an attacker injects a script into a blog post comment, executing it in users' browsers, stealing session cookies or performing actions.
2. **Reflected XSS**: Malicious script in a URL/form input reflects from server to user in responses. For instance, an attacker sends a victim a link with a script. When clicked, the script executes, granting attacker access to the victim's session.
3. **DOM-based XSS**: This occurs solely in the user's browser. Attackers manipulate the Document Object Model (DOM) of a web page to execute scripts. This happens when site scripts use user inputs without proper validation.

Preventing XSS demands input validation and output encoding. Input validation ensures user inputs match expected formats without malicious content. Output encoding converts user-generated content into a non-executable format, rendering injected scripts harmless.

In summary, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) poses a significant web security concern rooted in poorly validated user inputs. Developers must vigilantly validate and sanitize inputs to thwart attackers, safeguard user data, and uphold web app integrity.

## 3. Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF): Preventing Unintended Actions
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) is a malicious attack tricking authenticated users into unknowingly performing actions on a web application. It exploits a website's trust in the user's browser, letting attackers manipulate the user's active session for unauthorized actions.

A CSRF attack typically unfolds as follows:
1. **User Authentication**: The user logs into a web application, creating a session associating actions with their session.
2. **Malicious Link or Content**: Attackers craft a malicious link or embed harmful content (e.g., an image or script) on another site under their control.
3. **User Interaction**: The user unknowingly interacts with the malicious link or content while logged in. This can be as simple as clicking a link or loading an image.
4. **Unauthorized Action**: The malicious link or content triggers a request to the targeted web app. As the user's authenticated, the server processes the request, performing unintended actions.

The risk lies in the user's browser sending the authenticated session cookie with the request, making it appear user-initiated. CSRF attacks can range from altering settings to unauthorized transactions.

To defend against CSRF, web devs can use these strategies:
1. **Anti-CSRF Tokens**: Include unique tokens in forms/requests submitted with user actions. These tokens, per session, verify the request's origin.
2. **Same-Site Cookies**: Set cookies as "same-site" to limit usage to the same origin. This stops cookies from being sent in cross-site requests, reducing CSRF risk.
3. **Referrer-Policy**: Tighten referrer policies to restrict info shared between sites, lowering the odds of attackers crafting malicious links.
4. **Double-Submit Cookies**: Employ cookies to prevent unauthorized requests. "Double-submit cookie" technique involves storing a unique token both in a cookie and a hidden form field. Server checks if the tokens match upon submission.

By using these measures, developers can halt CSRF attacks, ensuring users interact with web apps without falling victim to unintended actions. Vigilance and robust security practices maintain trust and online platform security.

## 4. Content Security Policy (CSP): Strengthening Defense Against XSS
Content Security Policy (CSP) boosts web app protection against Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks. It empowers developers to define legitimate, safe content sources for loading on web pages. By specifying allowed sources, CSP reduces the risk of malicious code execution and safeguards the app's integrity.

CSP operates by setting an HTTP header on the web server, informing the browser of approved content sources – scripts, stylesheets, images – for loading and execution. The header guides the browser, permitting content solely from trusted sources and blocking content from unauthorized or potentially harmful origins.

Here's how CSP works:
1. **Policy Definition**: Developers create a CSP, specifying approved content sources via directives. Examples include default-src for overall content, script-src for scripts, style-src for stylesheets, etc.
2. **HTTP Header**: When a user visits a page, the web server sends an HTTP header containing CSP directives to the browser.
3. **Browser Compliance**: The browser reads directives and enforces policy by blocking content breaching specified sources. If a script or content loads from an unauthorized source, its execution is prevented.

CSP offers web app security benefits:
- **Mitigates XSS Attacks**: CSP prevents malicious scripts executing on pages, curbing XSS risk.
- **Guards Against Data Theft**: It reduces attackers' ability to steal sensitive user data via injected malicious scripts.
- **Prevents Inline Scripts**: CSP can disallow inline scripts, further reducing potential XSS vulnerabilities.
- **Enhances Security**: CSP contributes to a robust security stance, minimizing potential attack vectors.
- **Tailored Control**: Developers can define sources per content type, tailoring policy to app needs.

Implementing CSP needs careful thought and testing, as misconfigured policies can accidentally disrupt site functionality. Balancing security with usability and avoiding blocking legitimate content sources is crucial.

In conclusion, Content Security Policy (CSP) is a valuable tool for boosting web app security. By defining approved content sources and stopping unauthorized script execution, CSP guards against XSS attacks, creating a safer online environment for users.

## 5. Secure User Authentication: Ensuring Identity Verification and Data Protection
User authentication verifies individuals accessing systems, apps, or websites. In the digital realm, with valuable user data and prevalent cyber threats, secure authentication is vital for sensitive information protection and online platform integrity.

Secure user authentication combines practices to ensure only authorized users access protected resources. It transcends basic username-password combos, using advanced measures to thwart unauthorized access, data breaches, and identity theft.

Here's a breakdown of secure user authentication components:
1. **Strong Password Policies**: Encourage robust, complex passwords with uppercase, lowercase, numbers, symbols. Enforce password changes, bar common passwords.
2. **Hashing and Salting**: Store passwords securely with cryptographic hashing, salting adds random data before hashing to foil quick cracking.
3. **Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)**: MFA demands multiple verifications before access – something known (password), possessed (device/token), or biometric (fingerprints, facial recognition).
4. **Single Sign-On (SSO)**: SSO lets users access multiple apps/services with one login. Convenient, without multiple passwords.
5. **OAuth and OpenID Connect**: For third-party integrations, OAuth and OpenID Connect grant limited account access without sharing credentials.
6. **Secure Session Management**: Implement secure user session management, including timeouts, secure cookies, and token-based authentication.
7. **Password Recovery and Account Lockout**: Design secure recovery mechanisms, prevent unauthorized access. Use account lockout to thwart brute-force attacks.
8. **Regular Security Audits**: Continuously monitor authentication systems, review logs, conduct penetration tests to find entry points.

Secure user authentication advantages:
- **Data Protection**: Guards against unauthorized access, preserving sensitive user data and privacy.
- **Identity Verification**: Users trust secure interactions and transactions with genuine entities.
- **Compliance**: Many industries mandate strong authentication for user data protection.
- **Reduced Fraud**: Mitigates risk of fraud – identity theft, unauthorized transactions.

In summary, secure user authentication is vital for digital security. By merging robust password policies, hashing, MFA, and advanced techniques, organizations create a trusted user environment, safeguard data, and uphold online service integrity.

## 6. Input Data Validation and Sanitization: Guarding Against Malicious Inputs
In web development, input data validation and sanitization ensure application security and integrity. The process checks and prepares user inputs to fend off malicious data, safeguarding against potential vulnerabilities and attacks.

Input Data Validation reviews inputs for expected format and constraints. Proper validation reduces risk of unauthorized entry, errors, and security vulnerabilities arising from malicious or wrong inputs.

Input Sanitization goes further, cleaning inputs to eliminate harmful elements. This ensures that even if malicious data enters, it won't disrupt app functionality or pose threats.

A deeper look at each aspect:

### Input Data Validation:
- **Type Validation**: Confirm input matches expected data type (numbers, strings, dates).
- **Format Validation**: Verify input follows specific formats (emails, phone numbers, credit card numbers).
- **Range and Length Checks**: Validate numerical inputs within ranges, strings for correct lengths.
- **Enum and Whitelist Validation**: Check inputs against allowed values to prevent unauthorized entries.

### Input Sanitization:
- **HTML Escaping**: Convert special characters to HTML entities to prevent script injection.
- **SQL Escaping**: Encode characters misinterpreted as SQL code, thwarting SQL injection.
- **Removing Harmful Content**: Strip out malicious elements like JavaScript or SQL queries.
- **Whitelist Filtering**: Allow only specified characters or patterns, reject unmatched ones.

Proper input validation and sanitization benefits:
- **Enhanced Security**: Reduces risk of code injection like SQL injection and Cross-Site Scripting (XSS).
- **Data Integrity**: Ensures accurate data processing, avoids errors, unexpected behaviour.
- **User Experience**: Prevents data errors, maintains consistent app functionality.
- **Compliance**: Adhering to practices meets security standards, regulatory requirements.

For instance, in a user registration form, validating email format and sanitizing malicious input (like JavaScript code) in the username field prevents attackers exploiting vulnerabilities.

In conclusion, input data validation and sanitization are vital in secure web development. By validating and cleaning user inputs, developers ensure robust, reliable applications, resisting various malicious attacks.

## Conclusion
Remember, security isn't static, but an ongoing journey. Evolve your web security understanding and implement measures for enhanced user experience and a safer digital environment. Prioritize security in frontend projects as an integral development aspect.

Web Security Concepts for Frontend Developers

Essential Web Security Concepts for Frontend Developers

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MVC (Model-View-Controller) stands as a prevalent design pattern extensively employed in software development. It entails the arrangement of code into three distinct components, each bearing its own distinct responsibilities. In the realm of iOS development, MVC architecture takes precedence as the prevailing design pattern. It effectively divides application logic into three core segments: Model, View, and Controller. Additionally, I have crafted a sample project employing the MVC paradigm, which you can examine here.

![](https://content.communere.com/assets/2b6972d7-a8bf-463f-87d1-c3da2c988a5c)

## Model
The model embodies both the data and business logic within the application, tasked with data management and accessibility. In the realm of iOS development, the model is fashioned through classes or structs that epitomise the application's objects. For instance, when crafting a weather app, a model class could encapsulate weather specifics like temperature, humidity, and wind speed. These models are crafted using Swift's Class or Struct.

![](https://content.communere.com/assets/91191afe-1f74-41e2-99ad-9b7442cc64a0)

## View
The view serves as the interface of the application, presenting data to users and gathering input. In iOS development, views are actualized using UIKit classes like UILabels, UIButtons, and UITextFields. Views are commonly generated either programmatically or through Interface Builder.

**Example**: View components may appear as .xib or .storyboard files.

⚠️ Occasionally, graphical elements may be visible in the user interface without accompanying .xib or .storyboard files. In such instances, developers might construct the UI programmatically within Controller classes, employing a UIViewController subclass.

## Controller
The controller serves as a mediator linking model and view elements. It gathers user input from views, then appropriately updates the model and ensures corresponding view adjustments. In iOS development, controllers are realised through subclasses of UIViewController.

![](https://content.communere.com/assets/8ba7dd46-c51e-49c5-ba35-6f4bbde11f2e)

It's typical to encounter the controller in MVC and other patterns as a UIViewController in Swift.

## Advantages of MVC
- **Separation of Concerns**: MVC divides responsibilities into three distinct components, simplifying code management.
- **Reusability**: Components are reusable across various app sections or even different apps.
- **Testability**: Independent components facilitate unit testing.
- **Maintainability**: Changes in one component don't disrupt others, aiding long-term code maintenance.
- **Scalability**: MVC eases complexity management as apps expand by breaking it into manageable parts.

## Disadvantages of MVC
- **Tight Coupling**: MVC tightly couples View and Controller, causing maintenance challenges and scalability issues as the app grows.
- **Massive View Controllers**: MVC can create unwieldy view controllers, hindering readability, testing, and code reuse.
- **Limited Flexibility**: MVC lacks a clear division between presentation and business logic, making changes challenging.
- **Complex Data Flow**: In complex apps, MVC can result in intricate data flows, impeding bug identification and resolution.

## Key Takeaways
MVC is a prevalent iOS design pattern, organising app logic into three components: Model, View, and Controller. This organisational approach offers simplified code management, component reusability, effective testing, streamlined maintenance, and adaptable scalability. If you're new to iOS development or seeking skill enhancement, grasping MVC architecture is vital.

**Sample project**: [https://github.com/amirhossein7/MVC-Pattern](https://github.com/amirhossein7/MVC-Pattern)

Model-View-Controller (MVC) in iOS Development

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**Note**: I've successfully applied this approach to a stock exchange website. You can rest assured that the information provided is based on my firsthand experience.


**Let's assume the following scenario**:
We have a real-time trading platform website where users can trade on stock markets. The current architecture is monolithic, with all system components tightly integrated and running on a single server or server set.

Now let's imagine if the same platform was operating based on a microservices architecture and delve deep into the benefits of microservices systems.

## Scalability

The website operates on virtual machines distributed across various Internet service providers or cloud platforms globally. On busy days with high market demand, the site faces increased traffic and visitors, leading to potential performance issues and downtime. To tackle this, the company may add more virtual machines to the system and deploy the website on them, necessitating a full-scale upgrade, even if only certain components experience high demand. This process can be costly and time-consuming, with no assurance that it will resolve the issues. Additionally, determining the appropriate number of resources (virtual machines) to handle the load is challenging. Managing a monolithic architecture across multiple virtual machines and [ISPs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_service_provider) is also complex.

Migrating from a monolithic to a microservices architecture offers significant scalability benefits. In this case, let's consider the e-commerce website after the migration. With microservices, each service can scale independently, providing the flexibility to handle high demand for specific functions like the history search service during the after-market. This responsiveness to changes in demand makes the website more adaptive.

Furthermore, microservices enable horizontal scaling, where multiple servers can be added, each running a specific microservice. This approach enhances scalability as each service can be independently scaled, allowing the system to manage much higher traffic volumes.

## Operational Costs

Cost reduction is a crucial objective for any business, including our current example of a trading website. Efficiently managing resources to anticipate and cope with high-traffic days is vital. While adding more virtual machines and resources for busy periods may seem sensible, it can lead to unnecessary costs during slower times with lower demand. This results in resource waste and higher expenses. Therefore, finding a solution that caters to both high and low traffic days while minimizing costs is essential.

Migrating from a monolithic to a microservices architecture can achieve this goal by enabling more efficient resource utilization. Microservices offer greater scalability and flexibility in handling high traffic levels. With horizontal scaling, the number of instances of specific services can be adjusted based on factors such as visitor numbers or network bandwidth. This efficient resource allocation allows the system to handle increased demand without incurring significant additional costs.

## Faster Time to Market

In a traditional deployment setup, making changes to the website involves copying new files to servers and updating environment settings across virtual machines. This manual process increases the risk of human error, potentially leading to downtime or other issues. Moreover, due to tight coupling of website components, even a small change necessitates updating the entire website, making individual scaling challenging.

However, in a microservices architecture, deployment becomes streamlined and efficient. Each service operates independently, allowing updates and deployments without impacting the rest of the website. This eliminates the need to update all components for minor changes, reducing the risk of errors and downtime. Automation tools like Kubernetes and Docker can be employed to manage the entire microservices infrastructure, automating the deployment process and improving efficiency. As a result, businesses can deploy changes faster and more frequently, enabling swift responses to market changes and customer needs.

## Resilience

Imagine a problem occurs with the website just before the market opens, causing a complete website outage. Traders are unable to access the site and, consequently, unable to trade. Such incidents can erode users' trust and result in significant losses. In tightly integrated systems, a problem with one component can bring down the entire system, making quick identification and resolution difficult, leading to extended downtime.

However, with microservices, each service operates independently and can be scaled and managed separately. Thus, if a problem arises with one service, it doesn't necessarily affect the whole system, enabling faster issue resolution. Additionally, as each service is loosely coupled, changes or updates to one service do not demand changes or updates to others, facilitating smooth deployment without disrupting the entire system. This enhances availability, reliability, and speeds up issue resolution in case of problems.

## Flexibility

In a tightly integrated system, making a small change to one component often entails modifications to multiple others. For example, adding a new feature to your trading platform website's user interface may require adjusting the technology stack of the entire website, limiting the use of other suitable technologies. Additionally, it might necessitate changes to the application logic, data storage, and other components. These modifications can be time-consuming and require extensive testing to ensure they don't cause issues with other parts of the system.

However, with a microservices architecture, the new feature can be developed and deployed independently in terms of technology choices, development frameworks, and deployment options. This allows for faster time-to-market, as changes can be made and deployed more quickly without affecting the entire system. The flexibility of microservices enables efficient development and deployment of individual components, leading to faster and more agile updates.

![](https://content.communere.com/assets/b859d2a4-0ae6-468e-ae4d-9f8fb919d872)

## In Conclusion

In the post you just finished reading, we explored the advantages of migrating from a monolithic architecture to a microservices architecture for a trading platform website. The monolithic setup, with tightly integrated components, can lead to performance issues and downtime during high-traffic periods. Scaling the entire system to meet demand can be costly and inefficient.

In contrast, a microservices architecture offers greater scalability and flexibility. Each service operates independently, allowing for individual scaling and efficient resource management. Deployments become streamlined and error-resistant, as updates can be made without affecting the entire system. This results in faster time-to-market, improved availability, and better responsiveness to market changes and customer needs.

Furthermore, the loosely coupled nature of microservices allows for the independent development of components with different technologies and deployment options. This independence translates to quicker development cycles and less disruption when introducing new features.

Overall, a shift to a microservices architecture presents numerous benefits, including enhanced performance, cost-efficiency, and adaptability, making it a compelling choice for modern trading platforms and similar web applications.

Reshaping Trading Platforms: The Power of Microservices

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In the world of software development, efficient codebase management is crucial for productivity and collaboration. One approach that has gained significant traction in recent years is the use of monorepositories, or monorepos for short.

Monorepos provide a centralised repository structure that houses multiple projects or modules, enabling developers to work on related codebases more effectively.

In this blog post, we will explore the benefits of monorepos, provide examples, and delve into some use cases.

## What is a Monorepo?
Let's dive right into the definition of a monorepo as explained by experts:
As explained in [this link](https://monorepo.tools/), a monorepo is "a single repository containing multiple distinct projects, with well-defined relationships."

Now that we understand what a monorepo is, let's discuss its significance in our daily work as developers. Most of us work on projects that utilise separate repositories for each application. For instance, if we have an online-shop project with a separate admin-panel web app, we may create individual repositories for each of them. However, this organisational approach poses numerous challenges as the project grows. This is where the monorepo comes to the rescue. Why?

![](https://content.communere.com/assets/84f2dbff-6cac-4f90-b794-93341e81db3b)

## Top Four Advantages of Monorepos

- **Enhanced Code Reusability**: Sharing code between projects becomes seamless within a monorepo. Developers can extract common functionalities or libraries, making it easier to reuse and maintain code across various projects.
- **Easier collaboration**: Collaboration is significantly improved as teams can easily access, review, and contribute to shared code. Since there is one code base knowledge sharing happens easier.
- **Consistent Development Workflow**: A monorepo encourages consistent practices and standards across projects. Shared tooling, build processes, and coding conventions can be enforced, ensuring a cohesive development experience.
- **Faster Builds**: When all of the code is in a single repository, it is possible to build the entire project with a single command. This can save a significant amount of time, especially for large projects.

Although we have these advantages for monorepo, we may encounter some disadvantages arising from certain misconceptions. In the world of monorepos, various terms and definitions often lead to misunderstandings regarding their utilisation and significance in our projects. It is crucial to gain a clear understanding of these concepts to make informed decisions. One particular blog post stands out as an excellent resource addressing these concerns. It delves deep into the intricacies of monorepos, debunking myths and providing valuable insights into their benefits and implementation. I highly recommend reading this informative blog post to enhance your understanding of monorepos and make informed choices for your projects.

## Example of a Possible Monorepo Project

Consider an example of a potential monorepo project. Suppose we have a project that requires multiple apps with different configurations. Traditionally, we might create separate branches for each app and develop them individually. However, when we need to make a common update, such as modifying the login page, it becomes cumbersome and error-prone to synchronise changes across all branches. Alternatively, we can adopt a monorepo structure for our project, which eliminates the need for branch syncing and saves us valuable time. One suggested structure for this approach could be as follows:

```
monorepo/
 ├── apps
 │ ├── user-portal
 │ ├── admin-portal
 │ └── mobile-app
 ├── components
 ├── services
 └── shared-code
 ```

## Monorepos: The Final Verdict
Monorepos are indeed a powerful solution! Now, the question arises: how do we go about implementing them? There exist multiple approaches, and each framework ecosystem typically has its own recommended method. Unfortunately, due to time constraints in this blog post, we won't be able to cover all of them. However, in our upcoming series, we will focus on the Nx approach in both React and Angular. Here is a list of the most common tools used for monorepos:

- **Nx**: [https://github.com/nrwl/nx](https://github.com/nrwl/nx)
- **Bazel**: [https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel](https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel)
- **Turborepo**: [https://github.com/vercel/turborepo](https://github.com/vercel/turborepo)
- **Rush**: [https://github.com/microsoft/rushstack](https://github.com/microsoft/rushstack)
- **Lerna**: [https://github.com/lerna/lerna](https://github.com/lerna/lerna)



References:
- [https://lerna.js.org/](https://lerna.js.org/)
- [https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/monorepo-why-and-how-to-switch-to-it/](https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/monorepo-why-and-how-to-switch-to-it/)

Embracing Monorepo: Boosting Collaboration and Efficiency

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Are you passionate about technology and eager to dive into the world of software development? Becoming a software developer in 2023 opens up a world of opportunities for a fulfilling and lucrative career. As technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, the demand for [**skilled software developers**](https://communere.com/blog/top-23-software-developer-skills-in-2023) remains high.

This blog post will guide you through the essential skills you should focus on to succeed as a software developer. We'll explore programming languages, frameworks, and methodologies that are currently in high demand. Additionally, we'll discuss the average salary expectations for software developers and factors that can impact your earning potential. Furthermore, we'll provide tips on structuring your CV to highlight your relevant skills and experience, along with insights into whether a degree is necessary for a successful software development career in 2023.

So, let's dive in and embark on this exciting journey of becoming a software developer in the ever-evolving technological landscape of 2023!
## The Growing Demand for Software Developers
The [**demand for software developers**](https://blog.gitnux.com/software-development-statistics/) is on the rise, and this trend is expected to continue in 2023 and beyond. As more businesses and industries embrace digital transformation, the need for software development expertise has become paramount. From creating mobile applications to building complex software systems, software developers play a crucial role in driving innovation and efficiency.
## 11 Essential Skills for Software Developers
There are some skills necessary for a successful software developer. While technical experience and coding proficiency are important, having strong soft skills is also essential to work effectively with stakeholders or clients and creating high-quality products. With the right combination of hard and soft skills, developers can be well on their way to becoming a valuable asset in any organization.

![11 Essential Skills for Software Developers](https://content.communere.com/assets/3c3aa0e5-5c9f-4738-97e6-c0c3e4b79dc0)

### Problem-Solving and Analytical Thinking
Software developers must possess strong problem-solving and analytical skills. This involves the ability to break down complex problems into smaller components, analyze them systematically, and devise efficient solutions. A logical and analytical mindset is crucial for overcoming challenges throughout the development process.
### Continuous Learning and Adaptability
The software development landscape is ever-evolving, with new technologies and frameworks emerging regularly. Software developers must embrace lifelong learning and stay updated with industry trends. A growth mindset and adaptability are necessary to thrive in this dynamic field.
### Understanding Methodologies
Software development methodologies play a crucial role in the development lifecycle. We will explain the Agile and Waterfall methodologies, their pros and cons, and how they influence the development process. We'll also touch upon other methodologies like Scrum and Kanban.
### Programming Languages
Knowing at least one programming language is a must-have skill for any software developer. Java, C++, Python, JavaScript, and other languages are widely used in software development today. Developers must stay up-to-date on the latest trends in a programming language so they can remain competitive in their field.
### Communication Skills
Software development usually involves working with other people like designers and project managers; these individuals must be able to communicate effectively. Developers need to be able to clearly explain technical concepts in both written and verbal form so everyone involved has a good understanding of the project.
### Time Management
Delivering projects on time is an essential part of software development, and this requires strong time management skills. This involves setting realistic goals, managing expectations, being organized, and using resources efficiently.
### Collaboration and Teamwork
Working closely with other members of your team as well as external stakeholders is crucial for successful software development. Being able to collaborate effectively means you can develop solutions together that will be better than if you worked alone. 
### Testing/Debugging
Software developers need to understand how their code works to identify errors or bugs that need to be fixed. Working with a system of testing and debugging can help developers create more reliable code.
### Algorithms/Data Structures
Understanding algorithms and data structures is a key skill for software developers, as it can help them make their code more efficient by reducing computational complexity. Knowing how various algorithms work can also help developers choose the right algorithm for a specific task or project.
### Document Writing
Writing clear, concise documentation is an important skill for software developers. Documentation helps other developers understand the code and can also be used to explain how a project works or provide instructions for using it.
### Soft Skills
Software development often requires working with clients or stakeholders who may have different perspectives on how a project should look or function. This means that having strong interpersonal and communication skills is just as important as having programming knowledge. Being able to listen, think critically, and communicate effectively can help ensure successful projects.
## Educational Paths and Degrees
While formal education is not always a prerequisite for becoming a software developer, obtaining a degree can enhance your job prospects and provide a solid foundation. Here are some educational paths and degrees commonly pursued by aspiring software developers:

![Software Developer Educational Paths and Degrees](https://content.communere.com/assets/5e1ce8e8-27b9-41d7-874a-26fa563daf61)

### Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or Software Engineering
A bachelor's degree in computer science or software engineering is a popular choice for individuals looking to enter the software development field. These programs cover fundamental concepts, algorithms, data structures, and programming languages. They provide a comprehensive understanding of software development principles.
### Online Coding Bootcamps
Online coding boot camps offer intensive and practical training in software development. These programs are designed to equip students with the necessary coding skills in a shorter time frame compared to traditional degrees. Coding boot camps often focus on real-world projects and foster collaboration among peers.
### Self-Study and Online Resources
Self-study and online resources have become increasingly popular for individuals interested in self-paced learning. Platforms like Udemy, Coursera, and freeCodeCamp offer a wide range of software development courses and tutorials. While self-study requires discipline and motivation, it allows for flexibility and customization of the learning journey.
## Notes on Building a Strong Software Developer CV
Crafting a compelling CV is essential for standing out in the competitive job market. Here are some tips to create an impactful software developer CV:
### Highlight Your Technical Skills
Emphasize your proficiency in programming languages, frameworks, and tools relevant to the job you're seeking. Tailor your CV to showcase your expertise in areas such as web development, mobile app development, or data analysis.
### Showcase Your Projects and Contributions
Include a portfolio section highlighting your notable projects, open-source contributions, or any software development initiatives you've undertaken. Providing tangible examples of your work demonstrates your practical abilities and passion for software development.
### Demonstrate Problem-Solving Abilities
Highlight specific challenges you've faced during your projects and outline how you overcame them. Employers value software developers who can navigate complex problems and devise effective solutions.
### Continuous Learning and Certifications
List any relevant certifications, online courses, or workshops you've completed to showcase your commitment to continuous learning and staying updated with industry trends.

In summary, be sure to:

- Keep it Concise: Ensure your CV is clear, concise, and easy to read. Use bullet points to highlight your achievements and responsibilities.
- Tailor it to the Job: Customize your CV according to the job you're applying for. Emphasize relevant skills and experiences that align with the requirements.
- Highlight Projects: Include a section highlighting significant projects you've worked on. Mention the technologies used, your role, and the outcome of the project.
- Showcase Your Skills: Create a separate section to showcase your technical skills. Mention programming languages, frameworks, and tools you're proficient in.
- Include Certifications: If you have any relevant certifications, include them in your CV. Certifications demonstrate your commitment to continuous learning and professional development.
> For a comprehensive CV template, visit [**here**](https://www.myperfectresume.com/cv/examples/computer-software/senior-software-developer.). 

## Navigating the Job Market
As a software developer, there are various avenues to explore when searching for job opportunities. Here are some strategies for navigating the job market:

![Software Developer Job Market](https://content.communere.com/assets/19b95cc6-bac0-4a4a-ad17-94c8cd0ea98c)

### Networking and Professional Communities
Leverage professional networking platforms like LinkedIn to connect with industry professionals, attend virtual meetups, and join relevant communities. Building a solid professional network can provide valuable job leads and insights into the software development industry.
### Internships and Apprenticeships
Consider applying for internships or apprenticeships to gain hands-on experience and industry exposure. These opportunities can be stepping stones to full-time positions and allow you to build a solid foundation in software development.
### Freelancing and Contract Work
Freelancing and contract work offer flexibility and the chance to work on diverse projects. Platforms like Upwork and Freelancer provide opportunities to showcase your skills and collaborate with clients from around the world.
### Job Boards and Recruitment Agencies
Regularly monitor job boards and leverage recruitment agencies specializing in the technology industry. These platforms can help you discover relevant job openings and connect with potential employers.
## Salary Expectations
Software developers are well-compensated for their skills and expertise. The exact salary can vary depending on factors such as location, experience, and specialization. In 2023, the average salary for a software developer can range from $70,000 to over $100,000 per year. However, it's important to note that entry-level positions may have a lower salary range, while senior developers and specialized roles can command higher salaries. Continuous learning, honing your skills, and gaining practical experience can significantly contribute to career advancement and increased earning potential.

And here's a breakdown of the salary expectations based on experience:
- Entry-level: $60,000 - $80,000 per year
- Mid-level: $80,000 - $120,000 per year
- Senior-level: $120,000 - $160,000+ per year
## Becoming a Software Developer FAQs
### What programming languages should I learn as a beginner software developer?
As a beginner, it's recommended to start with languages like Python, JavaScript, or Java, as they have extensive community support and are versatile for various applications.
### Can I become a software developer without a degree?
Yes, a degree is not always required to become a software developer. Many professionals have successfully entered the field through self-study, coding boot camps, and building a strong portfolio.
### How long does it take to become a proficient software developer?
The timeline to become proficient varies for individuals. It depends on factors such as prior experience, dedication, learning resources, and practice. It can range from several months to a few years.
### What are some popular software development certifications?
Popular software development certifications include Certified Software Development Professional (CSDP), Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate, and Oracle Certified Professional, Java SE Programmer.
### How can I stay updated with the latest technologies in software development?
To stay updated, follow industry blogs, subscribe to relevant newsletters, join online communities, attend conferences, participate in hackathons, and engage with coding forums and platforms like GitHub.
## Recap: How to Become a Software Developer
Embarking on the path to becoming a software developer in 2023 requires a combination of technical skills, continuous learning, and a passion for problem-solving. By following the outlined steps, you can enhance your chances of success in this dynamic and rewarding field. Remember to adapt to emerging technologies, build a strong professional network, and never stop honing your skills. The future of software development is brimming with possibilities, and you can be a part of it!

How to Become a Software Developer in 2023

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As we approach 2023, the [**software development**](https://communere.com/blog/a-complete-guide-to-software-development-in-2023) landscape continues to evolve at a rapid pace. Staying ahead in this ever-changing industry requires developers to constantly update their skill sets and adapt to new technologies. To help you excel in your career and remain competitive, we've compiled a list of the top 23 software developer skills that will be in high demand in 2023.

From programming languages to frameworks, and from soft skills to problem-solving techniques, our comprehensive guide covers all the essential expertise you'll need to thrive in the world of software development.

Whether you are an aspiring developer or an experienced professional, mastering these skills can significantly boost your career prospects.

So, let's dive in and discover the key skills that every software developer should focus on.
## How To Improve Software Development Skills in 2023
Software development is a dynamic field that constantly evolves with new technologies, frameworks, and methodologies. As a software developer, it is essential to stay ahead by continuously improving your skills. This article provides valuable insights and practical tips on how to enhance your software development abilities.
### 1: Embrace Continuous Learning
To improve your software development skills, you must embrace a mindset of continuous learning. Stay curious and seek out opportunities to expand your knowledge. Engage in online courses, tutorials, and books that cover various programming languages, design patterns, algorithms, and software development methodologies.
### 2: Enhance Problem-Solving Abilities
Problem-solving is a fundamental skill for software developers. Sharpen your problem-solving abilities by practicing algorithmic thinking and solving coding challenges. Websites like LeetCode, HackerRank, and CodeSignal offer a wide range of coding problems to solve, helping you develop efficient and logical solutions.
### 3: Collaborate and Seek Feedback
Collaboration with other developers is a valuable way to enhance your skills. Engage in team projects or contribute to open source projects to gain exposure to different coding styles and learn from experienced developers. Actively seek feedback from peers and mentors to improve your code quality and discover new perspectives.
### 4: Practice Coding Challenges
Regularly practicing coding challenges helps improve your problem-solving skills and enhances your coding efficiency. Solve coding puzzles, participate in programming contests, or join coding communities to challenge yourself and gain insights into diverse problem-solving approaches.
### 5: Utilize Online Resources and Communities
The internet offers a wealth of resources for software developers. Take advantage of online platforms like Stack Overflow, GitHub, and Dev.to to access tutorials, code samples, and discussions. Engage with these communities by asking questions, providing answers, and sharing your knowledge to foster growth and learning.
### 6: Engage in Open Source Projects
Contributing to open source projects is an excellent way to enhance your software development skills. It allows you to collaborate with experienced developers, understand real-world projects, and contribute to the broader software development community. Choose projects aligned with your interests and make meaningful contributions.
### 7: Attend Workshops and Conferences
Attending workshops, conferences, and meetups provides opportunities to learn from industry experts, gain insights into the latest trends, and network with like-minded professionals. Stay updated with upcoming events in your area or explore virtual conferences that offer valuable knowledge-sharing sessions.
### 8: Develop Communication Skills
Effective communication is crucial for successful software development. Develop your communication skills by participating in group discussions, presenting your ideas, and explaining complex concepts to others. Clear and concise communication improves collaboration, reduces misunderstandings, and facilitates efficient teamwork.
### 9: Stay Updated with Industry Trends
Software development is a fast-paced industry with constant advancements. Stay updated with emerging technologies, programming languages, and industry trends. Subscribe to relevant newsletters, follow influential blogs, and join professional networks to stay informed about the latest developments and opportunities.
### 10: Cultivate Time Management
Time management plays a vital role in software development. Learn to prioritize tasks, set achievable goals, and manage your time effectively. Break complex projects into smaller milestones, create realistic timelines, and avoid procrastination to maximize productivity and meet deadlines.
### 11: Build Personal Projects
Undertaking personal projects allows you to apply your skills in a practical manner. Choose projects that align with your interests and challenge you to explore new technologies or concepts. Building personal projects not only enhances your technical skills but also showcases your abilities to potential employers or clients.
### 12: Emphasize Code Quality and Best Practices
Writing clean and maintainable code is essential for professional software development. Focus on code quality, adhere to coding standards, and follow best practices such as modularization, documentation, and unit testing. Regularly refactor your code to improve readability, maintainability, and scalability.
### 13: Explore New Programming Languages and Technologies
Expanding your programming language and technology stack diversifies your skillset and opens up new opportunities. Invest time in learning new programming languages, frameworks, or tools that are in demand. Understanding different technologies enables you to adapt to evolving project requirements and stay versatile.
## Top 13 Personal Skills for Software Developers in 2023
Software development has evolved into a multi-dimensional field that requires a diverse skill set. While the core programming skills remain essential, developers need to stay updated with the latest technologies and industry trends to deliver cutting-edge solutions. The following sections will outline the top 13 skills that software developers should focus on mastering in 2023.

![Top 13 Personal Skills for Software Developers in 2023](https://content.communere.com/assets/3feb5dbe-7f59-4b6b-a168-69ce29651e99)

### Programming Languages
Proficiency in programming languages is essential for software developers. They should have a strong command over languages like Java, Python, C++, JavaScript, or others, depending on the project requirements. A solid understanding of language-specific syntax, features, and best practices allows developers to write efficient and maintainable code.
### Problem Solving and Logic
Software developers need excellent problem-solving skills to analyze complex issues and devise effective solutions. They should be able to break down problems into smaller components, identify patterns, and apply logical reasoning to solve them efficiently. Strong analytical thinking and attention to detail are crucial for debugging and resolving software-related issues.
### Algorithm and Data Structures
Understanding algorithms and data structures is crucial for efficient software development. Developers should be familiar with various algorithms, such as sorting, searching, and graph algorithms, and know when to apply them. Proficiency in data structures like arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues, trees, and graphs allows developers to optimize storage, retrieval, and manipulation of data.
### Version Control Systems
Version control systems, like Git, enable developers to track changes, collaborate effectively, and manage source code efficiently. Developers should understand the concepts of version control, such as branching, merging, and resolving conflicts. This allows multiple developers to work on the same codebase simultaneously while ensuring code integrity and providing an easy way to revert changes if needed.
### Software Development Methodologies
Software development methodologies define how projects are planned, executed, and managed. Familiarity with methodologies like Agile, Scrum, or Waterfall is crucial for effective project management. [**Agile methodologies**](https://communere.com/blog/agile-software-development-guide-2023) promote iterative development, regular communication, and adapting to changing requirements. Developers need to understand the principles and practices of these methodologies to collaborate efficiently with other team members and deliver high-quality software.
### Testing and Quality Assurance
Software developers should be familiar with testing techniques and frameworks to ensure the quality and reliability of their code. This includes unit testing, integration testing, and automated testing. They should understand test-driven development (TDD) and behavior-driven development (BDD) approaches. Knowledge of testing tools and frameworks, such as JUnit, pytest, or Selenium, helps developers identify and fix issues early in the development cycle, ensuring the software functions correctly.
### Continuous Integration and Deployment
Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Deployment (CD) practices streamline the software development and release process. Developers should understand CI/CD concepts and be proficient in tools like Jenkins, Travis CI, or GitLab CI/CD. This allows for automated build, testing, and deployment workflows, ensuring faster delivery, improved collaboration, and better code quality.
### Object-Oriented Design
Object-Oriented Design (OOD) principles promote modular, maintainable, and extensible code. Developers should understand concepts such as encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism, and design patterns like MVC (Model-View-Controller) or Observer. Applying OOD principles allows developers to create code that is reusable, scalable, and follows clean architecture principles.
### Web Development
Proficiency in web development is essential for creating interactive and responsive web applications. Developers should be skilled in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and frameworks like React, Angular, or Vue.js. They should have an understanding of web standards, accessibility guidelines, and responsive design principles to build user-friendly and visually appealing web interfaces.
### Database Management
Understanding database concepts and management is crucial for developers working with data-driven applications. Developers should have knowledge of SQL (Structured Query Language) for relational databases and be proficient in database management systems like MySQL, PostgreSQL, or MongoDB. This includes designing normalized database schemas, optimizing queries, and ensuring data integrity and security.
### Cybersecurity
In the digital landscape, developers must be aware of cybersecurity principles and best practices. They should understand common vulnerabilities and attacks, such as injection attacks, cross-site scripting, or SQL injection. Developers should implement secure coding practices, use proper authentication and authorization mechanisms, and follow encryption and data protection protocols to safeguard software and user data.
### Communication and Collaboration
Effective communication and collaboration skills are crucial for software developers. They need to communicate ideas, requirements, and technical concepts clearly and concisely with team members, stakeholders, and clients. Active listening, clear articulation, and the ability to adapt communication styles to different audiences contribute to successful collaboration within a team.
### Learning and Adaptability
Software development is a constantly evolving field, requiring developers to have a strong drive for continuous learning and adaptability. Developers should stay updated with the latest technologies, frameworks, and best practices. They should be open to learning new programming languages, tools, and methodologies to embrace emerging trends. A growth mindset and the ability to quickly adapt to changing requirements and technologies are essential for success in the software development industry.
## Top 10 Software Developer Interpersonal Skills
While technical skills are vital, it's equally important for software developers to possess strong interpersonal skills. These skills enable them to collaborate effectively, communicate clearly, and work efficiently in a team environment.

![Top 10 Software Developer Interpersonal Skills](https://content.communere.com/assets/493ba8c3-976e-498e-a9b0-b05b5bd3e327)

### Effective Communication
Clear and concise communication is essential for software developers to convey their ideas, discuss requirements, and address any challenges. Strong verbal and written communication skills enable developers to articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders effectively.
### Active Listening
Active listening involves paying full attention to others, understanding their perspectives, and seeking clarification when necessary. By actively listening, software developers can better understand project requirements, user feedback, and any concerns raised by team members. This skill helps foster effective collaboration and ensures that everyone is on the same page.
### Collaboration and Teamwork
Software development is a collaborative process that involves working closely with designers, product managers, and other developers. Teamwork skills, such as the ability to contribute ideas, share knowledge, and collaborate on problem-solving, are crucial for successful project outcomes.
### Adaptability and Flexibility
In the rapidly changing landscape of software development, developers must be adaptable and flexible. Being open to new technologies, methodologies, and approaches allows developers to stay ahead of the curve and deliver innovative solutions. Adaptable developers can quickly adjust to changing project requirements and effectively deal with unexpected challenges.
### Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking
Software developers encounter complex problems regularly, and the ability to analyze, evaluate, and devise effective solutions is paramount. Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills enable developers to identify the root causes of issues, evaluate multiple options, and implement the most appropriate solutions.
### EQ (Emotional Intelligence)
Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to understand and manage one's own emotions while also empathizing with others. Software developers with high emotional intelligence can navigate challenging situations, resolve conflicts amicably, and maintain positive working relationships.
### Leadership Skills
Even if not in a formal leadership position, software developers can demonstrate leadership skills by taking initiative, guiding others, and motivating team members. Leadership skills empower developers to influence positive change, foster collaboration, and drive project success.
### Time Management
Effective time management is crucial for software developers to meet project deadlines and deliver high-quality work. This skill involves prioritizing tasks, managing distractions, and optimizing productivity to ensure efficient use of time and resources.
### Conflict Resolution
Conflicts can arise within a software development team due to differences in opinions, priorities, or approaches. Software developers who possess strong conflict resolution skills can address conflicts promptly, find common ground, and facilitate positive resolutions that maintain team harmony and project progress.
### Continuous Learning
Embracing a growth mindset and actively seeking opportunities to expand knowledge, stay updated with industry trends, and enhance technical skills is crucial in the ever-evolving field of software development.
## Software Developer Skills FAQs
### How can I improve my software development skills?
To improve your software development skills, you can engage in coding challenges, work on real-world projects, participate in online courses and tutorials, join developer communities, and keep up with industry trends through blogs and forums.
### Is it necessary to learn cloud computing as a software developer?
Learning cloud computing is highly beneficial for software developers as it allows for scalable and resilient application development, deployment, and management.
### What are the essential skills for a mobile app developer?
Essential skills for a mobile app developer include knowledge of platform-specific languages (e.g., Swift for iOS, Kotlin for Android), familiarity with mobile app frameworks, and a good understanding of user experience design principles.
## Recap: Top Software Developer Skills
Becoming a proficient software developer requires continuous learning and honing of skills. In 2023, developers should focus on mastering a diverse range of skills, including programming languages like Java, Python, and JavaScript, frameworks such as React, Angular, and Node.js, and concepts like cloud computing, DevOps, and cybersecurity. Additionally, cultivating problem-solving abilities, effective communication, and adaptability will contribute to a successful software development career.

Top 23 Software Developer Skills in 2023

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As businesses turn to technology to optimize their operations, [**software development**](https://communere.com/blog/a-complete-guide-to-software-development-in-2023) remains an essential component of the optimization process. Having a comprehensive understanding of the steps involved in software development will help ensure that companies are able to efficiently complete each stage required. There are six distinct stages in the modern software development process, all designed with different areas of focus and specific goals: requirement gathering and analysis; design; implementation or coding; testing and debugging; deployment or installation, and maintenance.

In this blog, we’ll provide an updated review of the 6 stages of software development process so you can enhance your business's efficiency and success rate when it comes to developing effective software solutions.
## What is the Software Development Process?
The software development process (also known as the [**software development lifecycle**](https://communere.com/blog/software-development-life-cycle-in-2023) or SDLC) is a structured approach to creating, testing and maintaining software applications. It is a systematic process that involves multiple phases, each with specific tasks and objectives, to ensure the production of high-quality software. The primary goal of the software development process is to create a robust, reliable, and efficient software product that meets the needs of its users.
## Types of Software Development Processes
There are several different software development methodologies that companies can use, depending on their specific needs and requirements. Some of the most popular methodologies include:
### Waterfall Model
This is a traditional, linear approach to software development, with each stage following sequentially after the previous one is completed. The waterfall model emphasizes thorough planning and documentation, making it suitable for projects with clear requirements and minimal changes during the development process.
### Agile Methodology
Agile is a flexible, iterative approach to software development that prioritizes collaboration, customer feedback, and rapid delivery of functional software. Agile methodologies, such as Scrum and Kanban, allow teams to adapt quickly to changing requirements and focus on delivering high-quality software in short development cycles.
### DevOps
[**DevOps**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DevOps) is an approach that emphasizes collaboration between development and operations teams to ensure faster delivery, better communication, and continuous improvement. This methodology encourages automation, monitoring, and the use of cloud technologies to streamline the development process and improve software quality.
### Spiral Model:
A spiral model is a hybrid approach that combines elements of both the waterfall and iterative methodologies. It involves repeating cycles of planning, design, development, and testing, with each cycle refining the software product based on feedback and new requirements.
## Software Development Stages
The software development process typically consists of the following stages:
### Stage 1: Requirement Gathering and Analysis
The first stage of the software development process is requirement gathering and analysis. During this phase, you will take a close look at the needs of your customer and define the features, design, and functionality required for the product. You’ll also analyze existing solutions on the market to understand how they meet the requirements of your customer.

![Requirement Gathering and Analysis](https://content.communere.com/assets/488ab63d-45ff-46cc-999e-c9e10d72a9a1)

### Stage 2: System Design
The second stage is system design. During this phase, you will create a blueprint for how your software will be designed and laid out. This includes choosing the right technology stack and designing the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX).

![System Design](https://content.communere.com/assets/3e79805b-5921-444a-96c5-02fd1d9bbc18)

### Stage 3: Implementation
Once you have completed the system design phase, it’s time to start coding. The implementation stage is all about turning your design into a functional product. Your team will use programming languages such as Java, Python, or JavaScript to write code for the software.

![Software Development Implementation Stage](https://content.communere.com/assets/fcdb535a-7b5b-425c-9dee-8dd58bff05a8)

### Stage 4: Testing and Quality Assurance
The next stage is testing and quality assurance. It’s important to thoroughly test your software before it goes live, as any bugs or errors can lead to a poor user experience. During this phase, you will use automated and manual tests to make sure that the product is functioning correctly and meets all the requirements of your customer.

![Software Testing and Quality Assurance](https://content.communere.com/assets/0f277043-c6ba-4c63-9da3-56835dccd69a)

### Stage 5: Deployment
Once your product has passed testing, it’s time for deployment. This stage involves setting up and configuring any hardware or software necessary to run the product in a live environment.

![Software Development Deployment](https://content.communere.com/assets/a21f89d4-38e9-42e2-ab41-2ee4a7fd0cce)

### Stage 6: Maintenance and Support
The final stage of the software development process is maintenance and support. This stage involves resolving any issues that arise with the product, as well as providing ongoing support to users.

## Best Software Development Process
There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to choosing the best software development process. The most suitable methodology for a particular project depends on several factors, such as the project's complexity, team size, budget, and timeline. However, [**Agile methodologies**](https://communere.com/blog/agile-software-development-guide-2023) have become increasingly popular due to their flexibility, adaptability, and focus on delivering high-quality software quickly.
## Stages of Software Development Process FAQs

![Stages of Software Development Process FAQs ](https://content.communere.com/assets/87303a08-0464-40b9-bfa0-d24f3f836e15)

### What are the stages of software development?
The six main stages of software development are requirement gathering and analysis, system design, implementation, testing and quality assurance, deployment, and maintenance and support.
### How long does each stage take?
The length of each stage varies depending on the complexity of the project. Generally, you can expect to spend anywhere from a few weeks to months completing each stage.
### What does each stage of the software development process involve?
Each stage of the software development process involves different skills and tasks. Requirement gathering and analysis involves gaining a deep understanding of the customer’s needs and preferences, System Design involves designing a suitable architecture for the product, Implementation involves creating code to realise the design, and Testing and Quality Assurance involves testing the product to ensure it meets all requirements, Deployment involves deploying the product in an appropriate environment, Maintenance and Support involve ensuring continuous
## Recap: Stages of Software Development Process
The software development process involves six main stages – requirement gathering and analysis, system design, implementation, testing and quality assurance, deployment, and maintenance and support. Each stage requires its own set of skills and can take anywhere from a few weeks to months to complete. It’s important to go through each stage thoroughly in order to produce a high-quality software product. By understanding the stages of the software development process, you can ensure that your software meets all the requirements of your customer.

![Stages of Software Development Process](https://content.communere.com/assets/46e584f6-6df8-4417-ad50-f5a915338663)

By understanding the stages of the software development process and having a thorough knowledge of each stage, you can ensure that your software product meets all the requirements of your customer. Keeping up with updates and providing continuous maintenance and support for your product is key to its success. With these steps in place, you have the best chance of creating an effective and successful software product.

Key Stages of Software Development Process

Software Development Process: 6 Key Stages to Know [Updated]

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In the fast-paced world of [**software development**](https://communere.com/blog/a-complete-guide-to-software-development-in-2023), it is crucial to adopt methodologies that promote efficiency, collaboration, and adaptability. One such approach that has gained popularity is the Crystal Agile Methodology. This article delves into the principles, benefits, and implementation of Crystal Agile, highlighting its effectiveness in delivering successful software projects.
## What is Crystal Agile Methodology?
Crystal Agile Methodology is an iterative and incremental approach to software development that emphasises the importance of people, communication, and adaptability. It was introduced by Alistair Cockburn, an expert in the field of software development, who recognized the need for a flexible methodology that could be tailored to suit different project sizes and team dynamics.

![Wha is Crystal Agile Methodology](https://content.communere.com/assets/1058c6b0-7f7f-44a6-b96d-d8a3ed85c192)

### History
While working for IBM in 1991, computer scientist Alistair Cockburn noticed that projects varied so much that traditional step-by-step methodologies weren’t always suitable. This inspired him to develop Crystal Agile, which is based on two key principles:

**- Teams can optimise workflow:** Team members can and should work together to develop the optimal workflow process for each project.

**- All projects are unique:** Since all projects are unique and constantly changing, the tools and processes needed vary project by project. It should therefore be up to a project’s team to determine which methodologies to use.

### Definition
Crystal methodology is one of the most lightweight and flexible approaches to developing software. Moreover, it is made up of several AGILE processes, including Clear, Crystal Yellow, Crystal Orange, and other uniquely characterised methods.
Principles of Crystal Agile Methodology
## Crystal Agile Methodology is Guided By Several Key Principles:
In today's rapidly evolving software development landscape, it is essential to employ methodologies that foster efficiency, collaboration, and adaptability. Crystal Agile Methodology, a lightweight and flexible approach, has emerged as an effective solution for navigating these challenges. Guided by several key principles, Crystal Agile ensures streamlined processes and successful project outcomes. We will explore the foundational principles that underpin Crystal Agile Methodology and how they contribute to its effectiveness in the realm of software development.

![Crystal Agile Methodology Principles](https://content.communere.com/assets/80bded94-7c9f-4e31-80a2-dc2f3b15e94a) 

### 1. Focus on People
Crystal Agile places a strong emphasis on the individuals involved in the software development process. It recognizes that people are the most valuable assets and promotes effective communication, collaboration, and teamwork among team members.
### 2. Incremental Delivery
The methodology encourages delivering the software in small, manageable increments rather than attempting to complete the entire project in one go. This allows for frequent feedback, reduces risks, and ensures that the project remains adaptable to changing requirements.
### 3. Reflective Improvement
Crystal Agile promotes continuous improvement by regularly reflecting on the team's processes and practices. It encourages open communication and the identification of areas for improvement to enhance productivity and overall project success.
### 4. Simplicity
Keeping things simple is a fundamental principle of Crystal Agile. It advocates for avoiding unnecessary complexities and adopting straightforward approaches to problem-solving. By reducing complexity, teams can focus on delivering high-quality software efficiently.

## Benefits of Crystal Agile Methodology
Crystal Agile Methodology offers several benefits to software development teams:

![Benefits of Crystal Agile Methodology](https://content.communere.com/assets/8173c56f-7771-462b-9019-a7b56ccb5056)

### 1. Flexibility and Adaptability
Crystal Agile is highly adaptable to different project sizes, team compositions, and business contexts. It allows teams to tailor their approach, processes, and practices to suit their specific needs, increasing the chances of project success.

### 2. Enhanced Communication and Collaboration
By prioritising people and effective communication, Crystal Agile fosters better collaboration among team members. Regular interactions, feedback sessions, and a focus on transparency lead to improved teamwork and a shared sense of ownership.

### 3. Increased Productivity
Crystal Agile's incremental and iterative approach promotes early and frequent delivery of working software. This not only allows for rapid feedback and course corrections but also boosts overall productivity by ensuring that the most critical features are prioritised and delivered first.

### 4. Improved Risk Management
The methodology's emphasis on incremental delivery and regular reflection enables teams to identify and address potential risks early on. By breaking the project into smaller chunks, risks are mitigated, and issues can be resolved promptly, reducing the likelihood of costly delays or failures.

## Implementing Crystal Agile Methodology
Implementing Crystal Agile Methodology involves the following key steps:

![Implementing Crystal Agile Methodology](https://content.communere.com/assets/7e66a981-3d4f-479c-8c83-3d70ef9ff7ef)

### - Assess Project Suitability: 
Determine if the project's characteristics align with Crystal Agile principles and suitability factors, such as team size, project complexity, and customer involvement.
### - Assemble the Agile Team: 
Form a cross-functional team comprising members with diverse skills and expertise. Encourage collaboration, open communication, and shared accountability.
### - Define Crystal Clear Objectives: 
Establish clear project goals, scope, and deliverables. Break down the work into manageable increments and prioritise tasks based on their importance.
### - Adopt Iterative Development:
Implement iterative development cycles, such as sprints or timeboxed iterations, to deliver working software incrementally. Regularly gather feedback and adapt the project plan accordingly.
### - Foster Continuous Improvement: 
Encourage regular retrospectives to reflect on the team's performance, processes, and communication. Identify areas for improvement and implement changes to enhance productivity and quality.
### - Embrace Crystal Agile Values: 
Emphasise the core values of Crystal Agile, including simplicity, communication, and people-centricity. Foster a supportive and collaborative team culture that values learning and growth.
## Common Challenges and Solutions
While implementing Crystal Agile Methodology, teams may encounter some challenges. Here are a few common ones and their possible solutions:

![Common Challenges and Solutions of Crystal Agile Methodology](https://content.communere.com/assets/e693aa7b-5ba5-4fc8-98ab-a52307335981)

### - Resistance to Change: 
Some team members may resist adopting new methodologies. Address this by providing training, explaining the benefits, and involving the team in decision-making processes.
### - Unrealistic Expectations: 
Clients or stakeholders may have unrealistic expectations about the speed of delivery or the number of features. Set clear expectations, manage stakeholders' understanding, and provide regular progress updates.
### - Lack of Communication: 
Ineffective communication can hinder project progress. Encourage open and transparent communication channels, such as daily stand-up meetings, regular progress reports, and frequent feedback sessions.
### - Balancing Priorities: 
It can be challenging to balance competing priorities and manage changing requirements. Implement effective prioritisation techniques, involve stakeholders in the decision-making process, and maintain a flexible mindset.
## Crystal Factors
As we delve deeper into the world of Crystal Agile Methodology, it is important to understand the various factors that contribute to its success and adaptability in software development projects. These "Crystal Factors" play a crucial role in shaping the methodology's approach, catering to the unique needs of different teams and projects. In this section, we will uncover the significance of these factors, offering valuable insights into how they influence and enhance the overall efficacy of the Crystal Agile Methodology.

![Crystal Factors](https://content.communere.com/assets/bcd7b591-9b7f-4aca-86f0-f84c4a6e1b0f)

### Crystal Yellow
- Small team size of 7-20
- Clear ownership of code areas. Code area ownership is defined so that if any
- changes required, then only the person who owns that code will be taking
- care of it.
- Feedback gets taken from the “Real Users”. Additionally, it eliminates
- further confusion which may occur due to indirect communication.
- Prefer accessible and direct communication. It reduces the need for too
- much documentation. Therefore, it becomes easy for the developer to
- understand his work.
- Mission statements are the goals which are defined and verified with the
- customer.
- Automated testing is used to resolve the bugs faster.
- Monthly improvement plans get set. Which includes making a to-do list and
- achieving it within the time.
### Crystal Orange
- Team size of 21 to 40
- The project lasts from 1-2 years
- Split up teams as per their functional skills
- Just like the agile method, follow incremental development
- A release is required every 3-4 months
- Every release is called an “Increment”.
- Designed for medium size project
## Crystal Orange Web
- Team size of 21 to 40
- Used in projects that have a continually evolving code base
- that is being used by the public
- It focuses on raising the minimal defect
## Crystal Red
- The traditional software development method gets followed for a team size of 40-80. In addition to that, the teams are formed and divided as the work required.
- Crystal Maroon
- It is for a team size of 80-200. It is for large-sized projects. Moreover, the methods defined are different & as per the need of the software.
## Crystal Characteristics
In the realm of Crystal Agile Methodology, a set of distinctive attributes known as "Crystal Characteristics" sets it apart from other software development approaches. These characteristics provide a framework that enables teams to tailor the methodology according to their specific needs and project requirements, ensuring optimal efficiency and adaptability.We will explore the key Crystal Characteristics, shedding light on how they contribute to the versatility and effectiveness of Crystal Agile in delivering successful software projects.
### Man-powered: 
It means that the designing of the process happens in such a way that it gives importance to the people involved in the process. In addition to that, it ensures that the process is easy to adapt and enables people to grow and become more organised.
### Adaptive: 
Crystal is a methodology that believes in searching and getting fit as per the requirements. In other words, it means that the fixing of processes, standards, and tools doesn't happen in this method. Additionally, they are adjusted to meet the needs of the team and the currently running project. In other words, they are flexible.
### Ultra-light: 
Ultra-light means, no extensive documentation, no hard and fast rules or management, and no particular reporting. In other words, the Crystal method keeps things light by keeping the workflow and communication transparent between the team members involved and the client.
## Crystal Clear Properties

![Crystal Clear Properties](https://content.communere.com/assets/9b81b66c-ef74-438a-914a-21aae9455d76)

## Crystal Delivery Cycle

![Crystal Delivery Cycle](https://content.communere.com/assets/3f8e5b32-7a22-4435-96d7-a7423e2c1d69)

## Crystal vs Scrum

![Crystal vs Scrum](https://content.communere.com/assets/deae664c-95ef-40ef-bc3e-d0f05fb81dd2)

## Future of Crystal Agile Methodology
As the software development landscape evolves, Crystal Agile Methodology continues to adapt and remain relevant. Its focus on people, simplicity, and adaptability positions it well for future challenges. With advancements in technology and increased demand for agile practices, Crystal Agile is poised to play a significant role in shaping the future of software development.

![Future of Crystal Agile Methodology](https://content.communere.com/assets/896c11c7-2a36-48dc-90ea-299b31e43723)

## Conclusion
Crystal Agile Methodology offers a flexible and effective approach to software development, prioritising people, adaptability, and collaboration. By embracing its principles and implementing the methodology, teams can experience increased productivity, improved communication, and successful project delivery. As the software development industry continues to evolve, Crystal Agile Methodology is a valuable tool to navigate the complexities of modern software development projects.

![Crystal Agile Methodology Conclusion](https://content.communere.com/assets/55d02f31-0377-44e4-9c59-709ffbbb330c)

## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

![Crystal Agile Methodology Frequently Asked Questions](https://content.communere.com/assets/276782da-8c64-4573-8e55-10815c078c84)

### How is Crystal Agile different from other Agile methodologies?
Crystal Agile emphasises simplicity, adaptability, and people-centricity. It allows teams to tailor their approach based on project characteristics, making it suitable for a wide range of projects.
### Can Crystal Agile be used for large-scale software projects?
Yes, Crystal Agile can be applied to both small and large-scale projects. Its flexibility allows teams to scale their practices and processes accordingly.
### Is Crystal Agile suitable for distributed teams?
Yes, Crystal Agile can be effectively utilised by distributed teams. Clear communication channels and collaboration tools are essential to facilitate seamless interactions.
### How does Crystal Agile manage changing requirements?
Crystal Agile employs iterative development cycles and regular feedback sessions to accommodate changing requirements. Flexibility and adaptability are key principles of the methodology.
### Are there any specific roles defined in Crystal Agile Methodology?
Crystal Agile focuses on team collaboration rather than specific roles. However, there may be individuals responsible for certain aspects, such as the product owner or scrum master.

Crystal Agile Methodology

Crystal Agile Methodology: Effective Software Development

12 Highly Popular Software Development Models in 2023

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In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, software development plays a crucial role in shaping our digital world. It encompasses the process of designing, coding, testing, and maintaining software applications. As we step into 2023, it becomes essential to explore the latest trends, [**methodologies**](https://communere.com/blog/top-software-development-methodologies-2023), and [**tools in software development**](https://communere.com/blog/best-software-development-tools-in-2023). This comprehensive guide aims to provide valuable insights into the world of software development, highlighting the key aspects, best practices, and emerging technologies.

## What is Software Development
It is the process of creating, designing, coding, and maintaining software applications. It involves various stages, including requirements gathering, design, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance. The goal of [**software development**](https://communere.com/blog/software-development-best-practices-in-2023) is to deliver high-quality, reliable, and efficient software solutions that meet the needs of end-users.
## Software Engineering vs Software Development
While software development and software engineering are closely related, there are distinct differences between the two disciplines. Software development focuses on the practical aspects of building software applications, including coding, testing, and deployment. It emphasizes the implementation and delivery of software solutions.

![Software Engineering vs. Software Development](https://content.communere.com/assets/6b6c5868-8f50-4e2d-aaea-9f25342b34bd)

On the other hand, software engineering encompasses a broader approach to software development. It involves applying engineering principles and systematic processes to the entire software development life cycle. Software engineering emphasizes the analysis, design, and optimization of software systems, considering factors such as scalability, performance, and maintainability.

Software engineers take a more holistic view of the software development process, considering the long-term goals and the overall system architecture. They apply engineering principles, methodologies, and best practices to ensure that the software is robust, scalable, and meets the required standards.

While software developers focus on specific coding tasks and implementing functionalities, software engineers consider the entire software ecosystem, including project management, system analysis, and software architecture. Both roles are essential in the software development process and often work collaboratively to deliver successful software solutions.
## How Does Software Development Work
It follows a systematic approach that involves several steps and processes. Here is an overview of how it works:

![How Does Software Development Work](https://content.communere.com/assets/58db65e8-af6f-48b0-9564-7cc0d2368912)

### - Requirements Gathering
The software development process begins with understanding the requirements of the software. This involves gathering information from stakeholders, including clients, users, and business analysts. The requirements capture the desired functionalities, user expectations, and any constraints or limitations.
### - Design
Once the requirements are gathered, the next step is to design the software. This involves creating a blueprint or a software architecture that outlines the structure, components, and interactions of the system. The design phase ensures that the software meets the requirements and provides a roadmap for the development process.
### - Implementation 
In the implementation phase, the software developers write code based on the design specifications. They use programming languages, frameworks, and development tools to transform the design into a functional software application. The implementation phase includes coding, unit testing, and integration of different modules.
### - Testing and Quality Assurance 
Testing is a crucial phase in software development to ensure the reliability, functionality, and performance of the software. Various testing techniques, such as unit testing, integration testing, and system testing, are employed to identify and fix any bugs or issues. Quality assurance processes ensure that the software meets the required standards and specifications.
### - Deployment and Maintenance 
Once the software passes the testing phase, it is ready for deployment. The deployment process involves installing the software on the target environment and configuring it for end-users. After deployment, the software requires ongoing maintenance and updates to address any issues, add new features, or improve performance.
## Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a structured approach that outlines the phases and activities involved in software development. It provides a framework for managing and executing software projects. The typical [**SDLC**](https://communere.com/blog/software-development-life-cycle-in-2023) consists of the following stages:

![Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)](https://content.communere.com/assets/b364890f-4221-4234-af0a-c615bd32a0e1)

### - Requirement Gathering and Analysis
In this initial stage, the development team interacts with stakeholders to understand their requirements and expectations. The gathered requirements serve as the foundation for the entire development process.
### - Designing the Software Architecture
Once the requirements are clear, the development team proceeds with designing the software architecture. This involves creating a blueprint that outlines the system's structure, components, and interactions.

### - Coding and Implementation
The coding and implementation phase involves writing the actual code based on the design specifications. Developers utilize programming languages, frameworks, and libraries to build the software solution.
### - Testing and Quality Assurance
Testing is a crucial step in software development to ensure the quality and functionality of the application. Different testing techniques, such as unit testing, integration testing, and user acceptance testing, are employed to identify and rectify any bugs or issues.
### - Deployment and Maintenance
Once the software passes the testing phase, it is deployed to the production environment. Ongoing maintenance and updates are necessary to ensure the software remains secure, efficient, and compatible with evolving technologies.
## Agile Methodology and Its Importance
Agile methodology is an iterative and incremental approach to software development that emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and continuous improvement. It promotes adaptive planning, early delivery, and continuous feedback. Agile methodologies, such as Scrum and Kanban, enable development teams to respond to changing requirements and deliver high-quality software in shorter development cycles.

![Agile Methodology and Its Importance](https://content.communere.com/assets/91cc8c8d-b570-49fa-bac0-dd765c93f3ad)

## DevOps and Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD)
DevOps is a set of practices that combine software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops) to enhance collaboration and streamline the software delivery process. Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD) are integral components of DevOps, enabling frequent code integrations, automated testing, and seamless deployments. They help ensure faster time-to-market, improved software quality, and better team efficiency.

![DevOps and Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery](https://content.communere.com/assets/637e220e-61d5-49a8-8402-3613c2da52fa)

## Cloud Computing and Software Development
Cloud computing has revolutionized the software development landscape by providing scalable and on-demand computing resources. Cloud platforms, such as [**Amazon Web Services**](https://aws.amazon.com/) (AWS) and [**Microsoft Azure**](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us), offer various services and tools that facilitate software development, deployment, and management. Leveraging cloud computing allows developers to build applications with high scalability, availability, and cost-effectiveness.

![Cloud Computing](https://content.communere.com/assets/3934273d-0eff-479c-9d9e-0be6bec1950d)

## Mobile App Development and Its Rising Popularity
The rapid growth of smartphones and mobile applications has led to an increased demand for mobile app development. With the advent of technologies like React Native and Flutter, developers can create cross-platform applications that run seamlessly on both iOS and Android devices. Mobile app development focuses on creating intuitive user experiences and leveraging device-specific capabilities to deliver engaging and functional mobile applications.

![Mobile App Development](https://content.communere.com/assets/1b9e051b-4fbf-4ab3-92d1-dcb9fc5d26a6)

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Software Development## 
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are transforming the software development landscape. AI-powered algorithms and ML models enable developers to build intelligent applications that can analyze data, make predictions, and automate complex tasks. From chatbots to recommendation systems, AI and ML are revolutionizing various industries and enhancing the capabilities of software solutions.

![Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning](https://content.communere.com/assets/3eab16af-27d0-4c08-9851-0fc8c86f226a)

## Internet of Things (IoT) and Its Impact on Software Development
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the network of interconnected devices embedded with sensors, software, and connectivity. IoT has opened up new opportunities for software development, enabling the creation of smart and interconnected systems. Software developers need to adapt to the unique challenges and requirements of IoT development, including security, scalability, and real-time data processing.

![Internet of Things (IoT)](https://content.communere.com/assets/642c57ca-8945-4946-94e2-72af8c2d4c07)

## Cybersecurity and Software Development
In an increasingly digital world, cybersecurity is of utmost importance. Software developers need to prioritize security at every stage of the development process. This includes implementing secure coding practices, conducting regular security audits, and staying updated with the latest security threats and mitigation strategies.

![Cybersecurity](https://content.communere.com/assets/933f304c-ca62-4bba-88e3-d625a6a258f4)

## User Experience (UX) Design and User Interface (UI) Development
User Experience (UX) design focuses on creating intuitive and user-friendly interfaces that enhance user satisfaction. User Interface (UI) development involves implementing the visual elements and interactions of software applications. The combination of UX design and UI development is crucial in delivering engaging and delightful user experiences.

![(UX) and (UI) ](https://content.communere.com/assets/9e6c70a2-7a68-47bc-8bb0-7cf9b6b4a942)

## Blockchain Technology and Its Applications in Software Development
Blockchain technology offers decentralized and secure solutions for various industries, including finance, supply chain, and healthcare. Smart contracts, distributed ledgers, and transparent transactions are some of the key features of blockchain. Software developers can leverage blockchain to build robust and tamper-proof applications, ensuring data integrity and trust.

![Blockchain Technology](https://content.communere.com/assets/0c1308f3-8b14-4bbf-8035-66979a48f5fc)

## Low-Code and No-Code Development Platforms
Low-code and no-code development platforms enable users with minimal coding knowledge to build applications using visual interfaces and pre-built components. These platforms accelerate the development process, allowing for faster prototyping and deployment. They empower citizen developers and facilitate collaboration between business stakeholders and IT teams.
![
Low-Code and No-Code Development Platforms](https://content.communere.com/assets/cadd7ce0-cafa-41b6-80b6-1167bba533cd)

## Quality Assurance and Testing Techniques
Quality assurance and testing are integral parts of software development to ensure the reliability and functionality of applications. Various testing techniques, including manual and automated testing, performance testing, and security testing, are employed to identify and resolve any issues or bugs.

![Quality Assurance and Testing in Software Development](https://content.communere.com/assets/85b9c2d5-cd82-4a04-a4e2-bf2388ea95be)

## Choosing the Right Programming Language for Your Project
Choosing the appropriate programming language is crucial for the success of a software development project. Factors such as project requirements, scalability, performance, and developer expertise need to be considered. Popular programming languages, such as Python, Java, JavaScript, and C++, each have their strengths and are suitable for different use cases.

![Right Programming Language for Your Project](https://content.communere.com/assets/3c58a2c6-50cc-4995-9e4e-f94f86b24454)

## Future Trends in Software Development
The software development landscape is constantly evolving, and it's essential to stay updated with emerging trends. Some of the future trends include:

![Future Trends in Software Development](https://content.communere.com/assets/6863dc4e-fc3d-4d41-aedf-a99dcff9ae6c)

- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning advancements
- Edge computing and the rise of edge-enabled applications
- Serverless architecture for scalable and cost-effective solutions
- Quantum computing and its potential impact on software development
- Increased focus on privacy and data protection
- Enhanced collaboration tools and remote development practices
## Conclusion
Software development is a dynamic and ever-evolving field that drives innovation and digital transformation. In 2023, it is crucial for developers to embrace emerging technologies, adopt agile methodologies, and prioritize user experiences and security. By staying updated with the latest trends and best practices, software developers can create cutting-edge applications that cater to the evolving needs of businesses and users.

![Conclusion](https://content.communere.com/assets/6b6b8b14-4240-455a-abd8-976e0bdfca27)

## FAQs
Here are some most common quations ask about software development in 2023.

![FAQs about software development](https://content.communere.com/assets/6e2420e0-eb47-4999-a870-543cfaddcfe8)

### 1. How long does it take to learn software development?
The time required to learn software development depends on various factors, including prior programming knowledge, learning dedication, and the complexity of the chosen programming language. However, with consistent practice and guidance, one can acquire the necessary skills within a few months to a year.
### 2. What is the role of a software developer?
A software developer is responsible for designing, coding, testing, and maintaining software applications. They collaborate with stakeholders, follow software development methodologies, and continuously enhance their skills to deliver high-quality software solutions.
### 3. Are software development jobs in demand?
Yes, software development jobs are in high demand. With the increasing reliance on technology and the growth of digital transformation initiatives across industries, the need for skilled software developers continues to rise.
### 4. What is the difference between front-end and back-end development?
Front-end development focuses on creating the user interface and user experience of an application, primarily using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Back-end development involves server-side programming and database management, ensuring the application's functionality and data processing.
### 5. How can I stay updated with the latest trends in software development?
To stay updated with the latest trends in software development, you can join online communities, attend tech conferences and webinars, follow industry blogs and publications, and participate in continuous learning programs offered by online platforms.

A Complete Guide to Software Development in 2023

32 Software Development Best Practices in 2023

32 Software Development Best Practices in 2023 + Examples

22+ Best Software Development Tools in 2023

Software Development Life Cycle in 2023

Software Development Life Cycle in 2023: Comprehensive Guide

Software Development Methodologies [2023 Update]

Top 18 Software Development Methodologies [2023 Update]

Best Software Development Courses in 2023

+45 Best Software Development Courses in 2023 [Free & Paid]

Agile Software Development Guide 2023

What is Agile Software Development? [2023 Guide]

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In today's fast-paced digital era, businesses are constantly seeking ways to stay competitive and improve their working efficiency. One of the most revolutionary technologies driving this transformation is artificial intelligence. AI has rapidly evolved from being a futuristic concept to a practical tool that is reshaping industries across the globe. 

Artificial Intelligence has changed business operations. It has enabled both large and small businesses to create new opportunities for growth and innovation. Smart technology is changing the business landscape. It brings many advantages, such as improved efficiency and cost savings.

There are real-life examples of businesses that have succeeded through the use of AI. Additionally, there are [**AI services**](https://communere.com/ai-dev) available for businesses to utilize. This article will discuss all of these topics.

## AI for Businesses: What Is It And Why Does It Matter
Artificial intelligence for businesses is the use of advanced technologies and algorithms. These technologies simulate human intelligence, such as machine learning and natural language processing.

![AI for Businesses](https://content.communere.com/assets/089ca36f-e429-40ff-996e-181593a68638)

They automate processes and make data-driven decisions. In other words, AI for businesses helps to streamline tasks. For businesses, data-driven intelligence can provide many benefits. These include improved efficiency, cost savings, enhanced customer experiences, and better decision-making.

AI for businesses refers to the use of artificial intelligence technologies to enhance operations, automate tasks, and make intelligent decisions. This can include machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision, and robotics, among other machine intelligence techniques. Artificial intelligence is becoming popular in business processes because it can improve efficiency, productivity, and innovation, and reduce costs.

AI-powered systems can analyze vast amounts of data, extract valuable insights, and enable businesses to make data-driven decisions. Furthermore, Smart algorithms can constantly learn and adapt, leading to improved accuracy and performance over time. Machine intelligence is a critical tool for businesses in all industries. It automates repetitive tasks and handles complex processes swiftly and accurately.
## The Benefits of AI for Businesses
It brings many advantages to businesses across industries, allowing them to streamline processes, gain insights, and enhance customer experiences. By leveraging smart technologies, businesses can automate repetitive tasks, make data-driven decisions, and unlock new opportunities for growth. Let's explore some of the key benefits that it offers to businesses:

![Benefits of AI for Businesses](https://content.communere.com/assets/2a23825f-6b50-471f-a829-43a8f5af3cc5)

### Automation and Efficiency
One of the most significant benefits of artificial intelligence for businesses is improved efficiency. AI-powered systems can perform tasks faster and more accurately than humans, saving time and resources needed for task completion. This can help businesses save money and improve productivity.
### Reduced Labor Costs
Another significant benefit of artificial intelligence for businesses is cost savings. By automating repetitive and time-consuming tasks, businesses can reduce their labour costs and increase their profit. Furthermore, artificial intelligence can assist businesses in making intelligent decisions regarding inventory, product development, and other important areas. This can result in cost savings and improved revenue.
### Enhanced Customer Experience
Artificial intelligence can improve customer experiences by offering personalized recommendations and round-the-clock customer support through chatbots and virtual assistants. This can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty, positively impacting a business's reputation and revenue.
## Real-World Examples of AI in Action
The game-changing impact of artificial intelligence has been observed across a multitude of industries, altering the way businesses function. Algorithmic intelligence has made significant strides in various sectors like healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and customer service, offering substantial benefits.
![Real-World Examples of AI in Action](https://content.communere.com/assets/3b366938-04a2-4d92-b1bd-5ff37cac6c7e)
By harnessing the capabilities of algorithmic intelligence, businesses have achieved remarkable advancements in their operations, productivity, and customer experiences. Let's explore some real-world examples, showcasing the remarkable impact it has had on different sectors.
### Healthcare Sector
Machine learning algorithms analyze medical images to detect anomalies, improving diagnosis and treatment processes with greater accuracy than humans.
### Retail Industry 
AI-powered recommendation systems analyze customer preferences and behaviours, providing personalized product suggestions that lead to increased sales and customer satisfaction.
### Manufacturing Sector 
Automated intelligence enables predictive maintenance, optimizing supply chain operations, and improving quality control processes.
### Customer Service 
AI-powered chatbots are used by businesses to provide round-the-clock support and promptly resolve customer queries.
### AI Art Generator 
Artificial intelligence algorithms have been used to create unique and compelling artworks, merging human creativity with machine intelligence. Artists and designers are leveraging artificial intelligence to generate paintings, music, and even poetry, pushing the boundaries of artistic expression.
## Types of AI-Powered Systems for Businesses
In business operations enhancement, a diverse range of systems operates using the power of artificial intelligence, each serving a specific purpose. These systems effectively address industry-specific challenges. Let's now delve into the various types of these systems and their applications:

![Types of AI-Powered Systems for Businesses](https://content.communere.com/assets/9ff33c0c-d6ec-4c7b-a746-46a7825b8421)

### Natural Language Processing (NLP) systems
#### - Chatbots 
AI-powered virtual assistants that interact with customers and provide support.
#### - Voice Assistants 
AI-driven voice-activated systems that respond to voice commands and perform tasks.
#### - Language Translation 
Artificial intelligence systems enable automatic translation between different languages.
### Computer Vision Systems
#### - Facial Recognition 
AI algorithms that identify and authenticate individuals based on facial features.
#### - Object Detection 
AI-powered systems capable of detecting and recognizing objects within images or videos.
#### - Autonomous Vehicles 
AI-driven technology enables self-driving cars and autonomous navigation.
### Machine Learning Systems
#### - Fraud Detection 
AI algorithms that analyze patterns and anomalies to identify potentially fraudulent activities.
#### - Credit Scoring
AI models that assess credit reliability and predict the risk associated with lending.
#### - Demand Forecasting 
Artificial intelligence algorithms analyze historical data to predict future demand for products or services.
### Robotics
#### - Autonomous Robots
AI-powered machines are capable of performing physical tasks without human intervention.
#### - Industrial Automation 
AI-driven systems that optimize and automate manufacturing processes.
#### - Robotic Process Automation (RPA) 
AI-powered software bots that automate repetitive tasks in business operations.

> These diverse types of AI-powered systems offer businesses tailored solutions to address specific working challenges. By using these systems, businesses can improve efficiency, accuracy, and productivity, leading to growth and innovation in their industries.
## AI Services for Businesses
Specialized companies offer various services that help businesses effectively utilize the potential of artificial intelligence. These services enable businesses to implement and optimize AI solutions, thereby harnessing the power of artificial intelligence effectively. Let's now delve into some essential services available for businesses seeking to leverage data-driven intelligence capabilities:

![AI Services for Businesses](https://content.communere.com/assets/9d574b56-5297-4942-801e-13d24e94a657)

### Consulting
Experts collaborate with businesses to identify use cases and develop a strategic roadmap for implementation.

Assessing existing infrastructure and processes to determine the best artificial intelligence solutions for specific business needs.
Providing guidance on data collection, model selection, and deployment strategies to maximize the impact of artificial intelligence.
### Development Services
Building and customizing algorithmic models and algorithms tailored to specific business requirements.

Developing AI-powered applications, tools, and platforms to enable seamless integration and operation.

Optimizing artificial intelligence models through continuous learning and improvement to enhance performance and accuracy.
### Integration Services
Ensuring seamless integration of AI solutions into existing business processes and IT infrastructure.
Collaborating with internal teams to deploy AI technologies and ensure fit with existing systems.

Testing, validating, and fine-tuning AI systems to ensure optimal performance and alignment with business goals.
### Training Services
Assisting businesses in training AI models using relevant and high-quality datasets.
Implementing techniques such as transfer learning and reinforcement learning to improve AI performance.

Providing expertise in data preprocessing, feature engineering, and model evaluation to enhance AI accuracy.
### Support and Maintenance
Monitoring and maintaining AI systems to ensure smooth operation and optimal performance.
Regularly updating AI models and algorithms to incorporate new data and adapt to changing business needs.

Addressing any issues or glitches that arise, and providing timely support to resolve technical challenges.
## AI Companies in the UK
There are several companies in the United Kingdom that specialize in providing artificial intelligence solutions and expertise to businesses. These companies have a strong track record in developing and implementing artificial intelligence technologies across various industries. Here are some notable companies in the UK:

![AI Companies in the UK](https://content.communere.com/assets/fa5a5992-a57b-4055-b374-e428d8ecd705)

### 1. Communere Ltd.
Communere Ltd. is a software development company that offers AI consulting, development, and integration services. They work closely with businesses to identify artificial intelligence use cases, develop tailored solutions, and ensure seamless integration into existing systems.
### 2. DeepMind Technologies 
DeepMind, a child company of Alphabet Inc. (Google's parent company), focuses on artificial intelligence research and development. They have expertise in areas such as deep learning, reinforcement learning, and healthcare AI applications.
### 3. Faculty
Faculty works with businesses to build and deploy AI solutions. They provide services such as strategy consulting, data science, machine learning, and algorithmic intelligence development.
### 4. QuantumBlack
QuantumBlack, a McKinsey company, specializes in using AI and advanced analytics to help businesses make data-driven decisions. They work across various industries, including finance, manufacturing, and healthcare.
### 5. Cambridge Consultants 
Cambridge Consultants is a technology consulting and development firm that offers AI services. They assist businesses in leveraging smart technologies for product development, process optimization, and digital transformation.
### 6. BAE Systems Applied Intelligence 
BAE Systems Applied Intelligence provides AI services and solutions for online security, fraud detection, and risk management. They leverage machine learning algorithms to analyze vast amounts of data and identify potential threats.
### 7. BenevolentAI
BenevolentAI focuses on applying machine learning to accelerate drug discovery and development. They work in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, using algorithmic models to analyze biomedical data and identify potential drug candidates.
### 8. Seldon
Seldon specializes in building and deploying AI models at scale. They provide infrastructure and tools for businesses to develop and manage their smart applications efficiently.

> UK companies offer expertise and solutions to help businesses utilize artificial intelligence and drive innovation in their industries.
## FAQ
As businesses navigate the implementation of AI technologies, it's natural to have questions and concerns. Here are some commonly asked questions about artificial intelligence in business and their corresponding answers to provide clarity and insight.
![FAQ about How AI is Transforming Businesses](https://content.communere.com/assets/0a06e9f2-63ea-4534-aa22-9a98ca9a45c2)
### Will AI replace human workers in businesses?
While AI automates certain tasks, it is unlikely to replace human workers entirely. Instead, it augments human capabilities, allowing employees to focus on higher-value activities that require creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence.
### Is AI expensive to implement for businesses?
The cost of AI implementation varies depending on the complexity and scale of the project. However, the advantages of artificial intelligence typically outweigh the upfront investment, making it a worthwhile endeavour for businesses in the long term.
### What are the ethical considerations of AI in business?
Ethical considerations include issues like data privacy, algorithmic bias, and the impact of artificial intelligence on employment. Businesses must ensure transparency, fairness, and accountability in their AI systems and adopt ethical frameworks to mitigate potential risks.
## Conclusion
Artificial intelligence is transforming the way businesses operate, changing industries across the globe. Integrating AI technologies helps businesses utilize their data, automate tasks, enhance efficiency, and provide personalized customer experiences. Real-world examples illustrate the practical applications of AI in healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and customer service.

![Conclusion How AI is Transforming Businesses](https://content.communere.com/assets/a261d337-09dc-477d-bd02-a335f98e6e2e)

With various types of AI-powered systems available, businesses can address specific operational challenges with tailored solutions. To implement it successfully, businesses can rely on artificial intelligence services provided by specialized companies. As artificial intelligence continues to advance, businesses that embrace this transformative technology will gain a competitive edge in the digital age.

Ready to transform your business with the power of artificial intelligence? [**Contact us**](https://communere.com/contact) today and gain a competitive edge in the digital age. Our team of AI experts specialises in tailored solutions for all industries. Let's work together to unlock full potential for your projects and revolutionize your business.

How AI is Transforming The Way Businesses Operate

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In today's technology-driven world, businesses need to stay ahead of the curve to remain competitive. Geographic Information System (GIS) companies are no exception. These companies depend on cutting-edge technologies to provide precise data insights to their clients. However, managing an in-house IT team can be challenging, especially for smaller GIS companies with limited resources. This is where IT staff augmentation services come in to provide affordable and efficient solutions to empower GIS companies.

In the vast ocean, a group of GIS experts embarked on a mission to map the world's underwater landscapes. The team had the knowledge, the resources, and the passion for the task, but they soon realised they needed more hands on deck. They needed skilled IT professionals, including machine learning engineers, to help them develop software tools to analyse the vast amounts of data they were collecting.

Thanks to outsourcing IT talent, they were able to hire a team of machine learning engineers who developed innovative solutions and algorithms that enabled them to predict ocean currents, identify potential hazards, and uncover new insights. The team was now empowered to take on more ambitious projects and make better use of the geospatial data available.

But IT staff leasing was not just about filling gaps in their workforce. It was also about empowering the team to innovate and stay ahead of the competition. With access to a diverse pool of talent and cutting-edge technology, augmented staff helped them develop new products and services, improve their processes, and stay on the cutting edge of their field.

If you're interested in learning more about how IT staff augmentation can transform your [**GIS projects**](https://communere.com/case-studies/basemap) and the benefits of working with machine learning engineers and solutions, keep reading our blog post for valuable insights and examples.
## What is IT Staff Augmentation?
It is a strategy that involves hiring external IT professionals to supplement or extend an in-house IT team for a particular project or period. IT team augmentation companies provide expert IT professionals who work remotely or onsite, depending on the client's needs. This strategy enables businesses to access a pool of experienced IT professionals at an affordable cost without incurring the expenses of hiring, training, and retaining full-time employees.

![What is IT Staff Augmentation](https://content.communere.com/assets/ff4b37bd-260e-4c33-8b53-6520fa5a169c)

As you know, companies need to be agile and adaptable to succeed. This often requires them to scale up their workforce quickly, particularly in the field of technology. One way that businesses achieve this is by bringing in additional personnel on a temporary basis to augment their existing team.

This process involves identifying the skills and experience required to complete a particular project or initiative and then seeking out individuals with the necessary expertise to fill those gaps. These temporary staff members work alongside the existing team, providing additional support, and helping to ensure that the project is completed on time and within budget.

An impressive example of staff augmentation in action is the partnership between Airbnb and Google. In 2015, Airbnb was experiencing exponential growth and needed to scale up its technology team quickly to keep pace. Rather than hiring new employees, the company turned to Google's staff augmentation services to bring in additional engineers on a temporary basis.

By working alongside Airbnb's existing team, these engineers were able to help the company develop and launch new features quickly, such as a messaging system for hosts and guests. This allowed Airbnb to maintain its competitive edge and continue to grow, without the need for a lengthy and costly hiring process.
## Benefits of IT Staff Augmentation for GIS Companies
Geographic Information System (GIS) companies face unique challenges that require specialised IT expertise. As GIS technology evolves and becomes more sophisticated, companies must keep up with the latest trends and tools to remain competitive. 

![Benefits of IT Staff Augmentation for GIS Companies](https://content.communere.com/assets/bfdd32a1-26de-4ff0-8f3b-0dbd48c00a88)

However, hiring and retaining IT staff with the necessary skills and experience can be a significant challenge. IT staff augmentation offers a solution to this problem, providing GIS companies with access to a flexible and scalable workforce of IT professionals who can help them achieve their goals. Here, we will discuss the benefits of an augmented workforce for GIS companies.

### Access to Experienced IT Professionals 
By augmenting their IT staff with professionals who specialise in GIS technology, GIS companies can access specialised expertise that may not be available in-house. This expertise can help them to execute projects more efficiently, effectively, and with better quality.
### Flexibility and Scalability
IT staff leasing services offer flexibility to GIS companies, allowing them to scale their IT teams up or down, depending on their project requirements. This flexibility enables companies to save costs by only paying for the services they need.
### Time and Cost Savings
On-demand IT talent services help GIS companies save time and money by eliminating the need to recruit, train, and retain full-time IT employees. It also saves companies the cost of providing employee benefits, such as health insurance and retirement plans.
### Improved Efficiency 
IT staff augmentation companies provide experienced IT professionals who can complete projects more efficiently and effectively than in-house IT teams. This efficiency helps GIS companies to deliver projects faster and with higher quality.
### Focus on Core Business 
Staff augmentation services free up GIS companies' internal resources, allowing them to focus on their core business objectives.
## IT Managed Services vs Staff Augmentation
In today's business world, technology is a crucial part of any company's success. As organisations continue to adopt new technologies, they must also consider how to manage and support their IT systems effectively. This can be achieved through two main approaches - one is to hire additional IT staff members, and the other is to outsource to a managed IT services provider.

![ IT Managed Services vs Staff Augmentation](https://content.communere.com/assets/d93dd5a8-8c3d-4764-887d-caaa94866499)

When it comes to IT staffing, businesses can hire additional IT professionals as employees or contractors to fill specific skills gaps or increase their internal IT capacity. This approach is commonly known as IT staff augmentation. By augmenting their existing IT team, organisations can quickly scale up their technology capabilities to meet new project requirements or business demands.

On the other hand, Managed IT Services is an outsourcing model where businesses engage with a third-party provider to manage their IT infrastructure, applications, and services. This approach allows companies to leverage the expertise of a dedicated team of IT professionals without the overhead costs of hiring and managing an internal IT department. Managed IT Services providers offer a wide range of services, including network and security management, help desk support, data backup and disaster recovery, and cloud computing solutions.

While both IT staff augmentation and Managed IT Services have their advantages, the best approach for a company largely depends on their specific needs and goals. On-demand IT talent is a suitable option for companies that require specific technical expertise or additional resources for a limited time. This approach can be particularly useful for companies with fluctuating project demands or those undergoing digital transformation.

Managed IT Services, on the other hand, can be an excellent option for businesses looking for long-term strategic IT support. By outsourcing their IT management to a third-party provider, companies can access a comprehensive suite of IT services and take advantage of their expertise in managing complex IT systems. Additionally, managed services providers often offer proactive monitoring and maintenance, which can help prevent costly downtime and improve overall system reliability.
## Choosing an IT Staff Augmentation Agency
As technology continues to play an increasingly vital role in business operations, many companies face a common challenge - the need for additional IT talent. Hiring additional IT staff members can be time-consuming, expensive, and challenging, especially when trying to find the right candidates with the necessary skills and experience. This is where IT staff augmentation agencies come in.

![Choosing an IT Staff Augmentation Agency](https://content.communere.com/assets/fc7b24bc-b883-4ecc-83c2-f94e7aede4a9)

IT team augmentation agencies provide businesses with access to a pool of pre-screened, qualified IT professionals to fill specific skill gaps or increase internal IT capacity. However, not all IT staff leasing agencies are created equal, and choosing the right partner for your business is essential. Here are some key factors to consider when selecting a contingent staffing agency:
### Expertise 
Look for an agency with a strong track record of providing outsourcing IT talent services in your industry or niche. Ideally, the agency should have experience working with companies similar in size and scope to yours.
### Quality of Talent 
Make sure the agency has a rigorous screening process to ensure that the IT professionals they provide have the necessary skills and experience to meet your requirements. The agency should also provide ongoing training and support to their IT professionals to ensure they remain up-to-date with the latest technologies and trends.
### Reputation 
Look for an agency with a proven track record of providing quality outsourcing IT talent services.
### Flexibility 
Choose an agency that can provide flexible extended workforce services that match your project requirements.
### Communication 
Clear communication is critical when working with an affordable IT staff augmentation agency. Make sure the agency provides regular updates and communicates clearly about the status of the project and the performance of their IT professionals.
### Cost 
Consider the cost of working with the agency. While it's essential to find an agency that offers competitive rates, don't make cost the only factor in your decision. Instead, focus on finding an agency that provides value for money and can deliver quality IT talent to meet your needs.
### Onsite and Remote Support 
Depending on the nature of your IT projects, you may require IT professionals to work onsite at your company's location. In such cases, it's essential to select an agency that can provide onsite support. The agency should have a local presence in your area and be able to quickly mobilise their IT professionals to work onsite when needed.

Remote support is also crucial, particularly in today's increasingly remote and distributed work environments. The agency should have a robust remote support infrastructure that allows its IT professionals to provide support and troubleshooting services remotely. The agency should also have a strong cybersecurity program to ensure that its remote support services are secure and comply with relevant regulations.

By considering both onsite and remote support capabilities, you can ensure that the IT staff augmentation company you choose can provide the level of support you need, regardless of the location of your IT projects or your team members.
## FAQ
Here are some frequently asked questions about IT staff augmentation and how it can empower GIS companies:

![FAQ IT Staff Augmentation for GIS Companies](https://content.communere.com/assets/64ad9b22-fcf4-42d3-bd11-1ef0f9c759df)

### How can IT staff augmentation help GIS companies?
It can help GIS companies in several ways. It can provide them with access to a pool of highly skilled and experienced IT professionals who can help them complete GIS projects on time and within budget. Additionally, it can help them reduce the time and cost associated with hiring full-time employees and training them on new technologies.

### What kind of IT professionals can be hired through staff augmentation?
IT staff augmentation can provide access to a wide range of technical experts, including software developers, data scientists, GIS specialists, project managers, and other technical professionals.

### How does the IT staff augmentation process work?
The process typically involves the following steps:
1. Identifying the skills and expertise required for the project
2. Creating a job description for the required IT professional
3. Finding suitable candidates through job portals, recruitment agencies, or other sources
4. Conducting interviews and selecting the best candidate
5. Onboarding and integrating the IT professional into the existing IT team
6. Managing and monitoring the IT professional's work

### What are the benefits of IT staff augmentation?
It offers several benefits, including:
- Access to a pool of highly skilled and experienced IT professionals
- Faster time-to-market for IT projects
- Reduced cost of hiring and training full-time employees
- Increased flexibility and scalability of IT resources
- Reduced risk of project failure due to lack of technical expertise or resources

### What are the potential challenges of IT staff augmentation?
Some potential challenges include:
- Difficulty in finding the right IT professional with the required skills and experience
- Ensuring effective communication and collaboration between the augmented staff and the existing team
- Ensuring that the augmented staff adheres to the company's processes and standards
- Managing the logistics and administrative tasks associated with bringing in an external IT professional.

## Final Thoughts
Contingent staffing services are an affordable and efficient way to empower GIS companies with the expertise they need to stay competitive. When choosing an IT staff augmentation company, it's essential to consider factors such as expertise, reputation, flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and onsite and remote support. By doing so, GIS companies can access a pool of experienced IT professionals, save time and money, improve efficiency, and focus on their core business objectives.

![Final Thoughts on IT Staff Augmentation for GIS Companies](https://content.communere.com/assets/7203ccd4-7def-4850-bd18-323ca9471ca9)

If you're a GIS company looking for reliable and cost-effective augmented workforce services, look no further than [**Communere Ltd.**](https://communere.com/) Our team of experienced IT professionals is dedicated to helping you achieve your business objectives while saving you time and money. [**Contact us**](https://communere.com/contact) today to learn more about how we can provide you with the onsite and remote support you need to stay competitive in today's market. Don't wait, take action now and start empowering your business with the expertise you deserve!

IT Staff Augmentation: Empowering GIS Companies

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The agricultural industry, with its rich history in human civilization, is evolving with the rise of technology. IoT in agriculture is one of the most exciting developments of recent years, bringing sensors, automation, and big data analytics to revolutionise the way we grow crops and manage livestock.

IoT is revolutionising the agriculture industry by providing farmers with real-time data and insights that can help optimise operations, improve yields, and reduce costs. From precision farming and smart irrigation to crop monitoring and livestock management, there are numerous use cases for farm automation.

In this blog post, we'll explore IoT in agriculture and how it is transforming the future of farming.

## What is IoT in Agriculture
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the interconnection of everyday objects with the Internet. IoT devices can gather and transmit data, which can then be used to make better decisions or automate processes. In agriculture, IoT devices are being used to monitor crops, livestock, and other aspects of farming. By collecting data from sensors and other devices, farmers can gain valuable insights into their operations and optimise their yields.

![What is IoT in Agriculture](https://content.communere.com/assets/1b8fa482-5a65-4dea-b066-d1b0394ddfb3)

## How IoT is Transforming Agriculture
The Internet of Things (IoT) is revolutionising the agriculture industry by enabling farmers to collect and analyse vast amounts of data from their crops and livestock. IoT sensors and devices can be used to monitor everything from soil moisture and nutrient levels to animal health and behaviour, providing farmers with real-time insights into the health and performance of their operations. This data can be used to optimise irrigation, fertiliser application, and other farming practices, reducing waste and increasing crop yields. With IoT, farmers can make informed decisions based on data, rather than guesswork or intuition.

![How IoT is Transforming Agriculture](https://content.communere.com/assets/5c3a624b-f879-4752-a206-2af3417999c0)

Moreover, IoT is also helping to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture by enabling more sustainable farming practices. By monitoring soil moisture levels and weather patterns, farmers can reduce water usage and minimise the risk of erosion and nutrient runoff. IoT devices can also be used to track and manage the use of pesticides and fertilisers, minimising the amount of chemicals used and reducing the impact on local ecosystems. Overall, the use of IoT in agriculture is transforming the industry, enabling more efficient, sustainable, and profitable farming practices. Here are some examples:

### Precision Farming
IoT technology enables farmers to monitor their fields and crops with precision. IoT sensors can measure moisture levels, temperature, humidity, and other key factors that affect crop growth. By gathering this data, farmers can make better decisions about irrigation, fertilisation, and pest control. This precision farming approach can lead to higher crop yields and lower costs.
Precision farming involves the use of sensors, drones, and other connected devices to collect data on soil conditions, moisture levels, and other factors that affect crop growth. Smart irrigation systems use sensors and weather data to determine when and how much water to apply to crops, conserving water and energy. Crop monitoring provides real-time data on factors such as temperature, humidity, and plant growth, helping to identify potential problems early on.
### Livestock Monitoring
IoT devices are also being used to monitor livestock health and behaviour. Sensors can be attached to animals to track their movements, feeding habits, and other vital signs. This data can help farmers identify and treat illnesses or injuries before they become serious. IoT devices can also be used to monitor the environment in which the animals live, such as temperature and humidity levels, to ensure their comfort and well-being.
### Crop Monitoring
Regular observation and assessment of crops are crucial for evaluating their health, growth, and development. Farmers carry out crop monitoring by checking factors such as soil moisture, nutrient levels, pest infestations, and weather patterns. 

The information obtained through crop monitoring allows farmers to make informed decisions about irrigation, fertilisation, and pest control, which ultimately lead to healthier crops and higher yields. 
In recent years, the use of technology such as drones and satellite imagery has made crop monitoring more efficient and accurate. Additionally, crop monitoring provides real-time data on factors such as temperature, humidity, and plant growth, helping to identify potential problems early on.
### Predictive Maintenance
IoT technology can also be used to monitor farming equipment and machinery. Sensors can detect when equipment is in need of maintenance or repair, allowing farmers to address issues before they become serious. This can save time and money by preventing downtime and reducing the need for costly repairs.

For example, smart irrigation systems use sensors and weather data to determine when and how much water to apply to crops, conserving water and energy.
### Supply Chain Management
IoT technology can also help farmers track their products from farm to market. Sensors can be attached to crops and livestock to monitor their movements and ensure that they are transported safely and efficiently. This can help farmers optimise their supply chain and reduce waste.
## Challenges with IoT in Agriculture
While IoT technology has the potential to revolutionise agriculture, there are also some challenges that need to be addressed. One of the biggest challenges is the cost of implementing IoT devices. Many farmers operate on tight budgets and may not be able to afford the upfront cost of IoT sensors and other devices.

![Challenges with IoT in Agriculture](https://content.communere.com/assets/b75c08fb-a9e9-4801-8ab1-bb0e15b0be1c)

Another challenge is the need for reliable internet connectivity in rural areas. Many farming operations are located in remote areas where internet connectivity is limited. This can make it difficult to transmit data from IoT devices and limit the usefulness of the technology.
Finally, there are also concerns about data privacy and security. IoT devices gather a lot of sensitive data, and it is important to ensure that this data is protected from hackers and other malicious actors.
## FAQ
There are many questions that arise about IoT in agriculture implementation, benefits, and challenges.Here we will answer some of the most common questions.
![FAQ-IoT in Agriculture](https://content.communere.com/assets/878d8db7-c445-4a86-ac40-a98f35315d8e)
### What are the benefits of IoT in agriculture?
The benefits of IoT in agriculture include increased efficiency and productivity, improved crop and livestock health, better resource management, and reduced costs. IoT technology can help farmers make data-driven decisions and optimise their operations to achieve better yields.
### How can IoT in agriculture improve sustainability?
IoT in agriculture can improve sustainability by reducing waste and optimising resource usage. For example, sensors can help farmers track soil moisture levels and adjust irrigation accordingly, reducing water waste. Livestock tracking devices can help farmers monitor animal health and behaviour, reducing the need for antibiotics and improving animal welfare. By using data to make more informed decisions about resource management, farmers can also reduce their environmental impact.
### What are some potential future applications of IoT in agriculture?
The potential future applications of IoT in agriculture are vast. For example, advanced sensors and drones could be used to detect diseases and pests in crops, allowing for targeted treatment and reducing the need for pesticides. Autonomous farm vehicles could be used to perform tasks such as planting and harvesting, reducing labour costs and improving efficiency. Machine learning algorithms could also be used to analyse data and make predictions about crop yields and weather patterns, allowing farmers to make even more informed decisions.
### How accessible is IoT technology for small-scale farmers?
The accessibility of IoT technology for small-scale farmers depends on a variety of factors, such as the cost of equipment, the availability of internet connectivity, and the complexity of the technology. While some IoT solutions can be expensive and require specialised expertise to install and maintain, there are also more affordable and user-friendly options available. For example, some companies offer subscription-based services that provide farmers with access to IoT technology without the need for significant upfront investment.
### How can farmers ensure the security and privacy of their IoT data?
Farmers can ensure the security and privacy of their IoT data by using secure data storage and transmission methods, implementing strong passwords and encryption, and regularly updating their software and firmware. It is also important for farmers to carefully review the terms of service and privacy policies of any IoT vendors they work with, to ensure that their data is being used in accordance with their wishes.
### How is IoT in agriculture shaping the future of farming?
IoT in agriculture is transforming the way we approach farming, by enabling more efficient and sustainable practices. With the ability to collect and analyse large amounts of data, farmers can make more informed decisions about crop management, resource allocation, and environmental impact. As this technology continues to develop, it has the potential to revolutionise the agricultural industry and help us feed a growing global population.
## Conclusion
Despite these challenges, IoT technology has the potential to transform the agriculture industry. By providing farmers with valuable data insights, IoT devices can help them optimise their operations and increase their yields. As IoT technology becomes more affordable and accessible, we can expect to see even more innovations in agriculture that will improve the efficiency and sustainability of farming. 

![Conclusion-IoT in Agriculture](https://content.communere.com/assets/c38d40fb-0f48-47fc-b420-7f9677a8a6f4)

Hence, the benefits of IoT in agriculture are clear. By embracing IoT technologies, farmers can help to create a more sustainable and prosperous future for themselves and for the world’s growing population.

IoT in Agriculture: The Future of Farming

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As businesses and organizations continue to embrace digital transformation, the demand for high-quality [**software development services**](https://communere.com/services) has increased exponentially. However, finding the right software development company in UK to partner with can be a daunting task, especially in the highly competitive UK market. 

Choosing the wrong partner can lead to a waste of time, money, and resources, not to mention the potential impact on your business reputation. Therefore, it's crucial to know what to look for when selecting a software development partner in the UK. 

In this blog post, we will share some tips and strategies to help you choose the right software development company that can deliver the results you need, on time and within budget. Let's dive in!

## Importance of Choosing the Right Software Development Company
Selecting the right software development company is crucial for the success of your project. A reputable and reliable software development agency can provide you with tailored solutions that meet your specific requirements, deliver the project on time and within budget, and offer ongoing support and maintenance to ensure smooth software functioning. 

![Choosing the Right Software Development Company](https://content.communere.com/assets/ac7d8e88-1356-48b0-8248-246f1059ceae)

In addition, the right software development company brings expertise, experience, and innovation to the table, providing you with high-quality solutions that are efficient, secure, and scalable.

## Factors of Choosing the Right Software Development Company 
The software development landscape in the UK is vast, with numerous companies offering their services. Here are some essential factors to consider when evaluating the best software development company in UK:

![Right Software Development Company](https://content.communere.com/assets/fbdea6e4-9a7b-46bb-a7eb-491b2a456ea9)

### Expertise and Experience
Look for a software development company with a team of skilled and experienced developers proficient in the technologies and platforms relevant to your project. Check their portfolio and case studies to see if they have successfully completed similar projects in the past. The company's expertise and experience will determine the quality of the software it can deliver.
### Technical Skills
Evaluate the technical skills of the software development company in the UK. Do they have expertise in the programming languages, frameworks, databases, and other tools required for your project? Do they stay updated with the latest industry trends and technologies? A software development company with up-to-date technical skills can deliver cutting-edge solutions.
### Project Management Methodology 
Ask about the software development company's project management methodology. A well-defined and structured approach to project management ensures that the project progresses in a timely and organized manner. Agile methodologies, such as Scrum or Kanban, are popular for software development projects, as they allow for flexibility and adaptability.
### Reputation and Reviews 
Research the reputation of the software development company in the UK. Look for online reviews, testimonials, and case studies to get an idea of their track record. Check if they have won any awards or certifications that showcase their expertise and reliability. A company with a good reputation and positive reviews is more likely to deliver a successful project.
### Communication and Collaboration 
Effective communication and collaboration are crucial for the success of any software development project. Look for a software development company that has clear and transparent communication channels, and is willing to collaborate with you and maintenance is crucial for the long-term success of the software. Inquire about the software development company's post-development support and maintenance services. A company that offers reliable support and maintenance can provide you with peace of mind knowing that any issues or updates will be addressed promptly, ensuring that your software continues to function smoothly and stays up-to-date with evolving technologies.
### Flexibility and Scalability 
Consider the flexibility and scalability of the software development company. As your business grows, your software requirements may change. Look for a company that can accommodate changes in the project scope, scale the team as needed, and provide flexibility in terms of contract terms and engagement models. This will ensure that the software development company can meet your evolving needs.
### Customized Approach 
A good software development company should take a customized approach to your project. They should be willing to understand your specific business needs, goals, and challenges. They should collaborate closely with you to gather requirements, provide expert advice, and come up with a tailored solution that aligns with your objectives. Avoid companies that offer one-size-fits-all solutions, as they may not meet your unique requirements.
### Cultural Fit 
Consider the cultural fit between your organization and the software development company. Software development projects often require close collaboration and communication between the development team and your internal team. Look for a company that understands your business values, work culture, and communication style to ensure smooth collaboration and a successful partnership.
### Quality Assurance 
Quality assurance is essential to ensure the software is bug-free, secure and performs as expected. Inquire about the software development company's quality assurance processes, such as code reviews, automated testing, and security audits. A company with a robust quality assurance process can deliver reliable and secure software.
### Budget and Pricing 
Consider the budget and pricing of the software development company. While cost should not be the sole deciding factor, it is important to ensure that the company's pricing aligns with your budget. Look for a company that provides transparent pricing and does not have hidden costs.
### Post-Delivery Support 
Software development is an ongoing process, and post-delivery support is essential for maintaining and updating your software solution. Inquire about the company's post-delivery support services, such as bug fixes, updates, and maintenance. A reliable software development company should provide adequate support after the project is completed to ensure the smooth functioning of your software solution.
## List of 7 Software Development Companies in UK
The UK is a hub for software development companies, with a thriving tech industry and a large pool of skilled professionals. Here, we will be providing a comprehensive list of software development companies in the UK, ranging from small startups to established enterprises. 

Whether you are looking for a company to develop a new software product or to provide ongoing support and maintenance for your existing software, this list will help you find the right company for your needs. So, without further ado, let's dive into the list and explore the top software development companies in the UK.

### [**Communere Ltd.**](https://communere.com)

#### - Communere Ltd. Pros:
1. Offers full-stack software development services across a wide range of technologies.
2. Known for their expertise in building scalable and high-performance applications.
3. Offers flexible engagement models, including nearshore and offshore options.
4. Offers good budgeting and pricing plans for a variety of projects with high-quality services. 
5. Communere Ltd. offers a variety of services that can be useful for businesses, such as company formation, registered office addresses, and business bank accounts.
6. They provide a free initial consultation to discuss your business needs and help you choose the right services.
7. The company formation service is straightforward and can be completed online quickly and easily.
8. Communere Ltd. has a simple pricing structure that is easy to understand, with no hidden fees or charges.
9. Communere Ltd. offers ongoing support or assistance to customers beyond the initial service, which could be an advantage for businesses that need ongoing assistance.

#### - Communere Ltd. Cons:
We have not found any cons for Communere Ltd. 

### [**ThoughtWorks**](https://thoughtworks.com)


#### - ThoughtWorks Pros:
1. Strong reputation in the software development industry with a focus on agile methodologies.
2. A broad range of services including custom software development, product development, and consulting.
3. Emphasis on diversity and inclusion in their workforce.

#### - ThoughtWorks Cons:
1. Higher cost compared to smaller or offshore development companies.
2. May have longer project timelines due to their commitment to high-quality standards.

### [**Softwire**](https://softwire.com)


#### - Softwire Pros:
1. Specializes in bespoke software development, providing tailored solutions to clients.
2. Known for their expertise in multiple programming languages and technologies.
3. Offers a flexible and collaborative approach to software development.

#### - Softwire Cons:
1. The smaller size compared to some larger companies may impact their capacity for larger projects.
2. May have limited availability for new projects due to high demand.

### [**Net Solutions**](https://netsolutions.com)


#### - Net Solutions Pros:
1. Offers end-to-end software development services including design, development, and maintenance.
2. Has a global presence with offices in the UK, India, and the USA.
3. Strong expertise in e-commerce, mobile app development, and cloud-based solutions.

#### - Net Solutions Cons:
1. Offshore development models may result in potential communication and timezone challenges.
2. May not be suitable for smaller or budget-constrained projects.

### [**BJSS**](https://bjss.com)


#### - BJSS Pros:
1. Known for their expertise in agile software development methodologies.
2. Offers a wide range of services including software development, quality assurance, and digital transformation.
3. Has a strong track record of working with government and public sector clients.

#### - BJSS Cons:
1. Higher cost compared to smaller or offshore development companies.
2. May have a longer sales and onboarding process due to their focus on enterprise-level clients.

### [**Red Badger**](https://red-badger.com)

#### - Red Badger Pros:
1. Specializes in digital transformation, UX/UI design, and custom software development.
2. Known for their collaborative and user-centric approach to software development.
3. Strong emphasis on innovation and continuous improvement.

#### - Red Badger Cons:
1. Their capacity for larger projects may be impacted by their smaller size compared to larger companies.
2. May have limited availability for new projects due to high demand.

### [**Infinity Works**](https://infinityworks.com)

#### - Infinity Works Pros:
1. Offers expertise in agile software development, DevOps, cloud, and data engineering.
2. Has a strong focus on delivering value to clients through technology-driven solutions.
3. Known for its collaborative and inclusive culture.

#### - Infinity Works Cons:
1. May not be suitable for smaller or budget-constrained projects.
2. The limited size of the company in comparison to larger ones might affect their ability to handle bigger projects.

### [**Equal Experts**](https://equalexperts.com)


#### - Equal Experts Pros:
1. Offers expertise in software development, agile coaching, and product management.
2. Known for their collaborative and autonomous approach to software development.
3. Strong focus on diversity and inclusion in their workforce.

#### - Equal Experts Cons:
1. Smaller in size than certain larger companies, they may face constraints in executing bigger projects.
2. May have limited availability for new projects due to high demand.

Note that the "best" software development company may vary depending on the specific requirements and priorities of a project. It's essential to conduct thorough research, review case studies, and evaluate the expertise, experience, and track record of different software development companies to determine the one that aligns best with the unique needs of your project.

## FAQ
In this section, we aim to answer some of the most common questions that arise when choosing a software development company in the UK, and provide guidance on how to make an informed decision that meets your specific needs.

![FAQ How To Choose The Right Software Development Company in UK ](https://content.communere.com/assets/d128b19f-6d88-430d-84e1-60b0d8ef9aaa)

### 1. How do I identify my business needs and goals?
Identifying your business needs and goals is a critical first step when looking for a software development company. You should have a clear understanding of what you're looking to achieve, the scope of the project, the timeline, and the budget. You can conduct a needs assessment or consult with your stakeholders to identify your requirements.

### 2. How can I assess a company's experience and expertise?
To assess a company's experience and expertise, you can review their portfolio, case studies, and client testimonials. You can also ask for references and talk to their past clients to gauge their satisfaction level. Look for companies that have experience in your industry or niche and can provide solutions that meet your specific requirements.

### 3. What should I look for in a company's communication and collaboration skills?
Communication and collaboration are critical for the success of a software development project. Look for companies that have a transparent and open communication process, use project management tools to track progress, and provide regular updates on the project's status. Also, consider the company's responsiveness and willingness to listen to your feedback and input throughout the development process.

### 4. How do I compare pricing and delivery models among software development companies?
Pricing and delivery models can vary among software development companies. It's essential to understand the pricing structure, including the payment schedule and any additional costs. Also, consider the delivery model, such as agile or waterfall, and how it aligns with your project's goals and timeline. You can request proposals from different companies and compare them to find the best fit for your project.

## Conclusion
Choosing the right software development company in the UK is a critical decision that can significantly impact the success of your software project. By considering factors such as expertise and experience, technical skills, reputation and reviews, communication and collaboration, project management methodology, quality assurance, budget and pricing, support and maintenance, flexibility and scalability, and cultural fit, you can make an informed decision.

![Conclusion On How To Choose The Right Software Development Company in UK](https://content.communere.com/assets/b4772ea7-6972-4d38-b1d7-33479b8223ec)

Take the time to research and evaluate different software development companies, review their portfolios, and communicate with them to understand their capabilities and processes. Don't hesitate to ask for references and testimonials to validate their claims. Remember, a reputable and reliable software development company will be a valuable partner in delivering high-quality software solutions that can drive your business success.

Make the right choice today and partner with a trusted software development company in the UK that can help turn your software ideas into reality. Don't settle for anything less than the best when it comes to your business success. [**Contact us**](https://communere.com/contact) now to learn more about our services and how we can help you achieve your goals. Let's collaborate and build something amazing together!

Choose the Right Software Development Company in UK

How to Choose the Right Software Development Company in UK

Digital Transformation Strategies for Businesses

Digital Transformation: Success Strategies for Businesses

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In the current digital age, having a strong online presence is critical for businesses to stay competitive. Web app development for businesses is one of the best ways to achieve this. A web app is a software application that runs in a web browser, allowing users to access it from anywhere with an internet connection. Web applications can be used for a variety of purposes, including customer engagement, internal operations, and business process automation. 

At Communere Ltd., we are dedicated to delivering exceptional [**custom web app development services**](https://www.communere.com/web-dev). Our team of skilled professionals takes pride in developing bespoke web applications that cater to our client's unique business needs. In this article, we will provide you with a comprehensive overview of web apps and web application development. From the benefits of web apps to their uses and different types, we will explore everything you need to know to make informed decisions about your web based app development project. 

So, whether you're looking to streamline your business operations, engage with customers more effectively, or increase your online presence, our team has got you covered.

## What is Web App Development for Businesses
Enterprise web app development involves the creation of software applications that are accessed over the internet using a web browser. These applications are designed to provide specific functionalities and services that are tailored to meet the unique needs of businesses.

![What is Web App Development](https://content.communere.com/assets/0abdf470-61f6-47a4-8c72-e07f2987a321)

However, web-based app development for businesses typically involves a multi-step process that includes planning, designing, developing, testing, and deploying the application. The process may also involve ongoing maintenance and updates to ensure that the application continues to meet the changing needs of the business.

Web-based applications can be used for a wide range of business purposes, including customer relationship management, inventory management, project management, E-commerce, and more. By providing businesses with easy access to important data and tools, web apps can help increase efficiency, productivity, and profitability.

To create a successful web app for a business, it's important to work with experienced custom web app developers who can provide expertise in areas such as user experience design, backend development, database management, security, and scalability.
## Benefits of Web App Development for Businesses
With the growing prevalence of internet usage and mobile devices, web apps have become an essential tool for businesses looking to stay competitive and offer their customers a seamless online experience. Additionally, web apps can be customised to meet specific business needs and can be easily updated and maintained, making them a cost-effective solution for businesses of all sizes.

![Benefits of Web App Development](https://content.communere.com/assets/86526540-2936-4578-8917-05dbee27aae6)

Web-based app development can provide numerous benefits to businesses, including:
### Accessibility: 
Web apps can be accessed from any device with an internet connection, making it easy for employees to work remotely or on the go.
### Scalability: 
Web apps can be scaled up or down depending on the needs of the business, without the need for additional infrastructure or hardware.
### Cost-effectiveness: 
Web apps can be more cost-effective than traditional software solutions, as they often require less maintenance and hardware resources.
### Improved collaboration: 
Web apps can provide a centralised platform for team collaboration, with features such as real-time communication, task assignment, and file sharing.
### Data analysis: 
Web apps can collect and analyse data in real time, providing valuable insights into customer behaviour, sales trends, and other key metrics.
### Customer engagement: 
Web apps can be designed to provide personalised experiences for customers, with features such as recommendations, chatbots, and loyalty programs.
### Competitive advantage: 
A well-designed web app can provide a competitive advantage in the marketplace, by improving customer satisfaction, increasing efficiency, and reducing costs.
## Different Types of Web App Development for Businesses
Businesses have many options when it comes to developing web applications. There are a variety of forms that can be used to create a web app that suits your needs. Each type of web app serves a unique purpose, from delivering engaging user experiences to managing complex business operations. 

![Different Types of Web App Development](https://content.communere.com/assets/35096d08-151b-44e2-8b25-0e3a473603c4)

Choosing the right type of web app depends on the specific needs and goals of the business, as well as the target audience and the technical requirements. With a wide range of options available, businesses can select the custom web application development approach that best aligns with their objectives and budget.

There are several types of business web-based apps, including:
### Static Web Apps
The static web app directly delivers the content to the end user’s browser without fetching any data from the server. Most static web apps are known to be simple and effortless to develop across the web.

Which languages are used to develop static web applications?
HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are used to develop most static web applications.

You can also add GIFs, and videos in static web apps. Though it might get challenging at times to update the web app. Best for a book publishing company. 

It Works really well in offline mode. No need to install 3rd party software to access the web app.

![Static Web Apps](https://content.communere.com/assets/6db7f427-95b1-4475-801d-79a6afc3fc9d)

### Dynamic Web Apps
A web application that generates data in real-time based on the user’s request and server response, is known as a dynamic web application.

Let us take an example to understand dynamic web apps.

When you log in to Netflix, it will show you the movie or series recommendations based on your choice. In case you select the action movies to watch, Netflix will show more action movie recommendations based on your selection. We have mentioned 3 web application examples along with their use cases. Please feel free to check.

Best for Social media, IT Industry, Healthcare, Retail & Ecommerce, Transportation & logistics and On-demand. Using it you can manage the website directly to change and update the information. Additionally, it provides easy user management to protect your server and manage all the users on the website.

![Dynamic Web Apps](https://content.communere.com/assets/e5fc3c88-f01b-4d4c-8526-217f041e8bfd)

### Single-page Applications 
(SPAs) are web apps that operate within a single web page, using JavaScript to dynamically update content without requiring the user to reload the page. SPAs are ideal for delivering a seamless user experience, as they allow for fast and responsive interactions, without interrupting the user's workflow. They are well-suited for applications that require a lot of user interaction, such as social media platforms or online games.

![Single-page Applications](https://content.communere.com/assets/4ad0983a-5602-48a0-be8e-10daa0d27e58)

### Multiple Page Apps
A web app that includes multiple pages and reloads the whole page whenever a user navigates to a different page is known as a multiple page app.

For example, when you log in to Amazon to buy a mobile phone, you need to click on a specific mobile phone, as soon as you will add a phone to your cart and hit the next button, the web app will redirect you to the next page, then you need to click on buy and again redirect to card page to finalise your order.

Companies like Google Docs, and Trello offer multiple services and products. Hence, they allow their users to interact with the application in multiple ways. Therefore, they go with multi-page applications.

Best for Enterprise industries and E-commerce industries. It allows optimising each page for search engines, and lets users access different pages with the click of their mouse.

![Multiple Page Apps](https://content.communere.com/assets/53c15441-ef8f-4ad3-8306-6d3607e49509)

### Progressive Web Applications 
(PWAs) are web apps that provide a native app-like experience, offering features such as push notifications, offline functionality, and app installation. Web app developers use web technologies such as service workers and web app manifests in progressive web applications to provide a consistent experience across platforms and devices. They are ideal for businesses that want to reach a wider audience by providing a mobile-first experience without the cost and complexity of developing native mobile apps.

Additionally, progressive web app development is becoming increasingly popular among businesses that want to offer their customers a fast and seamless experience across different devices.

![Progressive Web Applications ](https://content.communere.com/assets/d782da5c-61e3-456e-a68f-9aa2a17b825b)

### ECommerce Apps 
These are designed specifically for online retail businesses, providing features such as product catalogues, shopping carts, and payment gateways. They are ideal for businesses that want to sell products or services online, as they allow for easy product management, checkout, and order fulfilment. E-commerce apps are often integrated with other business systems, such as inventory management or shipping, to streamline operations.

![ECommerce Apps ](https://content.communere.com/assets/4f4a92a6-23de-4dd8-a68e-a932aff2af8b)

### Content Management Systems 
(CMS) are web apps that enable businesses to manage their digital content, such as websites, blogs, and social media profiles. CMS platforms provide tools for creating, editing, and publishing content, as well as managing user accounts and permissions. They are ideal for businesses that want to maintain a strong online presence, as they allow for easy content creation and management, without requiring technical expertise.

![Content Management Systems ](https://content.communere.com/assets/53354771-523a-4dbd-ae37-88ab36f9501c)

### Enterprise Resource Planning 
(ERP) systems are web apps designed to manage a wide range of business operations, including finance, supply chain, human resources, and customer relationship management. ERP systems provide a unified view of business operations, allowing for better decision-making and improved efficiency. They are ideal for large or complex businesses that require sophisticated management tools and reporting capabilities.

![Enterprise Resource Planning](https://content.communere.com/assets/e794ec70-93ae-4fc9-a060-82f21237a172)

As a result, the choice of a web-based application development approach depends on the specific needs and goals of the business. SPAs and PWAs offer fast and responsive user experiences, while E-Commerce apps and CMS platforms provide specialised features for online retail and content management. ERP systems provide a comprehensive solution for managing complex business operations. By understanding the differences between these web app development approaches, businesses can select the best option for their requirements and achieve their goals more effectively.
## Find a Top Web App Development Company
The success of your business hinges on selecting the appropriate web app development company. The best web and app development companies have a proven track record of delivering high-quality solutions that meet their client's specific requirements. 

Working with a progressive web app development company can help businesses create fast, reliable, and engaging web applications that offer a native app-like experience to users. These companies have experience in developing progressive web apps using modern web technologies and can help businesses design, develop, and launch web applications that meet their specific requirements. 

Moreover, by partnering with a progressive web app development company, businesses can provide their customers with a seamless and engaging experience that is optimised for performance and functionality.

There are many web app development companies available in the market, but not all are created equal. Finding the best web app development company can be a challenging task, but it is essential for businesses that want to build high-quality web applications. Top web app development companies have a reputation for delivering exceptional solutions that meet their client's specific needs, and they have a team of experienced developers who can build custom web applications, progressive web apps, and other types of web apps.
## Outsource Web App Development for Businesses
For businesses, outsourcing web app development can provide a cost-effective and efficient means of building high-quality web applications. By outsourcing web app development, businesses can benefit from the expertise of experienced developers without having to invest in building an in-house team. 

Outsourcing also allows businesses to scale up or down their development resources based on their needs, providing flexibility in a fast-changing market. However, it is important to choose the right outsourcing partner to ensure that the project is completed on time, within budget, and to the required quality. By selecting a reliable outsourcing partner, businesses can have peace of mind that their web application is being developed to the highest standards while they can focus on their core business activities.
## FAQ
Here are some common questions businesses have about web app development. By understanding the answers to these questions, you can make informed decisions about their web app development projects.

![Web App Development FAQ](https://content.communere.com/assets/37382708-92ce-4f0a-9eee-df55372867a5)

### How much is web app development cost for businesses?
Web app development prices for businesses vary depending on the complexity of the project, the number of features required, and the time required to complete the project. It's best to consult with a web app development company to get an accurate estimate.
### What is the process of web app development for businesses?
The web app development process for businesses typically involves several steps, including planning, designing, developing, testing, and launching the app.
### Can businesses outsource web app development?
Yes, businesses can outsource web app development to a third-party web app development company, which can be more cost-effective and efficient than hiring an in-house development team.
## Wrap Up
To sum it up, web app development is an essential part of modern business, and it offers numerous benefits, such as boosting customer engagement and increasing revenue. With the right strategy, businesses can create custom web applications that are optimized for performance, security, and user experience. 

It's crucial to choose the right technology and development partner to ensure the success of the project, whether businesses decide to work with a web app development company or hire an in-house team. From low-code platforms to progressive web app development, there are many options available for businesses looking to build web applications. 

By staying up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies in web app development, businesses can ensure that their web applications are competitive and meet the evolving needs of their customers. So, if you're looking to develop a web app for your business, take the time to research your options, choose the right [development partner](https://communere.com/contact), and build an app that will take your business to the next level.

Web App Development for Businesses

Web App Development for Businesses [Key Features]

Custom Software Development for Businesses

Custom Software Development for Businesses [In-Depth Guide]

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In today's digitally driven world, [**web applications**](https://communere.com/blog/web-app-development-for-businesses) have become an essential aspect of modern business. Whether it is an e-commerce website, a social media platform, or a project management tool, web applications have transformed the way we communicate, collaborate and conduct business. Web app agencies are companies that specialize in the design, development, and deployment of web applications for businesses and individuals. 

However, developing a successful web application requires expertise and experience. Therefore, selecting the right web app agency is crucial to ensuring the success of your project.

By exploring this blog, you can make an informed decision when selecting a web application development company to work with.

## What Is a Web Application
Compared to desktop applications that require installation on a local device, web applications operate on a web server and can be accessed through a web browser on any device with an internet connection. Their availability on multiple devices makes them accessible to users regardless of location or device type. The purpose of web applications is to offer a smooth and intuitive user experience, providing a range of features that cater to different needs such as online shopping, social networking, project management, and more.

![What Is a Web Application](https://content.communere.com/assets/30811616-0b3d-44e1-8e25-1ae3bac43a64)

## Key Features of Web Applications
The best web applications are designed to provide a smooth and engaging user experience, with a range of features that make them stand out from the competition. Some of the key features of web applications include:

![ Key Features of Web Applications](https://content.communere.com/assets/5792cca5-cbe8-4b5c-8ca5-ae5290719b0a)

### - Responsive Design
A responsive design ensures that the web application is optimised for use on any device, including smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers. This ensures that users can access the application on any device and have a consistent experience.
### - Security 
Web applications deal with sensitive user data, such as personal information and payment details. Therefore, it is essential that the application is designed with robust security features to prevent data breaches and protect user privacy.
### - Scalability 
Web applications need to be able to handle a large number of users and traffic without slowing down or crashing. Therefore, the application should be designed with scalability in mind, with the ability to handle increased traffic and user load.
### - User-friendly interface
The web application should be easy to navigate and use, with a clear and intuitive user interface. A user-friendly interface ensures that users can quickly and easily access the functionality they need, without confusion or frustration.
## Web Application Development Services
The best web app agencies offer a range of [**web application development services**](https://communere.com/web-dev), including:

![Web Application Development Services](https://content.communere.com/assets/0cff2ccf-a666-4ee1-8209-d75557c9adfd)

### - Web Application Design
The agency should have a team of experienced designers who can create a visually appealing and engaging design for the web application.
### - Web Application Development 
The agency should have a team of experienced developers who can develop the web application using the latest technologies and coding languages.
### - Quality Assurance and Testing 
The agency should have a dedicated quality assurance team that can test the application to ensure that it meets the highest standards of quality, security, and performance.
### - Maintenance and Support
The agency should provide ongoing maintenance and support for the web application, ensuring that it remains up-to-date and fully functional.
## How to Find the Best Web App Agencies
Finding the right web app agency can be a daunting task, with so many options available. However, there are a few key factors to consider when selecting an agency:

![How to Find the Best Web App Agencies](https://content.communere.com/assets/73c0e384-7301-4955-89d5-d0a731dffa11)

### - Experience
The agency should have a proven track record of developing successful web applications for a range of clients. Look for case studies and testimonials from previous clients to gauge their level of experience and expertise.
### Technology 
The agency should have a deep understanding of the latest web technologies and coding languages, and be able to develop applications using the latest frameworks and libraries.
### - Communication 
The agency should have clear and transparent communication channels, with regular updates on the progress of the project and the ability to quickly address any concerns or issues that arise.
### - Cost
The agency should provide transparent pricing and be upfront about any additional costs or fees that may be incurred during the development process.
## FAQ
Are you looking for the best web app agency to build your next project? Look no further! Here are some frequently asked questions about the features of the best web app agencies to help you make an informed decision.

![ FAQ](https://content.communere.com/assets/359c6790-b372-445c-ab03-aa43ca068051)

### What sets the best web app agencies apart from the rest?
The best web app agencies have a strong focus on user experience, efficient development processes, and staying up-to-date with the latest technologies and trends.
### How important is communication when working with a web app agency?
Communication is key when working with any agency. The best web app agencies prioritise clear and timely communication throughout the entire development process to ensure that the final product meets your needs and expectations.
### Can a web app agency work with my existing team?
Yes, many web app agencies are able to seamlessly integrate with your current team to ensure a collaborative and successful development process.
### How long does it typically take for a web app agency to complete a project?
Project timelines can vary depending on the complexity of the project, but the best web app agencies will provide a clear project plan with estimated timelines and milestones.
### What kind of support can I expect after my web app is launched?
The best web app agencies provide ongoing support and maintenance to ensure that your app continues to function properly and meets your evolving needs.
## Summation
In conclusion, web applications have become an essential aspect of modern business, offering a range of functionalities and a seamless user experience. [**Selecting the right web app agency**](https://communere.com/blog/choose-the-right-software-development-company-in-uk) is crucial to ensuring the success of your project

![Finding the Ideal Web App Agency](https://content.communere.com/assets/415b9d4a-6b7f-4d3a-b1db-fb47a9224a6c)

Therefore choosing the right web app agency is crucial for the success of your project. Remember to look for agencies with a strong focus on user experience, efficient development processes, and clear communication. It's also important to consider whether an agency can work with your existing team, what kind of support is provided after launch, and what the estimated project timeline is. By considering these factors and asking the right questions, you'll be able to find the best web app agency for your needs and ensure the successful development of your project.

Features of Best Web App Agencies

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One of the best and most popular ways to grow your business is by building a desktop, web, or mobile application to attract customers in the online world. Among the others, web applications are the favourite apps that help you achieve the best possible results.

This article will outline some of the critical benefits of web-based applications for businesses and provide information on how you can benefit from developing your own web application.
Increasing internet use in virtually every workplace has led to web applications becoming popular business tools. Their primary functions are communication with customers, collaboration with employees, secure data storage, and providing management with information and data.

A web app application is front-end-based, using the Internet as its interface, or 'front-end', to interact with users. The application can be accessed from any computer connected to the Internet or Intranet, and there is no need to install it on a stand-alone computer.

Today in this post, we are going to talk about some of the essential benefits of web applications. These advantages are all factors you need a business application to provide your customers with.

[Bespoke web app development](https://content.communere.com/assets/2c896f90-1887-41c3-9ec7-7ac103916cad)

## Benefits of a Web Application for Business
You and your business have the opportunity to benefit from a variety of advantages when you compare web-based applications to desktop applications. As these applications are available through the Internet, they can be accessed from any computer without having to manually install them on each computer.

Below we have mentioned some of the most critical web-based system advantages which will encourage you to think of web app development.

### The wide accessibility
One of the most important web-based operating systems advantages is accessibility across devices for users. SaaS applications work consistently across all operating systems, regardless of whether the operating system has recently been updated or has been updated at the current time. This makes them useful for problem-solving because everyone knows how the application works.

ome good news, however, includes that most desktop applications can be converted into web applications to be accessed from anywhere and on any device. A flexible work schedule and location increase employee productivity within businesses when users are given the ability to choose when and where they want to use the application. Because of their web-based nature, business systems can be built using them.

All desktop-based applications must be updated on all of the devices on which they are installed to function correctly. In contrast, a company's web-based application can be updated in real-time without causing any downtime, enabling users to take advantage of the new features immediately.

### Easily customisable & scalable
There is often a limitation to off-the-shelf software when it comes to its ability to grow and integrate with clients' business operations. Many clients are unable to obtain these goals without the expenditure of additional expenditures. In addition, bespoke web applications can be tailored to meet the requirements of your business, making them wholly scalable and flexible.

You may also customise the application by rebranding it and assigning different permission levels to other users as part of the customisation process. Because you are only using features and functions relevant to your business, web applications allow you to expand your application's functionality with your company's growth. Using a Web application that offers web-based functionality on mobile devices is possible if it is customised for their use.

In addition to being very user-friendly, the application can be built to the individual's preferences to present information in a personalised manner. Web applications are much easier to be modified than desktop applications, which is a relatively rare occurrence. The advantage of web-based software is that employees can work with it on the go and access it whenever they need to since it can also be updated in response to changing needs.

[Customisable web applications](https://content.communere.com/assets/22e6b7bc-48ca-41b4-a10a-8cf74cddb125)

### It is fully integrated with other systems.
The ease of integrating web-based applications and other systems is far greater than desktop applications. The development of localised software is disadvantageous when compared to web-based applications that have a greater degree of interoperability. Thus, web-based applications are more readily interconnected than two completely independent systems running on different platforms.

Suppose you are still asking yourself why web-based applications should have such immense popularity. In that case, you must know that integration, full customisation, and wide accessibility are enough to encourage business owners to consider web apps.
If you agree that just these crucial pros of web apps are all a business need and if you are looking for expert web app developers, we recommend Communere Ltd. The Communere Ltd team builds robust, scalable, and bespoke web apps using agile development processes leveraging the latest web technologies.

Communere's developers are always learning new technologies and do everything they can to provide the means for them to update their knowledge.
You can also find more about our [**web app development service**](https://communere.com/web-dev) here:

### Highly deployable
SaaS applications are accessible to businesses once they have been installed on the server hosting them. The host server can apply upgrades instead of updating each machine whenever an upgrade occurs.
The advantages of this approach include ease of implementation and efficient maintenance. Implementing a central point reduces the time to make changes so that the system remains consistent.

In light of the fact that web applications can now be managed and cross-platform supported, deploying and managing web applications within various work environments is now easier than ever before.

This service is the best choice when bandwidth is limited or the user uses a remote data server or system. You need only to send the user a URL where they may log in to the system. This is significant because it facilitates unrestricted access to a variety of systems, streamlines processes, and improves relationships between suppliers and customers.

### Increased flexibility
Upgrading your application is easy, and you can improve its flexibility if you wish to increase its growth capabilities. If you have several business processes that need to be completed simultaneously in your organisation, web-based software can definitely help you manage them more efficiently.
In addition, if one of your servers develops a problem, it can be replaced entirely without affecting your entire operating system, which will minimise the downtime you experience.

### Highly secure
Due to the security aspects of web-based applications, professionals and teams cannot access centra centralised without accessing the servers directly.
Cloud computing can make servers redundant and replicable to prevent downtime during a disaster. This approach eliminates the need for security on each device on which the application is installed, thereby simplifying the process.
As a result, there is a reduced likelihood of unauthorised access, and putting security measures in place is simpler since it can be done centrally. When desktop computers, particularly those running desktop software, are lost or damaged, replacing them can be very costly and time-consuming.
The critical thing to remember is that your data is at risk and that your software provider must reinstall the software on the new computer. You can be assured that if your computer equipment is damaged or stolen, you can quickly resume normal business operations with a web-based application stored in the cloud.
Using your URL username and password, you can securely access web-based applications from any computer or mobile device that has access to a remote server. The cloud can be used as a last resort to back up data in case of a loss of data due to any cause, regardless of whether it was caused by a human or by a computer program.

### Cost-effective
An organisation can substantially reduce operating costs by utilising web-based applications by reducing support and maintenance costs, reducing the load on end users' machines, and simplifying the application's architecture. A web-based application can save your company additional money since they streamline business processes.
The primary reason for developing a web application is that it takes less effort and time than developing a mobile application. Developing a web app also allows the application to be updated for multiple operating systems in one release. So It is a cost-effective method of implementing software since the application does not need to be tested on every operating system.

## Conclusion
Because web-based applications are easy to set up and manage, they can be a valuable tool for providing flexibility to your employees' work schedules, as well as having a number of other benefits.
The above are just several benefits that can be obtained from a web-based application and how they can assist businesses in achieving their objectives. 

When it comes to standing out from both online and offline competition, there is no doubt that you should consider developing a web application.
The Communere Ltd team is our recommendation for you to achieve success in the online world. This team uses modern management techniques to ensure your product is delivered on time. If you have any questions regarding web apps, you can quickly contact us by filling out this form:

[**Contact Us Form**](https://communere.com/contact)

Why Web Apps Are Necessary For Your Business

Why Web Apps Are Necessary For Your Business [ Key Benefits ]

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The way businesses are managed changed as a result of increased Internet usage by both corporations and individuals. Companies are now looking for professional web app developers for their web app development needs. But what exactly is a web app, and what are its features? 
In this article, we are going to provide you with a complete guide on web apps and explain why your business needs one. Keep reading!

## What's a web app?

A web app is a computer software that executes a specific task using a web browser. Some web apps need server-side processing because they are dynamic. Others require no server processing because they are entirely static. 
 
## Web applications vs other types of apps

Although they are frequently used interchangeably, websites and web applications are different. A website is most commonly described as a collection of interconnected, information-carrying pages that may be visited via a web browser. The user accesses a web application through a web browser or application software running on a web server.
Web apps are also different from native apps. Native applications are downloaded and built expressly for the sort of device they are installed on and utilise the hardware specific to the device, such as the GPS or camera.
Hybrid applications are occasionally used to describe programs that blend these two apps. Although hybrid apps are installed on the device similarly to native apps, they function similarly to web apps.

If you have a web app development project, Communere Ltd. makes sure you get the best experience. 

[Let's talk about your web app! ](https://communere.com/contact)

[https://content.communere.com/assets/3b7857c2-5cb5-496c-99ac-ab804a4df8ea]

## How does a web app work?

Web applications are written in two different languages by web app developers. To function, they often combine server-side scripts and client-side scripts. The information is stored and retrieved by the server-side script, which needs programming languages such as Python or Java. Languages like JavaScript, CSS, and HTML5 are required for the client-side script. These programming languages use the browser to carry out the operation.
The web server forwards the user's request to the web application server via the Internet when the user submits it through the application's user interface. The web app server completes the specified operation and generates the necessary data results. Then, these results are returned to the web server by the web app server.
Lastly, the user receives the required information from the web server on his mobile device, tablet, or desktop. 

## Most common features of web applications

The most common features of web apps are:
•	Prioritising user interaction
•	Easier to maintain compared to desktop apps
•	Operating online and through web browsers
•	Highly responsive
•	Using push notifications to keep users updated on app-related activity and encourage frequent app usage
•	No need to download or install them


## Most known web apps

Web app developers create different types of web apps, including email, word processors, spreadsheets, shopping carts, and more. Let's look at some of the most known ones available.

### Google Apps

Gmail, Google Docs, Google Slides, Google Sheets, online storage, and more are all included in Google Apps for Work. Document sharing is an essential feature of this well-known web application which enables simultaneous access to the same document version by all team members.

### Netflix

Netflix offers limitless on-demand access to movies and television series for its subscribers. It is also compatible with various devices and operating systems, like other online apps. Netflix serves as an example of why web apps are excellent content platforms.

### Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office has become a trendy online suite of tools, much like Google Workspace. You can also download mobile and desktop apps of Microsoft Office in addition to the web-based version.

### Basecamp

This well-known platform is a web application for project management, client messaging, and work schedules. It is simple to invite users to projects because it is a web app, so there is no need to worry about what kind of device or browser they are using.


## Conclusion
Every business, no matter how big or little, needs a digital platform as we become more dependent on technology. And one of the most advantageous platforms at the moment is a web application.
By hiring the Communere Ltd team, you can ensure your web app development project will succeed. Communere developers with state-of-the-art technical proficiency deliver the best result at an affordable price.

This highly experienced and dedicated team can develop a business-specific application for you or your organisation. For over a decade, they have developed high-performance, feature-rich mobile and web applications that can be operated on all major platforms, including Android and iOS.
The Communere developers use the most advanced management methods to ensure that your order will be delivered on time.

In addition to developing mobile applications, Communere Ltd. has extensive experience in implementing business-oriented software.
By utilising a variety of technologies, they develop high-performance, feature-rich web applications as well as mobile applications for all major platforms.
Moreover, the company offers simple technical solutions to business challenges through its own front-end and back-end development teams, all of whom have extensive experience in online technology.

What Is A Web App and Why Your Business Needs One

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The task of finding the shortest path between two nodes in a graph is well-studied in computer science literature. The well-known Dijkstra algorithm finds the shortest path from a source to all other destinations. In this post, we explain how did we handle routing in the public transportation network for one of our clients at Communere.

## Public Transit Network

Public transportation differs from other networks. The main reason is that the edges are available only at certain times. For example, consider a bus that leaves stop X at 08:00. The edge between stop X and the next stop is available only at 08:00. This proves to make routing much more difficult. The following questions must be considered in this scenario.

- How long should we wait at a stop?
- How to handle the dynamic nature of the network?
- Will there be any path from my next stop?

These problems make traditional routing algorithms inefficient in this case.

## RAPTOR Algorithm

Round-Based Public Transit Routing (RAPTOR) is a temporal pathfinding algorithm developed by Microsoft. The original publication of the algorithm by Delling, et al. is available [here](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/raptor_alenex.pdf). This algorithm was developed to address the mentioned problems. It is widely different from Dijkstra. It doesn't even need a Min-Heap to prioritize the shortest paths!

## Algorithm Intuition

In public transit network, each means of transportation moves along its predefined route. Unlike general-purpose routing algorithms like Dijkstra, RAPTOR utilizes this property to find the optimal path. To illustrate the difference, consider the following scenario.

The graph below depicts a public transit network and its availability times. Each colored line represents a path that a bus takes. The red line starts from stop 1 at 08:00 and arrives at stop 7 at 10:30. Stops 2, 3, 4, and 5 are the intermediate stops in this route. Each intermediate stop is 30 minutes away from its neighboring stops in the route.

Assume that we want to find the earliest arrival time for stop 7 given that we are at stop 1 at 7:45.
![public transportation network](https://www.dropbox.com/s/86hivofa9aq0zi3/trips.png?dl=1)
The first thing would be to find the earliest leaving bus (or other means of transportation). In this case, there is only one bus leaving at 08:00 so we have a total waiting time of 15 minutes at stop 1.

Once we catch a bus, the algorithm will traverse that route to the end. Put simply, once you hop on the bus at stop 1, the algorithm will sequentially traverse all the stops that are on that route. And, it will record the arrival time for each stop. So, after traversing the first route, the algorithm will have the following records.

- Best arrival time for stop 1: 08:00
- Best arrival time for stop 2: 08:30
- Best arrival time for stop 3: 09:00
- Best arrival time for stop 4: 09:30
- Best arrival time for stop 5: 10:00
- Best arrival time for stop 7: 10:30

With this information, the algorithm can stop and report the earliest arrival time for the desired location is 10:30. This is a valid answer if the desired number of interchanges is 0. However, there may be a better path by changing lines.

The algorithm works iteratively. Routes with 0 interchange are considered in the first iteration. The second iteration builds upon the knowledge obtained from the first iteration and considers routes with 1 interchange. More specifically, from the first iteration, the algorithm knows that the earliest arrival time of stop 2 is 08:30. Therefore, it starts the pathfinding routing the same way as before. The only exception is that it starts from stop 2 at time 08:30.

To clarify things a little more let's trace the second iteration of the algorithm. In the first iteration, the algorithm marks any stop that has been improved in terms of arrival time. Since each stop's arrival time is initially set to infinity, all stops in the first iteration are improved. In the second iteration, the algorithm considers the available trips from stops 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7. Let's trace the blue trip from stop 2. Given that we arrive at stop 2 at 08:30, we can board the blue route and reach stops 6 and 5. The respective time for arrival is 08:40 and 09:00. As you can see, the arrival time for stop 5 improves. After the second iteration, the best arrival time for each stop is as follows.

- Best arrival time for stop 1: 08:00
- Best arrival time for stop 2: 08:30
- Best arrival time for stop 3: 09:00
- Best arrival time for stop 4: 09:30
- Best arrival time for stop 5: 09:00 (follow the red line to stop 2, then switch to the blue line)
- Best arrival time for stop 6: 08:40 (follow the red line to stop 2, then switch to the blue line)
- Best arrival time for stop 7: 09:30 (follow the red line to stop 3, then switch to the green line)

The iteration continues until no improvement can be made or the algorithm hits the maximum number of iterations.

Another important aspect is the ability to walk between stops. RAPTOR does not compute the walking time between stops. This is a brilliant abstraction as any routing algorithm can be used to find the walking times.

### Performance

RAPTOR has become the de-facto algorithm for public transit routing. Most of the other algorithms need preprocessing stage to have an acceptable performance; this is not the case for RAPTOR. Most of the queries are almost instant in small networks. This algorithm proved to be more than three times faster than the modified versions of Dijkstra.

### Footnotes

- The original paper is vague in some aspects. And, it also has minor bugs in its pseudo code. If you are stuck, [this link](https://ljn.io/posts/raptor-journey-planning-algorithm) provides a better explanation.
- There is a python implementation available [here](https://github.com/lmeulen/pyraptor).

Round-Based Public Transit Routing

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A gentle introduction to operation research

## Motivation

The demand for data analysts has exploded in recent years. Most companies are integrating data into their decision making process. However, in many practical applications, the company may not have data to answer the questions. An example of this scenario is when the managers want to start building a new product. In this case, many questions must be answered before the production. Some of these include

- How many units should we produce?
- Is this product profitable?
- How much budget should be allocated to marketing?

As you can see, these questions are directed toward areas where previous data may not help. So, should we just trust the intuition of the managers or is there a more systematic way to explore the answers? In this post, we explain the latter.

## Mathematical Programming

Most of the decisions in a firm are either trying to maximize profit or minimize cost. In a way, the decisions are trying to achieve one of these extremes. You may remember this graph from high school; and, probably the “pointless” differentials.

<img src="https://content.communere.com/assets/b5a2fee2-9266-4c2c-aad1-a34b673b037f.jpeg" />

Even though Y = X2 does not correspond to any particular thing, it can represent a whole range of possibilities. For example, if we substitute “Y” with “Production Cost”, things start to make sense. Now, trying to find the minimum value of “Y” is not a math exercise anymore; it is the process of minimizing the “Production Cost” given the parameter “X”. Parameters “X” and “Y” can represent anything. This is the simplest case of decision making where we control parameter “X” and the value of “Y” is derived from our decision. In this example, the relation between these parameters is quadratic. This is the essence of operations research and mathematical optimization.

### An optimization Task Is Defined By

- #### **Decision Variables:** 
The parameters that you can control.
- #### **Objective Function:** 
The thing we are trying to optimize (either by finding the minimum or the maximum) expressed in terms of decision variables.
- #### **Constraints:** 
A set of real world constraints. For example, the maximum budget.
And, that’s it! Just by defining your problem and constraints in mathematical terms, you can have the solution using Microsoft Excel!

### Real World Example

Suppose you want to start a business. You have 10000$ and want to build your awesome idea. You can buy 1 unit of material that is needed to build your idea for 2$. And, buying 100 units at once has a 10% discount. However, you can only work 4 hours a day because you have a full time job. But, you can always pay others to work for you. In this case you can pay someone 50$ per hour to work for you. Each hour of work produces 3 units of your awesome idea which you can sell each for 12$. And, each unit requires 2 materials.

Given these terms and a deadline of 30 days, how would you allocate your budget to maximize the profit?

### Let’s Translate This description Into Our Framework

- #### **Decision Variables:** 
There are several parameters that we control.
 - Number of raw materials to buy?
 - How many hours should we recruit someone to work for us?
 - How many hours per day should we work?
 - How many units to produce?
- #### **Objective Function:** 
Maximizing profit in terms of the costs associated with each decision variable.
- #### **Constraints:** 
There are several constraints.
 - Our budget.
 - Each unit needs 2 materials to be produced.
 - You can only work 4 hours per day.
 - A 30 days deadline.

As you can see, there isn’t any formula or equation in the new form. But, the beauty of this framework is that you have to think about the situation explicitly. Every cost and its associated profit is now explicit. Even if you don’t want to enter the realm of optimization, you have a clear idea of what you can expect. The objective function tells us that we do not control the profit directly. It is our decisions in resource allocation that determine it. Furthermore, we can do some “What-If” analysis. For example, how much money can we make if we don't outsource the production?

## Applications

As a company grows, the constraints for its decisions grow too. For example in the case of public transportation planning, hundreds of constraints must be taken into account.

As mentioned previously, even if you do not intend to use the mathematical framework for optimization, having the problem in a concise and explicit way is an invaluable tool. However, finding the optimal solution using computer softwares like Excel or IBM CPLEX opens the door for in depth analysis and can influence the decisions.

Mathematical Optimization For Decision Making

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If you're a business owner, you know the importance of investing in technology. Nowadays, most companies are going digital and moving their operations online. In this article, we will cover everything that you need to know about **web applications** and why your business should invest in them!

## What is a web app?

Web apps are a type of web application that runs on your computer or mobile device. They're
hosted on a remote server, so you don't need to install anything on your local machine.

This means that when you open the app in your browser (for example, Google Chrome), you will
have access to all of its features without having to download any software.

### How to Create a Web App
 
Web apps can be written using any programming language, though some languages work better than others depending on what kind of functionality they offer and how much control over performance they give developers (for example Java versus Python).


### What makes web apps unique
 
Web apps are unique in that they are hosted on a server and accessed through a URL (e.g., [website]/app). This means that they can offer much greater security than desktop apps because they run through a browser and have access to fewer resources than traditional desktop apps. These apps can be accessed from any device with an internet connection!


### where do web apps run
Web applications run through servers hosted either by yourself or a third-party vendor such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) rather than directly installed onto individual devices like desktop apps; however, they still require some sort of internet connection due to their reliance upon cloud-based resources. As the data is stored remotely via backend databases (rather than on end users' devices), they tend to load much faster and offer greater security.

## Web app uses
You can use web applications for a wide variety of uses: from a giant corporation to an individual, for several purposes. Most used web apps are webmails, online image editing, E-commerce shops, etc. you can access web apps by any browser, although specific browsers can access some web apps.

## How web apps work
 
For using web applications, you don't need to download any apps since they are accessed through a network. Users can access a web app via a browser like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Safari.
You may need a Web server, application server, and database to operate a web application. Web servers take care of the requests that come from a client while the application server completes the requested task. The database can be used to store any required piece of information. 
Fortunately, web applications have short development cycles and can be completed through a small development team. Web developers mostly use JavaScript, HTML5, or CSS to build a web app.

## Benefits of a custom web app
Web applications are the easiest to update and maintain, which leads to a faster product launch. We can name so many advantages of the web app, but the main ones are:
- you don't need to install web apps.
- they can easily be accessed through multiple browsers.
- web apps can be accessed on different devices, including desktops, laptops, or mobile.
- Easy maintenance: they have a common codebase regardless of the mobile platform.
- you have no update hassle.
A well-designed and built web application can deliver a huge amount of value—and it doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg either!

## Desktop apps - what you need to know

Desktop apps are here to stay. A web app is in no way a replacement for a desktop app, just as a desktop app is not a replacement for a web app. Desktop, web and mobile apps all form a delicate ecosystem of applications that each have their own place within the world of software development. Each type of application serves a different purpose, however. No one solution will work for every business case or industry.

Desktop applications are designed to be used on personal computers that use Microsoft Windows or Apple Mac OS X operating systems (Windows PCs and Macs). They run locally on your device, usually without needing any type of connection to the internet. Desktop applications can do everything from handling email accounts to building complex databases with advanced search functions—they're built from scratch based on how you want them to function within your business workflow and what tools you need at your fingertips when accessing them regularly.

## The rise of web apps

Web apps have been steadily rising in popularity over the past decade and for good reason. Web apps are easier to use, more accessible, and offer a better user experience than traditional software. They're also more secure, and cheaper to build and maintain, deploy, update and integrate into your business system.

## Conclusion

In short, web apps are an increasingly popular option for businesses that want to build a customised application. And the good news is that they're also great value for money. With just a little bit of planning and preparation, you can create something truly amazing - which will pay dividends in the long run! 

Wherever you are in your journey towards launching your web app, Communere Ltd. hope this article has given you some useful insight into what it can do for your business. Regardless of where you are in your journey, Communere's experienced team can help you!
[Get in touch with us here.](https://communere.com/contact)

Why Businesses Should Invest In Web Apps

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It is a year since the UK went into lockdown, and businesses are continuing to flourish on a remote basis.

IT leaders quickly adopted a work from home strategy that enabled them to not only support the BAU operations of an IT function, but also to carry on with huge development projects.

From the conversations we are having with senior IT decision-makers, most are claiming the shift to home working has been successful. However, they are quick to ask us for our **top tips for running a remote IT function.**

So that got us thinking, how do we run an efficient remote team at Communere, and how do some of our clients do it so productively?

- We run what we call a ‘virtual office‘. Utilising all Slack features, our developers can communicate and chat spontaneously as though they were in the office. We actively encourage this **constant conversation**, and we feel it goes along well in cementing our company culture.
- We regularly check on our **IT teams home setups** and provide facilities for them to upgrade their laptops, monitors, keyboards, mouses, chairs and desks to the most suitable and ergonomic ones.
- Many clients also tell us how they have mapped out a **training budget** to ensure their staff continue to progress, even if on a remote basis. We love this at Communere. We feel this is an absolute must to ensure you retain top talent. Our **weekly educational/technology** meetings help our team stay tuned to the emerging technologies.
- To keep the fun part of the physical office alive, we introduced our **weekly remote tea party**. Our team gather remotely and enjoy talking about their hobbies, such as music, football, films.
- **Team yoga**, get the whole IT team from 1st line to the Dev team joining in. It would make for some fabulous team photos, if nothing else.
- **Virtual coffees**, we have always been remote and will, of course, continue to remain remote. We have regular check-ups with our developers to see how things are progressing and if they need any additional support to hit our clients’ deadlines.
- We are not for micro-management, but we do feel as though **goals need to be clearly outlined** when teams are working remotely. A team goal will mean everyone will have something to aim toward; this should encourage teamwork.
- Breaks are important! **Encourage** the team to take short and **regular breaks.**

If you would like a discussion about how a remote development team could help your business, feel free to let us know. We would be happy to explain the benefits of using us via **virtual coffee.**

A Successful Remote IT Team

A Successful Remote IT Team - Communere's Approach

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Starting a business? Communere’s Step-by-Step Guide to Your Starting Your Company

You are walking to work and suddenly, a genius business idea pops into your mind. Or you have always dreamt of starting a business, although you have not had the time and resources, but now is different. Are you looking to turn the idea into a reality; here is a guide to those first steps you should take.

It can feel like a daunting prospect setting up a business, it can be difficult to know where to start and there are lots of questions i.e. do you already have a network in place, who are competition, where will you receive funding etc. Taking small steps will help with the bigger picture questions.

## An Easy-To-Follow Guide By Communere

1. ### **Know the market:**
 Ensuring that there is demand for your idea or product will help to ensure that you are looking in the right place to starting a business. Have you spoken with your prospective customers; do they feel your idea could benefit them in some way? Having a plan before you start will help to ensure there is a gap in the market (or a space for a new gap to be made) will help to alleviate any future. Here is a [great article](https://blog.nationwide.com/market-research-business-ideas/) to show the types of market research that you will need to do before you launch into things.

2. ### **Figure out how to structure your business:**
 Making sure that you are set up as the correct business type is important and there are pros and cons to each i.e. becoming a sole trader, limited company or LLP. Setting up a Limited Company is a big commitment, you need to be fully aware of the annual tax and filings responsibilities that you will have to adhere to, the responsibilities have been clearly laid out here. There are some very useful guides to which type of company you should set up depending on your size and plans for growth. [Here](https://www.gov.uk/running-a-limited-company) is a great article to help you establish which type of business you should consider opening.

3. ### **Making your business plan:**
 Building a business is similar to building a house, you need to plan as if you are drawing a blueprint for a property and start from there. A clear, concise business plan will help by enabling you to envisage where the business will be in 5 years, makes a great reference point for growth to look at in the future, and it also helps investors to take your business seriously if investment is a key stage of your business plan.

 If you need some advice on how to draw up a business plan, bgateway have a [free template](https://www.bgateway.com/resources/business-plan-template) available for people to use which helps in those early stages.

4. ### **The name; choosing a name guide:**
 Choosing a good name for a business can be the difference between “make or break”, for the company. The name needs to be professional, memorable and simple. [Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/allbusiness/2016/10/23/12-tips-for-naming-your-startup-business/#72fa6a27904e) have put together a brilliantly insightful list about how to name a business from ensuring that you are not limiting yourself as a business when you grow, to making sure that the name conveys meaning.

5. ### **Logo designing:**
 The logo can be a big window into the quality of a business from a consumer’s perspective, it is the window to business soul as this is the first thing they will see along with the name. Today, there are so many businesses that are equipped to help you with the logo design and ensuring that they are original. [Tailor brands](https://www.tailorbrands.com/logo-maker) offer several different packages to help with logo design and they also offer website building services too.

6. **Website design:**
 Once you are happy with the name, logo and want to proceed with the business, now is the perfect time to build your website and start attracting customers to your amazing new business venture.

Most importantly when building a business, relax and enjoy the process. There is so much to be gained from owning your own company and the rewards far outweigh the challenges. We hope you enjoyed Communere’s first building a business series, we will be back soon with more business building advice.

Step-By-Step Guide to Start Your Business

Despite it being early in the year, we are already set for a big change over the next year to come. People working remotely is going to be on the rise and organisations are fearful of the challenges ahead for their employees. Some of the biggest fears from people at this moment in time is how to keep employees engaged and keeping them learning while working from their home office.

Understandably, with social distancing being enforced at this stage in time, most businesses must adapt to remote working in order to succeed in this tricky climate. Businesses need remote employees now in order to be able to succeed, although that doesn’t guarantee success.

## Keeping People Connected

Going from working in a busy and buzzing workspace to working in an office space alone can either be the most exciting challenge or something people can dread. Loneliness can be a serious challenge for transition for people and empathy from employers is vital here. 

Positivity, trust and keeping motivation high is an employer’s responsibility and is important while keeping remote employees happy.

### How Does Working Remotely Affect People
Remote working can cause anxiety or stress for some people, which can be a huge hindrance when it comes to productivity.

### How To Keep a Remote Team Engaged
Choosing a business tool that keeps employees engaged with each and encourages team building is important right now. Games can help with engagement and this can be a nice way to keep things light at times, the best tools that we have seen are:

- Team Building
- Virtual Meetings with games such as bingo
- Team Building with Donut on Slack
- Coffee Meeting

## Keep People Learning

Encouraging learning among employees who are working remotely will provide them with a goal to achieve. This will also help them to grow as an individual, becoming both a better employee and a more fulfilled individual. If someone is able to work an hour before work or at the end of the day (when their usual commute could be), yet at the same time learn a new skill such as something technical, marketing related, HR, language, or sales related. This is beneficial for both them and the organisation, all employers should encourage learning at all, although especially now when morale is low.

### How to Encourage Your Remote Team For Learning
Here is a list of companies that help to encourage learning among your remote workforce, they offer affordable, short and long courses:

- #### Udemy 
  choose from thousands of short courses to suit your employee’s skillset/ development area
- #### Coursera
  courses, certificates and degrees, choose from lots of different courses and professional certificates
- #### EdX 
  Free online courses offered from Harvard, MIT and more of the worlds leading organisations

## Preparing for the future

Finally, with recent events in mind, the world of work will restore to some level of normality as it has done previously. Nobody can predict how long these changes will last, although with a motivated and educated workforce you can guarantee they’ll be happy. This can be achieved with continuous team building and games. And when things do finally go back to normal, you will have a newly educated team to go back to that loves your organisation.


Keep Your Remote Workforce Engaged and Educated

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Achieving peak performance during quarantine at work is going to be a challenge for most people, we are used to clear targets and busy work environments.

We have put together a short guide to working effectively, while looking after your mental health during social distancing or self-isolation during the next weeks or months.

## 7am – 8am Yoga or Meditation

Ensure that you are starting the day in a peaceful and calm way. Set intentions for the day as to what you wish to achieve and try your best to stick with them!

## 8am - Breakfast

Stick to something healthy; with food shortages now, it can be difficult to get hold of fresh fruits, a great way to get in the vitamins and minerals needed is to buy frozen fruits. Frozen fruit in porridge or granola and heated fruits are a perfect way to feel fresh and ready after your yoga session.

## 9am – Start Work

Ensuring you have a workspace that is not connected to your “normal” day to day household activities is important in order to be able to disconnect from work in the evenings. Ideally this would be an office with its own desk.

A dining table does also work, although make sure to clear your laptop away in the evening so that home life remains just that, home life.

## 11am to 11.15am – Go for a Walk

Get outside! With Spring on the way, there will be hopefully plenty of sun to brighten our days over the coming weeks/ months.
The most important thing to remember is to get some Vit D. For most people, commuting provides a small amount of their daily walking/ exercise.

This is a great time to walk to the end of the road and back again to boost productivity and making sure you still get steps in. Of course, while self-isolating/ social distancing, remember to stay 2 metres away from everyone else.

## 1pm – Run

A quick run to boost your immunity and keep your focus throughout the rest of the afternoon is an ideal way to spend half of your lunch break.

## 1.30pm - Lunch

Keeping with the theme of a healthy lifestyle; lunch should be a mix of at least 3 different types of vegetables and wholegrain foods such as brown rice, wholegrain pasta or chickpea pasta. Our immune systems need as much goodness as possible in their diet currently. Some other lunchtime alternatives:

- Vegetable Soups & wholegrain bread. Make a batch of a vegetable soup on Sunday evening and make enough to last the week.
- Rice noodles and vegetables with meat or tofu of your choice. Keep it colourful and add lots of fresh vegetables
- Vegetables & couscous with sauce. Again, a super cheap and healthy way to boost your immunity during these tricky times.

## 2pm-5pm Work Tasks

Meetings galore and keeping in touch with management, ensuring all things are tied up and finished off so that you can enjoy your evening.

## 6pm Dinner & Evening Time

Family dinner time to rest and unwind, spending time together as a family is vital right now. Some great easy dinner ideas can be found here at Jamie’s 15 Minute Meals. These are healthy and will be great to get kids involved in making too!

## Sum Up
This healthy guide will enable you to save money every day, boost your immunity and keep you from feeling like you’re working all day everyday from home. Hope this helps!

How to Work Efficiently During Quarantine

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In the wake of a coronavirus outbreak, global warming and the numerous benefits to having a remote workforce. Businesses are having to adapt their working policies and encourage employees to work from the home office far quicker than previously thought.

The rise in remote working will be increasing significantly over the next few months, with the outbreak of coronavirus increasing, companies are needing to adapt their workforce to work from home, for some organisation they’ve had time to adapt to these changes. Although for most companies, this is a completely new era for their organisation which could bring many benefits and challenges. Similarly, for employees, working remotely could be everything they have hoped for, although it could also be a transition period that bring feelings of isolation and irritability.

## Create Daily Routines

The idea of working remotely can be a dream come true; not having to face the stressful commute, reducing monthly outgoings on travel and avoiding people with the stresses of coronavirus being prominent now. However, some people can struggle with the loneliness of working from home if they enjoy the vibrant office atmosphere and chit chat that many people enjoy. There could be a lack of motivation if meetings are a big part of someone’s role also, ensuring all these weekly meetings go ahead is vital to ensure employee engagement and maintaining a motivated workforce.

It is important for companies to implement daily routines, ensuring the Monday morning meeting goes ahead at the same time every week, or the daily Friday catch up stays the same. A daily report can be written, or a project management tool can help to ensure that businesses stay in the loop, while maintaining that trust of their valuable employees. Ensuring that tasks are completed can be the new shift for organisations as remote employees may prefer a different time structure; they could choose to work earlier and finish earlier or start later and finish later, allowing employees to be target approached will ensure that they feel supported and trusted in this new shift.

## Invest in Good Systems

One of the major concerns for organisations is ensuring that employees continue to work effectively while working from home. Micromanagement plays no part in an employer need to view results from their remote workforce; ideally it would work in the same way as in an office with a weekly catch up and targets set for the week.

At Communere, as a fully remote workforce, we are still learning the different tools that work for the different departments, being an international team, we need to feel like a “normal” office while retaining our remote status. We use a number of effective systems to help keep everything ticking over; Jira for daily updates, Confluence for weekly meetings and targets, as well as Zoho for our CRM system to ensure sales targets are being reached, and for most communication online and for calls we use Slack and Skype.

Technology and tools play a huge role in allowing for employee targets to be reached and ensuring they remain motivated and comfortable with what they need to achieve. This in turn leads to happy employees, which is vital for all businesses for productivity and retention of staff.

## Offer Training & Development

One mistake organisations can make while working with a remote workforce is that they hire for the most skilled in the market to ensure that there is limited training time, although once people are in the organisation, there can be a lack of support and development. One of the biggest factors of ensuring employee retention is to provide opportunities such as online courses, live webinars and conferences for them to attend.

The cost of these courses, conferences etc is an investment for your organisation as it ensures loyalty, networking opportunities and time for team bonding; all vital things for employees in both the office and remote working space.

## Trust, Trust & Trust Again

Of course, organisations may fear the worst with a remote employee; sat at the pub enjoying the sunshine or taking a week of holiday while occasionally checking in. This could happen with office-based employees and is not exclusive to home working employees. The targets of deliverables set by you, ensures that targets are met, and employees feel trusted. If employees feel trusted, they thrive.

## Conslusion 
With these tips in mind, we hope you can thrive as an organisation, or as a remote employee both now during trickier times, and in the future if it is something that you enjoy. At Communere we thrive as a remote team and feel free to ask for any tips. We are happy to help.

A Guide on Remote Working

<figure>
<img src="https://content.communere.com/assets/c00d3bfc-d308-45df-a72f-3a0a5d01dc17.png" />
 <figcaption style="text-align: center;">source: unsplash</figcaption>
</figure>

Communere are a truly remote workforce, we have daily meetings and catch ups throughout the day and week, although the remote nature of our business allows us to be truly global. It is estimated that by 2029, 38% of the workforce around the world will be remote working. We will explore some of the benefits to remote working and the benefits to Communere.

## Promotes a Positive Work-Life Balance

A work-life balance is a benefit that a lot of employees value as a top priority when choosing the best place to work. The ability to be able to take and pick up children from school, going to a fitness class early or at lunch time, going to the doctors or making it to the supermarket before the mad evening rush, or just the ability to be home when for an important delivery. These are all things that make life a lot easier, and are all possible when working remotely. These may sound like small things, although it makes a huge amount of difference in the long run.

## Increased Productivity

This can be one of the biggest fears for an organisation while transitioning to a remote workforce; how can we tell that our employees are working hard if we can’t see them? According to a study conducted by Stanford University, most organisations that have adopted remote working have found that there has been an increase in productivity. Without the many distractions, remote workers can focus entirely on their daily tasks, allowing for quiet time, people can focus entirely on their projects. Thus, increasing productivity in the long run.

## Money Saving For Your Organisation

Many remote workers use their own equipment, this is Wi-Fi, heating, among others which have a big impact in the long run for saving money as an organisation. The company does not need to rent large, expensive offices; this is one of the biggest savings an organisation can make over a long period of time.

Finding the best talent globally with ample experience is a much easier task when you are looking for remote employees. Most remote employees have years of experience in an office. Therefore, the upskilling time is reduced which also saves companies a large amount of money in the long run. The Global Workforce has a table of savings for an organisation per year for a remote emplyee:

- Circa £1,857 is saved per remote employee in reduced office sizes and utility bills
- £3,560 is saved per remote employee by increasing productivity
- £464 per remote employee by decreasing turnover through increased flexibility and happiness
- £681 per remote employee due to the fact that remote workers are less likely to take sick days
 Total savings: £6562.00 per year per employee

## Money Saving For Employees

The money saving doesn’t stop with the employers, working remotely can save individuals thousands each year. According to Global Workplace Analytics, people who work from home half time can save between £1,500 to £5,000 a year, that is double for full time remote employees. The savings for employees can be found on petrol, the running of their cars on a daily basis, rail or bus travel, parking. There is also a reduction in daily coffee spending i.e. the daily Starbucks on the way to work, as well as lunches bought in supermarkets etc. Big savings can be found in child care if people are able to pick up their children this can reduce childcare costs, as well as the savings on office attire. Over time, these savings can be significant and allow for a healthier, happier work life balance.

## Good For The Environment

It is vital for organisations to reduce their carbon footprint. According to the US environmental protection agency a “a typical passenger vehicle emits about 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. This assumes the average gasoline vehicle on the road today has a fuel economy of about 22.0 miles per gallon and drives around 11,500 miles per year. Every gallon of gasoline burned creates about 8,887 grams of CO2”.Remote workers on the other hand are not responsible for adding to the daily carbon emissions by car commuting, which could be up to 30 miles per day on average, saving up to 7,830 miles on a cars emissions for an average working year of 261 days (depending on how much they use their car of course). You can track your daily emissions with Map my Emissions. Working remotely can help:

- Less traffic pollution caused by fewer employees driving to work.
- People being less inclined to purchasing throwaway cups or containers on breaks.
- Conserving office space.

Being in control of factors that can damage the environment (such as office supplies and the use of lights)

Remote employees are less inclined to use one use plastics and paper cups for their morning coffees, as well as consume less food that comes in plastic containers, with plastic bags among others.

## How Communere’s Remote Team Can Help Your Business

Our team are based in different locations around the world and they are all working on different projects, although we all have one thing in common; our love for technology, remote working (and Communere of course!). The benefits for us an organisation are endless:

- Employee retention: we have a loyal workforce that are given a lot of autonomy, we have our daily catch up calls, although they are trusted to work on their projects and most importantly, they always deliver.
- Agility: the remote nature of our workforce allows for time to be spent on projects, as there is no daily commute, we are rested and ready to work on your projects
- Low Carbon footprint: we care about the environment and working remotely contributes positively

The benefits of working remotely are endless, and with the stark increases in productivity, reduction in carbon footprint and endless benefits, it is no wonder companies and individuals are opting for the remote working or part remote working lifestyle.

Remote Working Benefits

Remote Working Benefits For Your Organisation

A legacy system is a computing software / hardware system that a company uses, despite it being outdated. The system is still being used by a company, although it still meets the needs of what the company designed it for, it is not a scalable system that enables growth both with, and for the organisation. The system will continue to do what it has always done, although it will never do any more than it was originally tasked to do. The downfall of a legacy system is that it cannot interact efficiently with new systems such as the cloud.

Technological advancements over recent years have led the majority of companies to have major issues with existing legacy systems. In order to scale and reduce costs, companies need to adapt new technology; although this comes at a price. For companies to keep aligned with the latest technical capabilities, companies need to move away from keeping their legacy system and move to cloud and computing and software migration.

Moving a business through a software migration can be a time consuming and costly process, here we will look at why moving from a legacy system to a software migration is vital for a companies success in 2020.

## Why a Software Migration Strategy is Important

There are multiple reasons a business may be looking to having a software migration; this could be to outperform the competition, or a more agile and efficient internal system. Whatever the reason a company is adopting a new system; the process needs to work.

When looking at an unsuccessful migration, the reasons for this can be from human error; where the inputted data or code is not accurate which can lead to major problems for an organisation. Although this can also when everything has gone according to plan during a software migration also. Most worryingly for a company is when there were no errors within the original software code, or data, and errors present themselves when the code has been inputted into a new, more efficient system.

For example, a system that has been developed with the previous version of .NET or ASP classic, Now we can help to migrate the software and build it from scratch with the latest and cutting-edge technologies e.g. ASP.NET Core which can be run on all OS(s) and React.js systems.

The best way to avoid any major issues within a software migration is to create a software migration strategy for the predicted duration of the project on a week by week basis. Working in agile is of course the most efficient process that a company can use for this process to be a success. The biggest challenges for a software migration strategy can be budgetary, a lack of clear strategy and working in an outdated methodology. The best way to ensure that a strategy is executed in the best way possible is to ensure that there is a dedicated team working full time on the projects until completion. At Communere, we have a full dedicated team of remote employees to help an organisation with their software migration strategy.

Communere work to a tailored strategy for organisation, although it looks something like this:

- Understanding the software Before an effective migration, a complete analysis of the legacy software that has been used, and the software platform that you will be moving to is completed to ensure you're receiving a tailored software plan.
- Cleanup The source software is checked for anomalies, cleaned up in order to be able to effectively start the software migration plan.

- Continuous Maintenance Software regularly has new bugs (even with the best code in the world!) which needs regular maintenance to ensure your product works efficiently and most importantly, that customers data is safe

- Best Practice & Governance We follow the latest international standards for best practice and governance to ensure a well built and efficient product that adheres to high quality standards.

## Best Practices for Software Migration

- Back up the software before executing. The most important part of the process. Ensuring the software has been backed up before starting.

- Keep strategy. Ensuring that the strategy is upheld throughout the process to ensure the project runs smoothly will help both the cost and time of the migration

- Test the Software. Throughout the process of the software migration, ensure that the code is being tested as you go.

## Migrating Software to The Cloud

Ensuring that your dedicated developer is skilled in uploading the code to the cloud will protect your companies code and data in the long run. The cloud has many major benefits for an organisation allowing scalability and growth. Communere is equipped to enable your software migration process.


Software Migration Guide for Your Organisation

<figure>
<img src="https://content.communere.com/assets/c4e8f153-6d19-4a0f-b890-d3b36525d5f3" alt=“IT Staff Augmentation Empowering GIS Companies”/>
 <figcaption style="text-align: center;">
</figcaption>
</figure>
Encoding categorical features is one of the fundamental feature engineerings processes when using machine learning techniques. There are different techniques and packages to perform Encoding, but it can be not very clear which one to use or what exactly their differences are.
Here, I am going to give a quick review of most common encoding techniques and how to apply them on the data.
The dataset, I am using to demonstrate, is Titanic dataset available on Kaggle.

## OneHot Encoding

Provided by **Scikit-learn** library, it utilises the one-hot encoding (dummy) scheme. This transformer needs array-like of integers or strings as an input. The output will be a sparse matrix or an array with binary columns for each value of the categorical features.

We need to extract the categorical features and data from the dataset. Then, instantiate OneHotEncoder and fit and transform the data into the OneHotEncoder to transform the categorical data into 0/1 code.

In this example `df_categorical_data` contains 2 columns namely `'Sex'` and `'Deck'` where `'Sex'` can have female or male and Deck can have A, B, C, D, E, F, HA value respectively.

> - import OneHotEncoder
> from sklearn.preprocessing import OneHotEncoder
> - instantiate OneHotEncoder
> ohe = OneHotEncoder(categories='auto', sparse=False )
> 
> - apply OneHotEncoder on categorical feature columns
> Categorical_ohe = ohe.fit_transform(df_categorical_data) # It returns an numpy array
> print(Categorical_ohe.shape)
> Categorical_ohe


The output is an **array** with 9 columns covering all possible values that `'Sex'` and `'Deck'` can get.
We can retrive the name of the columns and convert the array to a dataframe if necesserly by utilising `get_feature_names()` attribute of the Onehot Encoder and DataFrame method of Panda API as follows:

> cols = ohe.get_feature_names() #get the column names using .get_feature_names() attribute.
> df_Categorical_ohe = pd.DataFrame(Categorical_ohe, columns=cols) #convert the result matrix to datafarem (if necessary)

Note that when we use One-hot Encoding on a single column DataFrame, we need to let Numpy reshapes the DataFrame to make it compatible with the input format.

> - apply OneHotEncoder on one categorical feature
> Categorical_ohe1 = ohe.fit_transform(df['Embarked'].values.reshape(-1, 1)) # It returns an numpy array
> - by using reshape(-1, 1), we indicate that we have 1 column but rows are unknown and we want that numpy figures the rows out such that it is compatible with the original shape.
> Categorical_ohe1


## Lable Encodeing

Provided by **Scikit-learn** library, this class of transformer can be used to transform numerical and non-numerical labels into numerical labels. In contrast with one-hot Encoder, which provides a one-hot coding scheme (‘one-of-K’), LableEncoder provides labels with values between 0 and n_classes-1. It is advised to use this Encoder for target values rather than input values.
The output type of lableEncoder is similar to its input, but you are restricted to the [array-like](https://scikit-learn.org/stable/glossary.html) of shape(n_sample,). So, in case, you want to encode a DataFrame with 2 columns you should first convert it to an array-like of shape(n_sample,), perhaps using `raval`. I provide a couple of different scenario in the followings:


> from sklearn.preprocessing import LabelEncoder
> 
> - instantiate a LabelEncoder object
> le = LabelEncoder()
> 
> - feed a coulmn of the datafarme which has a binary class feature i.e male and female
> df['Sex'] = le.fit_transform(df['Sex'])
> 
> - applying LabelEncoder on multiple class features
> df['Deck'] = le.fit_transform(df['Deck'])
> 
> df[['Sex','Deck']].sample(6)


**Note that in this case the result is a DataFrame as was the input.**

To demonstrate how to deal with other shapes of input, I applied LabelEncoder directly to a DataFrame containing 2 columns. The following code shows different stage results for clarity.


> df_categorical_data = df[['Sex', 'Deck']] # extracting just 2 of categorical features from the main dataframe
> - Convert the dataframe into an array-like of (n_shape,) utilising raval()
> df_categorical_data_arryLike = np.ravel(df_categorical_data)
> print('The output is an array of shape {} as follows \n {}'.format(df_categorical_data_arryLike.shape, df_categorical_data_arryLike))
> 
>- apply fit_transform on the result above
> eEncoded_Sex_Deck = le.fit_transform(df_categorical_data_arryLike)
> 
> print('The output is an array of shape {} as follows \n {}'.format(eEncoded_Sex_Deck.shape, eEncoded_Sex_Deck))
> print(eEncoded_Sex_Deck.shape)
> 
>- we can reshape the result utilising .reshape so, the result make better sences
> leEncoded_Sex_Deck.reshape(1309,2)

Using LabelEncoder for multi-class features may not be the right choice as it may unintentionally bring the notion of ordering among values. For example, in our case, Deck F and B have been encoded by 5 and 1 respectively; However, we can not say F is higher than B. This may result into poor performance in the proposed machine learning model.

## Get_dummies

Provided by **Panda** library, is the most straightforward encoding model. It is intelligent enough to recognise all the categorical features at once in the DataFrame and provide a one-hot scheme code for the categorical data. However, you may not want to encode everything as `get_dummies` does!
To demoneste, I've extracted the features that I was willing to encode them.

> 
> import pandas as pd
> df_categorical_data = df[['Sex', 'Deck','Embarked']]
> pd.get_dummies(df_categorical_data)
> 

## DictVectorizer

Provided by **Scikit-learn** library, this class of transformer can provide binary one-hot code for non-numerical (string) labels; For the numerical labels, it is required to follow the encoding by OneHotEncoding model to complete the encoding process.
The input of this transformer must be a dictionary-like (feature-value) objects, and output will be an array or a scipy.sparse metrix.

Following our example, first, we need to convert the DataFarme to a dictionary-like object as follows. Note that DictVectorizer is intelligent enough to recognise categorical features in the DataFrame. However, for the sake of presentation, I've extracted a couple of categorical features from the main DataFarme.

> - convert datafarme to dictionary
> df_categorical_data = df[['Sex','Embarked']]
> df_categorical_data_dic = df_categorical_data.to_dict(orient='records') # turn each row as key-value pairs
> - print
> df_categorical_data_dic

Importing the required library, we can initiate a DictVectorizer object and apply it's fit_transform on the dictionary.

> from sklearn.feature_extraction import DictVectorizer
> - instantiate a Dictvectorizer object
> dv_df_categorical_data = DictVectorizer(sparse=False)
> - apply Dictvectorizer on the Dictionary
> df_categorical_data_encoded = dv_df_categorical_data.fit_transform(df_categorical_data_dic)
> print (df_categorical_data_encoded)

As you can see, the output is an array. To interpret the output, it is beneficial to indicate which column represents which feature by utilising `vocabulary_` attribute as follow:

> - vocabulary
> vocab = dv_df_categorical_data.vocabulary_
> - show vocab
> vocab

## OrdinalEncoder

Provided by **Scikit-learn** library, this transformer provides a single column of integers (0 to n_categories - 1) per each feature. Note that this transformer can not distinguish between categorical and non-categorical features. So, it is beneficial to extract the categorical features that you want to encode before starting the encoding process.
The input to this transformer should be an array-like of the categorical features with integers or strings values. The output will be an array. Note that estimators may interpret the order among values as an actual order among the categorical feature values which is not often the case and leed to poor performance or estimation.
> 
> df_categorical_data = df[['Sex','Deck','Embarked']]
> from sklearn.preprocessing import OrdinalEncoder
> 
> - instantiate a LabelEncoder object
> enc = OrdinalEncoder()
> 
> - apply fit_transform on the categorical featurs
> enc.fit_transform(df_categorical_data)

To retrive encoded features, we can use `categories_` attribut. Also, it is possible to inverse the transformation to retrive the original values as follow:

> 
> enc.categories_
> enc.inverse_transform(enc.fit_transform(df_categorical_data))


## FeatureHashing

Provided by **Scikit-learn** library, The class FeatureHasher utilises " Feature hashing" or "Hashing trick" and provides a high-speed and memory-efficient encoding approach. So, it can be an alternative to DictVectorizer encoder or CountVectorizer in a large, online learning scenario. By default, the input is a dictionary-like of the categorical features. However, it can accept single strings. Check this [link](https://scikit-learn.org/stable/modules/feature_extraction.html) for more information. The output always will be a scipy.spars matrix which we should define the number of its columns when initiating the encoder object. The number of columns should not be too small or large as it may cause low performance or collision in the result.

Following our example, we can apply FeatureHashing as follow. Note that we need to convert our categorical data into a Dictionary.


> - convert datafarme to dictionary
> df_categorical_data = df[['Deck','Sex']]
> df_categorical_data_dic = df_categorical_data.to_dict(orient='records') # turn each row as key-value pairs
> - df_categorical_data_dic
> 
> 
> from sklearn.feature_extraction import FeatureHasher
> - instantiate a FeatureHasher object with the number of output columns
> h = FeatureHasher(n_features=10)
> - apply fit_transform on the categorical featurs dictionary
> f = h.fit_transform(df_categorical_data_dic)
> f.toarray()[:20]


In contrast with "OrdinalEncoder", FeatureHashing does not have inverse_transform attribute as it does not remember what the input feature looked like. That is the price paid for its high speed and low memory usage.

## Conclusion

As demonstrated, there are a variety of standard and typical encoding schemes where you can decide based on their required input or provided output type, speed and memory efficiency, their simplicity and more importantly your categorical data essence. It is also possible to combine different schemes or come up with your idea to encode the categorical data. You can check this [Link](https://www.kaggle.com/shahules/an-overview-of-encoding-techniques) for more idea about encoding the categorical features.

Dealing With Categorical Features

<figure>
<img src="https://content.communere.com/assets/11fb3de3-db47-4ece-8df6-f2936cd6fdd0.jpg" />
 <figcaption style="text-align: center;">source: unsplash</figcaption>
</figure>

When it comes to choosing a Software Development as a Service company for your business, there are a number of choices available for Development and your products or services.

## Why Choose Remote Software Development As a Service (SDaaS)?

- It gives you the opportunity to tailor your technical projects with a London based programme Manager, allowing for changes to happen in real time
- It allows you to have a project being worked on full time, on a remote basis with our team taking care of pension, salary and the conversations with the development team
- Low carbon footprint from the workforce being fully remote; environmental factors of the office commute will be coming into question over the coming years. Communere is ahead of the curve.
- UK timetable for the development team
- Remote teams are more cost effective, time efficient and agile

Communere is Londons leading remote Software Development as a Service team.

Our product is our people; we have a remote network of world class software developers who specialise in Angular, Artificial Intelligence, Backend, Frontend, Fullstack, React, React Native, GraphQL, among others, who are trained professionals who receive training both in the office and online to ensure they are knowledgeable and skilled to build your products.

The team at Communere have worked on projects for small and scaling organisations, they have a can-do approach with the ability to pick up a project and deliver. We work in an agile methodology which means our customers have control and insight into how their project is progressing. Our team has some of the leading technical skills required for organisations over the coming years and we would love to help you achieve your business goals.

Our passion for providing exceptional customer service, technical advisory and delivery, and satisfaction is embedded in our core values and is at the centre of everything we do.

Why We Are The Best From The Rest

Communere: Why We Are The Best From The Rest

Last summer, my family and I went to Paris. One night. We were out for dinner and were looking for a parking space near the restaurant we had targeted. While we were hunting a parking space near the restaurant, we got distance from it. So, we had to walk down a couple of streets to get to the restaurant. As we start walking, we felt unsafe since many strangers were wandering around or sitting in a group in the dark. We were worried about how safe it will be to return to our car in a couple of hours. We decided to go back to our car and find somewhere more close to the restaurant. Sadly, we couldn't find any parking space. So, We decided to call the restaurant and ask for their local expertise. We wondered **how safe this neighbourhood is**?

The restaurant manager tried to convince us that _the neighbourhood is very safe due to the existence of many luxury pubs and restaurants in it_.

Having this stressful experience during my holiday, I decided to examine the hypothesis that the restaurant's manager put forward to us. **I want to test whether a neighbourhood with a high number of venues are safe or not in comparison with the area with less number of venues?**

## Case study, Tools and Data selection

I've selected Surrey County in the UK as a case study and utilised Jupyer on IBM Developer Skills Network Labs to implement my model. The information required to conduct this analysis is geographical coordinates, criminal records and available venues in each specific part of the selected region.

The dataset, including information related to the crime committed in each ward in this county, are available on [Surrey-i website](https://www.surreyi.gov.uk/) via this [link](https://www.surreyi.gov.uk/dataset?q=Master Crime Category by Ward ). Although the dataset includes Geocode of each ward, due to license requirement, I was unable to use this information. I couldn't find any free dataset or specific website with required geographical coordinates information where be able to extract the required data systematically. So, I choose a postcode in the centre of each ward manually. Then, I merge this information with the dataset containing all available postcodes in the UK and their latitude and longitude coordinates where I can estimate the latitude and longitude of the centre of each ward.

All the datasets that I've used for this study are available in the following links:

- [Master Crime Category by Ward.xls](https://www.surreyi.gov.uk/dataset?q=Master Crime Category by Ward https://www.surreyi.gov.uk/dataset?q=Master Crime Category by Ward )

- [Wards by postcode.xls](https://github.com/SepidehN/Coursera_Capstone/blob/master/Wards_by_postcode.xls)

- [UkPostcodes.csv](https://www.freemaptools.com/download-uk-postcode-lat-lng.htm)

Other required information is the venues' data associated with each specified coordinates in each ward. To do so, I have utilised **Foursquare API**. Since I am interested in how busy/crowded the areas are, I calculated the total number of venues in each specified location and merged this information to the primary data. Now, I am ready to examine and analyse the wards based on their popularity and criminal records. The details of data acquisition, data cleaning and preparation can be viewed on this [Jupyter notebook](https://github.com/SepidehN/Coursera_Capstone/blob/master/TheBattleofNeighborhoods-Part2.ipynb)

## Data Analysis

To do this, I've used the _k_-mean clustering algorithm, a simple but powerful unsupervised machine learning technique. K-mean learns from the properties of data and divides it into different (hopefully optimal) groups. Many clustering algorithms are available. But perhaps the most widely used one is _k_-means available in sklearn.cluster.KMeans.

One of the main drawbacks of the _k_-mean algorithm is the difficulty of predicting the number of suitable clusters. To overcome this, I ran the algorithm with different parameter _k_ and analysed the outcome of each cluster and finally, I have chosen the best _k_ that can divide the wards more explicitly.

After applying the algorithm and regulating the parameters in the algorithm (i.e., k) and Foursquare API (i.e., limit and radius), I have discovered that it is sensible to cluster Surrey's wards into 5 different clusters as presented and visualised in following table and image respectively.

| Cluster | color | Label |
| :-----: | :----: | :--------------------------------: |
| 0 | Green | Moderate density & Moderate risk |
| 1 | Blue | Very high density & Very high risk |
| 2 | Purple | Moderate density & Moderate risk |
| 3 | Red | Very low density & Very low risk |
| 4 | Olive | low density & High risk |

<figure>
<img src="https://content.communere.com/assets/a15b16ee-7c69-479b-864f-3cc81ba528e5.JPG" />
 <figcaption style="text-align: center;">Visualisation of the clusters on the map</figcaption>
</figure>

Cluster 1, which includes wards in the centre of two big towns in Surrey area (i.e., Guildford and Epsom), shows that more venues can cause more risk in the area. As the table below shows the number of crime committed in this cluster are significantly high. On the other hand, Cluster 3, is associated with wards that have a very low density of venues and a slight risk in terms of crime committed. However, Cluster 4, despite having a low density of the venues, it has a high risk where make these wards undesirable since they are neither enough accessible nor safe enough. These wards are mostly inside the M25 or near big town such as Woking or Redhill. Cluster 2 and 0 are slightly similar. They are wards with moderate density and relatively moderate risk. However, as presented on the map, Cluster 0 includes wards where most are located inside the M25, which make increases in specific categories of crime such as theft handling and vehicle interference in these areas. In general, the model confirms we should expect crime rises in busy/popular areas. The details of the model can be viewed on this [Jupyter notebook](https://github.com/SepidehN/Coursera_Capstone/blob/master/TheBattleofNeighborhoods-Part2.ipynb)

| Cluster | \# of venues | TNO | Theft handling | vehicle interference |
| :-----: | :----------: | :--: | :------------: | :------------------: |
| 0 | 42 | 474 | 114 | 13 |
| 1 | 78 | 1860 | 723 | 6 |
| 2 | 39 | 474 | 93 | 4 |
| 3 | 28 | 207 | 35 | 3 |
| 4 | 34 | 983 | 231 | 8 |

## Conclusions

Utilising clustering technique, I was able to group different wards in unique clusters based on the number of venues and crime features in those areas. I built the k-mean clustering model and regulated different parameters in the model, such as the number of clusters and identified 5 clusters. This model indicates that we can not assume that areas with a high number of venues (popular places) are safer than areas with less number of venues.

Battle of Wards

This article will present the process of configuring **Azure DevOps** Services to an existing project. Our development flow is somehow similar to the **Git-Flow** in the way that we have two main branches `master` and `develop` and we’re going to to trigger CI/CD operations on new commits that are pushed to these branches. For this purpose, we are going to use Azure Pipelines.
**Azure Pipelines** is free for public projects, but if you use private projects, you can run up to 1,800 minutes (30 hours) of pipeline jobs for free every month. Learn more about how the pricing works based on [parallel jobs](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/pipelines/licensing/concurrent-jobs?view=azure-devops).

 
# Creating a new Pipeline
To start, we create a new Pipeline using `Create Pipeline` button and choosing the appropriate repository on an existing project.

![](/images/s_949952C31EB49A2F50BAFD1B9B1F99BB29463D8B034D14BDC591001FD197B2B7_1569904531860_image.png)

On the next page it shows a couple of Pipeline templates to use from.

![](/images/s_5F6D7052D0C8FF54DBC0E5630BF834E26B49652948EFE8506C966D6E20CFF65B_1572428345641_image.png)

If you’re creating a whole new pipeline from scratch these templates are a good starting point. If you already have a YAML file then you can chose the `Existing Azure Pipelines YAML file` and on the next page choose the appropriate YAML file.

After choosing the proper pipeline template (for example .NET Desktop), we are presented with the YAML preview page in which we can modify the generated `.yml` file. Here we can see actual steps of our Pipeline. A **step** is the smallest building block of a pipeline. For example, a pipeline might consist of build and test steps. A step can either be a script or a task. A **task** is simply a pre-created script offered as a convenience to you.

![](/images/s_949952C31EB49A2F50BAFD1B9B1F99BB29463D8B034D14BDC591001FD197B2B7_1569905683450_image.png)

**YAML** is a storage human friendly serialization standard (like JSON) which basically contains key value pairs. Here we are using it to describe different properties of the Pipeline. The first property is the `trigger` property. A **trigger** is something that's set up to tell the pipeline when to run. You can configure a pipeline to run upon a push to a repository, PR creation, at scheduled times, or upon the completion of another build. Note that YAML PR triggers are currently only supported in GitHub and Bitbucket Cloud. If you are using Azure Repos Git, you can configure a [branch policy for build validation](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/branch-policies?view=azure-devops#build-validation) in order to trigger your build pipeline for validation. As it can be seen the default trigger is set to build upon push to the `master` branch.

Next, there is some configuration like `vmImage` to be used for build and some variable declarations, followed by the actual steps for our Pipeline in the `steps` definition.
A couple of steps are per-defined for us by the template. In this example the steps are:
`NuGetToolInstaller` : Fetches the proper NuGet tools required by the next step.
`NuGetCommand` : Installs the dependency packages.
`VSBuild` : Builds the solution.
`VSTest` : Runs the tests.

Each task is followed by a number which defines the version of that task. For example `VSTest@2` means version 2 of the `VSTest` task.
Also the YAML editor adds a little button called `settings` which we can use to modify the tasks visually.

If you’re happy with the configs you can click `Save and run` which will create the file in a new commit and will ask for the commit message and the destination branch, and run the Pipeline.

![](/images/s_949952C31EB49A2F50BAFD1B9B1F99BB29463D8B034D14BDC591001FD197B2B7_1569908770607_image.png)

If everything is configured correctly the Pipeline will successfully run to completion and you’ll get the delightful green tick mark.

![](/images/s_949952C31EB49A2F50BAFD1B9B1F99BB29463D8B034D14BDC591001FD197B2B7_1569909304410_image.png)

![](/images/s_949952C31EB49A2F50BAFD1B9B1F99BB29463D8B034D14BDC591001FD197B2B7_1569909333976_image.png)

 
# Packaging into NuGet artifacts

And that it for most basic use cases. But in some cases you might want to create a NuGet package and push it to your NuGet repository. In that case you neeed to two additional steps:

- **Fetching** some NuGet packages from custom NuGet repository
- **Packing and pushing** the compiled assemblies to the custom NuGet repository.

 
## Creating NuGet feeds
To create a new NuGet feed, you can go to the **Azure Artifacts** and click on `Create Feed`.

![](/images/s_949952C31EB49A2F50BAFD1B9B1F99BB29463D8B034D14BDC591001FD197B2B7_1569918237021_image.png)

Then fill in name and permissions and `Create`.

![](/images/s_949952C31EB49A2F50BAFD1B9B1F99BB29463D8B034D14BDC591001FD197B2B7_1569918071622_image.png)

It is also possible to add some other custom sources to this by going to feed settings and choosing the **Upstream sources** tab. We can see there are a couple of sources defined already.

![](/images/s_949952C31EB49A2F50BAFD1B9B1F99BB29463D8B034D14BDC591001FD197B2B7_1569918660083_image.png)

Now if you head back to the Pipeline editor, you should be able to choose this feed as NuGet source.

![](/images/s_949952C31EB49A2F50BAFD1B9B1F99BB29463D8B034D14BDC591001FD197B2B7_1569918392444_image.png)

 
## Packing NuGet packages and push them to the artifact repository
For the second task we have to add two new NuGet tasks for packing and pushing the final package to the NuGet feed.

![](/images/s_949952C31EB49A2F50BAFD1B9B1F99BB29463D8B034D14BDC591001FD197B2B7_1569919647126_image.png)

Note that we must configure the versioning based on the company’s policies. For example, here the following versioning policy has been selected which uses date and time policy

![](/images/s_949952C31EB49A2F50BAFD1B9B1F99BB29463D8B034D14BDC591001FD197B2B7_1569937167532_image.png)

Note that if you already have set up the automatic versioning at project level (on the `.csproj` ) you can set the Automatic package versioning here to `Off`.
After a successful pipeline run, the resulting package can be found at the artifacts section.

![](/images/s_949952C31EB49A2F50BAFD1B9B1F99BB29463D8B034D14BDC591001FD197B2B7_1569937714792_image.png)

Here the `TestLibrary` is the artifact that was created by our NuGet task. You can see that there are two other NuGet packages inside our artifact’s feed and that’s because by default when are are creating an artifact feed, it’s going to add a couple of other Upstream feeds like nuget.org to it.

 
# Additional notes
- Instead of using Microsoft’s clouds, you can run these Pipelines on your own server for free using your own build agent.
- Packages with a **pre-release** tag will not be shown on NuGet clients by default until the consumer opts-in with a check-box or command line switch.

 
# References
- [https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/?view=azure-devops](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/?view=azure-devops)
- [https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/artifacts/concepts/best-practices?view=azure-devops](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/artifacts/concepts/best-practices?view=azure-devops)
- [https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/nuget/create-packages/prerelease-packages](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/nuget/create-packages/prerelease-packages)
- [https://www.visualstudiogeeks.com/azure/devops/perfecting-continuous-delivery-of-nuget-packages-for-azure-artifacts](https://www.visualstudiogeeks.com/azure/devops/perfecting-continuous-delivery-of-nuget-packages-for-azure-artifacts)

Getting Started with Azure DevOps Services

![](https://content.communere.com/assets/2966f4c5-b916-4d94-bd54-6103efa222b5)

## Before start

[Online Multiple Traveling Salesman Problem Solver - MTSP Solver](https://ralthor.github.io/mtsp)

[Source code for Multiple Traveling Salesman Problem Solver](https://github.com/ralthor/GeneticAlgorithm-TSP/tree/feature-multi-tsp)

<hr/> 

## What is Traveling Salesman Problem?

Assume you are a traveling salesman, selling coffee. You want to start from your home, sell coffee to costumers at different places and return to your home. You are intelligent and you want to minimize the distance you travel. The route you choose will be a solution to the traveling salesman problem.

## How to solve?

Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) is proven to be unsolvable in polynomial time, therefore lots of heuristic/meta-heuristic algorithms are used to solve that and give near optimal solutions. [This link](https://github.com/parano/GeneticAlgorithm-Solving-TSP) is parano's genetic TSP solution. It is also [available online](http://parano.github.io/GeneticAlgorithm-TSP/).

### Genetic Algorithm

If you are going to read the code mentioned above, it is good to know Genetic Algorithm and search for its methods inside the code.

![](https://content.communere.com/assets/dbbfd5c1-310d-479a-8ffb-b2b0bde1192c)

1. Population: in genetic algorithm, there is a pool of solutions, initialized randomly. Each solutions is called an individual, and the solution is coded inside it. In TSP, each individual is a rotating array of numbers, which shows a route between costumers. For example, `3 0 4 2 5 1` means going from `3` to `0`, then `4`, then `2` and so on. Note that it also goes from `1` to `3`, because the list is rotating. Therefore, it is equivalent with for example `2 5 1 3 0 4`.
1. Initialization: random evaluation of the population is done here.
1. Fitness function: since it is important to compare different solutions, a fitness functoin is defined. It accepts an individual and returns how much it fits. For TSP, it is defined as `evaluation` method, which returns the sum of the distances between the costumers. However, since it returns smaller values for better solutions, the fitness is defined as `1/evaluation`, which returns higher values as the given solution (passed individual) gets better.
1. Crossover: combines two individuals and creates new one(s). It is one of the most important parts of a Genetic Algorithm solution, and there are several scientific papres proposing different crossovers for TSP. The one that is used in parano's code, is a simple greedy algorithm which creates two children for each pair of parents. It starts from a random starting node (costumer), and add it to the child. Then it checks the next nodes after the starting node in both parents. Next node of the child will be selected from the parent in which the next node is closer to the starting node. For example, if starting node is `7`, and the next nodes in parents are `3` and `9` respectively, if `distance(7, 3) < distance(7, 9)` then `3` will be selected, otherwise `9` will be the next node. The other child is found going to the previous node of the selected node, instead of going to the next.
1. Natural selection: or simply parent selection, selects a pair of fit parents from the population. They will be sent to crossover to create the new generation.
1. Mutation: to search all of the solution space, the mutation is also happen to the population. It is done with low random probabilities such as 0.01. For TSP, again several different mutations are introduced. For example, swapping two random indices in the array, or reversing a random subset of the array in place. It is shown in the above image.
1. Solve method: almost all of the previous methods are called in this method. It means that for a number of generations, we create new populations by using crossover and mutaion over best fit individuals. A semi-code for this method is as below:

{% highlight javascript %}
function solve() {
let population = initialization();
for(let i = 0; i < generationCount; i++) {
let newPopulation = [];
for(let j = 0; j < population.size(); j+= 2) {
let parent1 = selectFitParent(population);
let parent2 = selectFitParent(population.filter(p => p != parent1));
let children = crossOver(parent1, parent2);
children[0] = mutate(children[0]);
children[1] = mutate(children[1]);
newPopulation.push(children[0]);
newPopulation.push(children[1]);
}
population = newPopulation;
}
}
{% endhighlight %}

In the code repository, the `for` loop is replaced with a method called `GANextGeneration`, which is called using Javascript `setInterval` method.

## More than one salesman...

Assume you are living with your friends or family, and they decide to help you. You all start from home, each travels to a different set of costumers and returns. The new problem you are facing is called Multiple Traveling Salesman Problem (MTSP).

It can be divided into two problems:

1. Select destinations for each salesman,
2. Solve TSP for each salesman.

However, there are some ways to convert MTSP to TSP, and apply the previously built solutions to the new problem.

## Multiple salesmen? It is easy!

I changed parano's solution, to work for Multiple TSP (MTSP), in which there are more than one traveling salesman. It is an [online multiple traveling salesman problem solver](/mtsp). The [source code](https://github.com/ralthor/GeneticAlgorithm-TSP/tree/feature-multi-tsp) is also available.

<a href="/mtsp"><img src="https://content.communere.com/assets/images/threeSalesmen.png" /></a>

Two easy steps I took to change the base code from TSP to MTSP solver:

### 1. Added source nodes for each salesman

For TSP, we have only one source node. I added several other source nodes at the same place with the main source.
This way, one of the possible solutions for 10 nodes and two salesmen may be `3 8 4 0 5 7 1 9 0 6 2`. Since the list is rotating, it can be read as `5 7 1 9 0 6 2 3 8 4 0`. Different salesmen's paths are separated with 0, which is the index of the source node.

However, we may end up paths with length 0, for example `1 7 4 8 0 0 3 5 2 9 6`, in which one of the salesmen started from 0 and immediately went to 0.
To avoid this, the distance between source nodes is assumed to be infinity.

### 2. Changed the evaluation method to consider multiple salesman

Previous evaluation method was returning the sum of the distances. In other words, it was calculating the total distance the salesman travelled. In the code, it is implemented like this (of course after a `for` loop calculating it):
```js
return sum;
```

In order to maintain all of the salesmen's travelled distances almost the same, I changed above code to this:

```js
var L2 = sumForSalesman.reduce((t, x) => t + x\*x, 0);
return L2 / sum;
```

In above code, `sumForSalesman` is an array of the distance each salesman traveled. I square each of its members and calculate the sum of them. If there is only one salesman, the result will be the same as previous implementation. Therefore nothing is changed from the TSP solver perspective. However, when there are more than one salesman, above formula returns larger values for more unfair routes. For example, if we have two salesmen and they traveled 10 KM in total, the result will be different for this cases:

- both traveled 4 KM: `(4*4 + 4*4) / 8` which gives `4`
- one traveled 5 KM and the other 3 KM: `(5*5 + 3*3) / 8` which gives `4.25`
- one traveled 1 KM and the other 7 KM: `(1*1 + 7*7) / 8` which gives `6.25`

If you think this policy won't give the opimum solution every time, you are right! Here is an example, for the same path, 2+6 and 5+5 solutions are prefered over 1+6, although the sum for the last is smaller than those two.

## Conclusion

There are lots of interesting problems to solve with regards Traveling Salesman Problem. For example, consider the salesmen are not bound to start and end from the same location, or some of them are constrained to visit a certain number of nodes (costumers), or travel a certain distance at most. In addition, several other crossover and mutation methods may be tested to help the method to find an acceptable answer earlier.

Solving Multiple Traveling Salesman Problems

Implementing a Solution to Multiple Traveling Salesman Problem

![](https://content.communere.com/assets/2762cb67-9641-4321-a483-3ec60dde4eab)

Are you trying to develop a simple AI agent to win a game? Maybe Q-Learning is a right choice for you. Applying Q-Learning, your system will learn based on its previous experiences. It means in order to choose between its possible actions, it should have experienced a similar situation. Base on the environment, that may end up the situation when we leave two (or more?!) of our agents to play against each other and learn (Google DeepMind!), or just put the agent in the world to learn from its experiences!

## Q-Learning story

The learning process in Q-Learning is based on scoring the next possible actions. These are called Q-values. It means looking at the environment during the learning process, the agent scores each of its actions based on its experience. For example, in a maze game, such as PacMan, if some actions lead the agent to win the game, the scores of those actions are boosted to increase their chance to be selected later. On the other hand, if some actions lead to fail, for example running into a ghost, the scores are decreased to avoid selecting them in the future.

## How to set up the Q-Learning process?

![](https://content.communere.com/assets/de25a3a2-a243-475e-bf72-974a120ebc31)

The learning environment includes several world states. The agent moves from one state of the world to another by selecting an action. The states can be represented by tables, each contains several cells. For example, in a PacMan game, a ghost stands at a certain cell. For each cell, adjacent cells are available for the agent to choose for its next action. This is where the scores (Q-values) are required. Therefore, there is a score for each next action, say the next cell. These scores are set to a fix value, say zero, at the beginning, because the agent has yet no idea of the outcome of its actions. However, there is a reward/punishment system in Q-Learning method, which effects the scores during the learning process. These rewards and punishments are certain cells, with known scores. For example, the score for the exit cells and ghost cells can be +1 and -1 respectively. The run between the start of the game and when it is finished (or we consider it enough for learning) is called an _episode_. A process of Q-Learning may consist of thousands of episodes or more.

The definitions presented in this step are:

- state of the world (state): a representation of what happen in the world, where the agent is able to see the situation and select its next action. For the agent, the state may be desirable, undesirable or something between these two.
- actions of the agent: actions change the status of the world, and may lead to a desirable/undesirable state. These must be selected _intelligently_, and the learning process makes it possible.
- score or Q-values: The intelligence behind Q-Learning is based on the score it assigns to the pairs of states and actions. In other words, when the agent is in a _state_, and it selects an _action_, the agent wants to know how much score it will gain. This makes it possible for the agent to select the best action for the current state of the world, even if no direct reward/punishment is given at the moment.
- reward and punishment: although at the beginning there is no meaningful score for the most of the world states, if the agent reaches some world states, it is rewarded or punished. Those states are not necessarily the end of the game.
- episode: The run between the start of the game and when it is finished, or when it is decided to apply the scores.
- learning: ending the game (either by loosing or winning, or even falling into a loop which may interpreted as a fail) gives the opportunity to see which states and actions lead the agent to reach the current state. Q-Learning changes the Q-values for all of the path. However, this is a weighted change, which is dependent to both the times the state, action pair is updated and the distance of it to the end of the episode. For example, the tenth update has more effect than the fifteenth, and the adjacent decision to the end of an episode is more effected than the first decision the agent made in that episode.
- state, action pair: it is shown by `(s, a)`. In Q-Learning, a score is assigned to each pair, which is written `Q(s, a)` and read Q-values of performing action `a` in state `s`.

## Exploration vs Exploitation

![](https://content.communere.com/assets/7aa4ca20-fe49-4e2f-bedf-1b065a90691a)

Put the agent at the start cell, and let it takes its first action! At the beginning, because of the unknown scores, its actions are chosen randomly. However, when it reaches its first win/lose cell (reward or punishment cell), the cells in the path will be updated. In order not to take similar actions on the first positive response, or avoid a right path if it is failed somewhere at the end, an exploration mechanism is embedded into the learning phase of the Q-Learning. It means during the game, there is a probability that the agent selects an action except the current best action. This is called the exploration probability. This is decreased during the learning process. It helps the agent to explore the environment at the early stages of the learning process, and to focus on improving its final steps at the end.

## Lets talk formula!

![](https://content.communere.com/assets/be03dd7b-373f-4f9f-9ccc-0e0b00f8bec8)

Before coding, let's look at the formulas. They help to implement what everyone knows as Q-Learning. This is the learning formula, based on [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q-learning):

$$Q^{new}(s_t, a_t) \leftarrow (1-\alpha).Q(s_t, a_t)+\alpha . (r_t + \gamma . max_aQ(s_{t+1}, a))$$

In this calculation:

- $$Q^{new}(s_t, a_t)$$ is the new Q-value (score) for this state, action pair
- $$\alpha$$ is the learning rate, between 0 and 1 (0 means no learning and 1 means dismiss old learnings)
- $$\gamma$$ is the discount value. This is between 0 and 1, and shows how much the score is important. For 0, even final state, actions are considered worthless. For something in between, the calculated score becomes less important as it goes backward from the final score, say end of an episode.
- $$r_t$$ is the reward. It may be zero if the agent has not reached the required state. However, if it has reached, it shall be rewarded!
- $$max_aQ(s_{t+1}, a)$$ is the Q-value for best available action in state _s_.

## Developing the Q-Learning environment

Here is a simplified Javascript code for one episode of the Q-Learning process.

```js
let pairs = [];

let s = environment.start();
let a = null;
for (let i = 0; i < maxEpisodeLength && !environment.isFinal(s); i++) {
let actions = environment.actions(s);
if (epsilon > Math.random()) // exploration vs exploitation
a = actions.randomElement(); // explore
else
a = selectBest(s, actions); // exploit

 let candidateState = environment.applyAction(s, a)
 if (pairs.map(p => p[0]).findIndex(state => state == candidateState) != -1)
 	continue; // if the state is repeated, it is not selected.

 pairs.push([s, a]);
 s = candidateState;

}
let score = 0;
let reward = 1;
if (environment.isFinal(s)) {
score = environment.isFinal(s);
if (score > 0)
reward = 1.1;
}
else
score = bestScore(s);

for (let i = pairs.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
let prevScore = pairs[i] in qvalues ? qvalues[pairs[i]] : 0; // retrieve the previous score of this pair, if any.
qvalues[pairs[i]] = ((1 - alpha) _ prevScore + alpha _ (reward _ discount _ score));
score = qvalues[pairs[i]];
}
```

The complete working code is available in [this github repository](https://github.com/ralthor/q-learning-javascript).

### Implementation notes:

- To develop Q-Learning, I make a big loop over all of the episodes I want to have, which could be unlimited.
- Inside that loop, I put the agent in the starting state, and let it react to the environment based on its Q-values.
- When the agent reaches the end of the current episode (either by reaching a final state or the end of its permitted action numbers), I have made a list out of its state, action pairs.
- To avoid loops inside the list of state, action pairs, the actions which create a loop is not selected. It means that the agent waits on that cell to select another action on its next chance.
- Starting from the end of the list, I apply the learning formula to all of the state, action pairs it traversed.
- Instead of adding the reward, I simply multiplied it. It helps not to be aware of reducing it while going backward through the list.

## What to search/read next?

These topics maybe interesting:

- Q-Learning variations and alternatives
- Different policies for learning
- Deep Q-Learning

## Next post

In the next post, I will implement a Q-Learning powered agent playing a game. I like it to be snake, since I have created the environment [here](https://github.com/ralthor/Snake). However, as the environment gets larger, storing all of the state, action pairs gets harder. Therefore, the next implementation may use Deep Q-Learning!

Q-Learning and How It Is Implemented

Q-Learning and How It Is Implemented [A Brief Description]

Have you ever attempted to set up an automated backup of your MySQL database? The process of creating a scheduled backup is not as easy as SQL Server. In MySQL, we must use the command line to make this process automatically. The method uses a batch file to automatically backup and zip files each night at midnight. This happens using `mysqldump` command-line tool using Windows Task Scheduler:

![](https://content.communere.com/assets/80b05040-a71f-49de-97ea-880ccba2075b)

Here’s the command which is being called behind the scene:

```bash

set dbUser="DB_USER"
set dbPassword="YOUR PASSWORD"
set backupDir="PATH"
set dbName="DB_NAME"
set mysqldump="C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\bin\mysqldump.exe"
set zip="C:\Program Files\7-Zip\7z.exe"

%mysqldump% --host="MYSQL_SERVER_ADDRESS" --user=%dbUser% -p@%dbPassword% --single-transaction --add-drop-table --databases %dbName% > %backupDir%\%dirName%\output.sql
%zip% a -tgzip %backupDir%\%dirName%\%fileSuffix%output.sql.gz %backupDir%\%dirName%\output.sql
del %backupDir%\%dirName%\output.sql
```

This command, first backups the database then uses `7zip` to zip the backup. Then the `sql` is deleted as we don't need it anymore.

![](https://content.communere.com/assets/7994d38f-17e9-497e-be41-af0698179224)

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