At present times, we access as well as use software in various ways. Traditionally, we usually purchase software and then install on our system. Today, we have now started to use the software without any installation in our system. Instead, we have started to use the software and then pay according to the subscription model that we have opted for.
SaaS is an abbreviation for Software as a Serve. It is like any other service which we have subscribed to, and we make weekly, monthly, or annual payments for using the purpose of using the software. SaaS is among the major constituents of Cloud Computing. Many SaaS development services have ventured intro Cloud Computing leveraging the potential of SaaS.
SaaS essentially removes the requirements of a company to install as well as run, update and even manage the applications on their systems as well as data centres. It, in turn, helps in reducing the expenses incurred in maintenance of the data centres as well as human capital and hence saves the time. SaaS provides high scalability and allows the companies to pay as per the subscription plan which they use and not necessarily all of the features. Some of the examples of SaaS are Microsoft 365, Google Apps, Salesforce etc.
When it comes to the development of SaaS applications, various steps are required. It takes quite a long time for the companies to release their software to their end users. It makes their project quite complex, and this is why most of the tech companies first tend to develop a Minimum Viable Product or MVP. With MVPs, they can easily release their working product quickly as well as validate their assumptions, identify usability, minimize risks as well as identify the technical issues along with generating new ideas and reduce the complexity of the project.
A SaaS development company follows the below-mentioned process:
1. First is the Pre-development phase. During this phase, it is quite important to define the major core features of the software. Security remains to be the most crucial aspect of any software company. Software needs to be extensible in order to add more features in the near future. It is essential for the software to integrate perfectly with the existing solutions as well as preferred platforms.
2. Now comes the technology research phase. The software industry is loaded with a variety of programming languages along with frameworks, databases as well as third-party technologies. A developer needs to keep the cost, customizability as well as security in mind and also select the technology as per the unique requirements. The Web technologies like PHP, Django, Python, JavaScript, Angular.js, Laraveletc are used by most of the SaaS developers for SaaS web application development.
3. Once the technology research is done, then comes the development phase. It is essential to adopt agile methodologies in order to get maximum flexibility. It is also important to add the automated testing in order to reduce the manual tests number as well as save money and time.
It is critical for the SaaS application to utilize the Continuous Integration or CI environment and also merge all of the developer’s work on a shared timeline, The CI assists in the ongoing delivery of the service along with the bug-fixes, security as well as updates.
In order to maximize the productivity as well as to keep the software code free from any unnecessary clutter, it is essential for all of the team members to follow the given coding practices. A manual code review is also required to reduce the bugs as well as improve the code quality.
4. Now comes the post-development phase. After the MVP is built, the beta-testing phase comes. The feedback received from the beta-testers can essentially assist in improving the software. After this particular step, the required changes are then made, and the MVP is launched. After launching, monitoring, maintenance as well as providing the support, and further development, all of these continues.
There are various SaaS developer tools. SaaS projects are quite complex. The developers in a SaaS development company requires a range of various tools along with frameworks, libraries etc. in order to build a SaaS application. Most of the programming languages which are inclined towards the web apps are able to build any SaaS app the way it is needed. There are various sets of tools as per the preferences and requirements of the developers.
For Server-Side development, the available tools are:
1. Ruby on Rails– It is a famous server-side development framework. It has a large community along with a suite of tools as well as ability to handle various web application issues which makes it suitable choice for the development of SaaS project.
2. Node.js – It is a web application framework which is suitable for server-side development. It requires familiarity with JavaScript in order to use Node.js.
3. Python– It is widely used programming language which is designed to emphasize on the readability of the code. It comes loaded with quite a large number of frameworks such as Django.
4. PHP – It is considered to be the most commonly used programming language for the modern apps. It has quite a large community along with a huge number of libraries as well as frameworks which make the development process easier and faster.
For Client-Side Development, the tools are mentioned below:
1. JavaScript– The Client-side development is usually done in JavaScript. It is the best client-side language which serves all the purposes.
2. Angular.js– It is a structural framework which allows the developers of a SaaS development company to build complex and data-heavy apps with the JavaScript with quite an ease.
In case of Database management, the following tools are used:
1. MongoDB- It is a document-oriented database which is suitable for high performance and easy scalability. MongoDB is quite a great choice as scaling is very important from the perspective of SaaS.
2. MySQL- It is the most popular open-source database management system. It is widely utilized as a tool for the management of the database for the web apps. Most of the SaaS development services use MySQL.
A SaaS developer needs to choose the rights tools for SaaS application development. There are no particular tools set which is certain as every web application has different requirements. One has to decide the right stack of tools in order to use as well as plan the development of the SaaS product while making sure that target market is kept in mind.
