A world with technological advancements will be a stable place. The level of mastery we have achieved in healthcare, IT, eCommerce, defense, agriculture, education, and other sectors would not have been possible without smart software innovations.
Software development is promising us a future that is intelligent, convenient, safe, and progressive. Especially in the age of digital transformation, software has become the core component. Businesses across all industries are looking to develop software solutions to streamline processes, reduce costs, improve customer experiences, and adapt to changing market trends.
From enhancing connectivity to enabling automation, e-learning, online services, security, personalized services, smart cities, entertainment, Fintech, and scientific research, software plays a vital role.
This guide aims to simplify software-building concepts and methodologies. It is to ensure that you have a better understanding of the basics to explore its potential in your business.
Software development is the process of designing, programming, testing, documenting, and maintaining applications and frameworks. In other terms, it is the process of writing and maintaining the source code for any application or platform.
Therefore, a software developer has to research, build a design, develop a prototype, write code, do modifications, and all other activities related to building software solutions.
Please note that software is a set of instructions, data, or programs that tell a device or application to do specific activities. So, developing software refers to everything that takes to build software that will produce output as you desire.
There are four types of software.
On the contrary, there are 10 types of software development starting from application development to backend development. We will discuss each one of them in detail in the next section.
Professionals involved in the creating software solutions are often known as:
These three roles are not similar but their work responsibilities interact and overlap. For example, software developers handle overall SDLC while programmers write the code for tasks like merging databases, displaying texts, routing connectivity etc.
The development of software is a rapidly advancing field and is high in demand in this digital era.
In a world where software powers everything, the demand for software solutions is at its peak and continuously rising.
There are 10 main types of software development. Let’s have a look at them.
Application development is the process of building software applications or computer programs to assist users in some specific functionalities.
There are different types of application development, such as mobile application development, custom application development, rapid application development, and low-code application development.
In simple terms, web development means building a website for the internet. The website can be a single static page or a complex web of interconnected pages.
In today’s digital era, every business has a website. The website acts as the digital impression of businesses offering them global reach.
Mobile app development is the most popular in the software development sector. It refers to the development of software applications that run on iOS and Android mobile devices.
Today almost every product or service has its app. Mobile apps help businesses offer instant services, boost customer experience, and build brand authority.
In the age of AI, data holds a prominent place. Businesses come across large chunks of data that won’t be valuable until a data scientist helps them.
Data scientists process datasets to derive insights useful to businesses. The companies then consider these insights to make informed decisions for product strategy, marketing, and future planning.
Businesses looking to build AI apps also need data mining solutions. It is because these apps require training AI models on domain-specific datasets to perform specific functions.
Here software engineers build software tools for other developers to develop and test their applications. These are not for the common users but for the developer community.
Software tools also assist developers in ensuring that their applications meet industry standards.
API Development, short for Application Programming Interface development, refers to the creation of software components that function as connective elements between various operating systems. These components empower third-party developers to engage with the tools or functionalities associated with the respective API.
APIs are tailored for specific platforms, and each API is crafted using the programming language compatible with the platform or device it is specifically intended for.
Embedded Systems Development is a specialized field focused on creating software tailored to the particular hardware your machine or device utilizes. This form of software development entails acquiring the coding skills necessary for embedded systems such as Arduino and Raspberry Pi.
White hat hackers and cybersecurity experts collaborate to enhance the security of companies and safeguard their critical data. The cybersecurity team designs software solutions to protect the organization’s vital assets from theft, viruses, and malicious attacks.
Cloud computing services leverage a network of distant servers for data storage and service accessibility, as opposed to relying on local servers or personal devices. Developers engaged in cloud computing software development create applications that enable cloud-based storage and services. Prominent instances of cloud computing software include Amazon Web Services (AWS), OneDrive Storage, and GitHub.
Backend Development, which is sometimes referred to as Database Development, operates discreetly within a system’s infrastructure. It is responsible for managing the server side of a website, where data is stored.
Database management stands as the central component of backend development and serves as the foundation for organizations dealing with substantial data volumes. Backend developers are tasked with efficiently managing and organizing extensive datasets during the backend development process.
Apart from these common software development types, there are other varieties too. It includes development of custom softwares, commercial softwares, enterprise softwares etc.
Now that you know what is software development, let’s know how it is built.
You just cannot wake up with an idea and start developing software. Every software project has to follow a defined set of stages and processes. These are necessary to meet the global standard and build software as per business requirements in a set time and budget.
So, what are these processes? What are the phases of software development?
This is where we talk about SDLC short for Software Development Lifecycle. It is the standard procedure that companies follow to create software and maintain them. In short, SDLC provides the development team with a structured plan to design, build, test, and maintain high-quality software applications.
The purpose of the software development lifecycle is to have a streamlined process to develop effective products within a timeline and budget. It allows you to build your product one step at a time, minutely analyzing every step.
This enables companies to have a smooth workflow, keep clients informed about developments, collect feedback, and resolve errors quickly. Therefore, increasing their efficiency and reducing development cost and time.
To sum up, SDLC:
The international standard in software engineering for the software life cycle process is ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207.
The first step is planning where the team members plan:
Effective project planning is one that takes into account the client’s needs and curates a plan that meets their requirement as well as ends in delivering a quality product.
This is the step where you will assess the needs of the project. It will act as the groundwork for your project which will help you throughout your development journey.
Business analysts are involved in this step where they draft a doc containing project vision, goals, risks, market analysis and all other requirements.
A software requirement specification software outlines:
With this, you will be clear on your project’s requirements, risks, and targets. Based on your analysis the development team will now progress with the actual software development.
After a comprehensive understanding of project requirements and the approval of the Software Requirement Specification (SRS), designers and architects can commence their work on software design.
Design plays a pivotal role in building software, as it is the first thing that captures the audience’s attention before delving into the specifics.
Designers adhere to established patterns and frameworks like TOGAF to maintain consistency and facilitate reuse in the software or app architecture.
A standard software design should encompass the following key elements:
The design team documents all these specifications in a Design Document Specification (DDS), which undergoes stakeholder review and approval based on factors like risk assessment, design modularity, time constraints, and product strength.
Some companies that build software opt to create a prototype during this phase, which, although time-consuming, can help prevent significant modifications later in the development process.
One of the most crucial steps in software development is the actual development phase. The development team begins by familiarizing themselves with the DDS to understand the software’s processes. Whether it’s a white-label or custom software, this phase demands significant effort and time.
Consequently, software developers often employ the Agile methodology, coupled with various programming software, to expedite the coding process. The objective here is to deliver an operational software solution that aligns with the requirements outlined in the SRS and DDS documents.
The choice of methodology, such as Agile (with time-boxed ‘sprints’) or Waterfall (with a single block of effort), is crucial to the development phase. Coders prioritize producing software as swiftly as possible.
Regular involvement of all relevant business stakeholders is essential to ensure that their expectations are met. The outcome of this phase is a fully functional and testable software product.
The testing process should encompass both manual and automated approaches to identify errors and bugs. Automated testing tools, such as continuous integration tools like Codeship, can be employed to streamline the testing process.
Testers primarily focus on four key types of testing, which include performance testing, unit testing, security testing, and usability testing.
Additionally, there are other testing types like code quality testing, integration testing, acceptance testing, and non-functional testing, among others, that are used to assess the software’s quality and functionality.
Any bugs or glitches identified during testing must be promptly addressed to ensure that the software operates flawlessly and smoothly.
This is why many developers prefer to utilize software development methods that enable concurrent testing during the development process, saving time and simplifying the testing procedure and subsequent adjustments.
Many organizations place particular emphasis on the testing phase to guarantee a high-quality product.
Following successful quality checks, the result is software that adheres to stringent quality standards, free of defects, stable, and ready for deployment.
Following the completion of all software development stages, it’s time to introduce the software to the world.
During this phase, some projects may require the entire team to create user manuals or develop instructional videos before making the software accessible to end users.
Ideally, the deployment phase is considered an integral part of Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) and typically operates automatically, especially in large-scale enterprises.
However, in highly regulated industries, manual approval is often necessary, which can significantly impact the timeline of the custom software development process.
This stage can be aptly described as the “end of the beginning,” as the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) doesn’t conclude with deployment.
Even after the software is released, it is imperative to continuously monitor its performance for potential issues that may arise during consistent use.
Furthermore, if there is a need to integrate advanced features into the software to align with the latest software building trends, the development team can implement these enhancements.
Frequent updates to the software application are essential to maintain its smooth operation and adhere to quality standards, thereby attracting more users. This ongoing process ensures that the software continues to meet the evolving needs of its users.
There are different software development models that companies follow. Every model is different consisting of unique steps, so the companies choose the model depending on their project needs.
Some of the notable software development methodologies are:
The Waterfall model is one of the earliest and most used SDLC models. In this model, you cannot overlap the development stages. You will have to complete one stage to move to the next one.
In the waterfall software development model, the output of one stage acts as the input of the next stage. The sequence of the SDLC model is:
Agile methodology is the process of continuous iteration of software development and testing during the entire SDLC. In this model, the project is divided into small builds where one build usually takes 1-3 weeks.
DevOps combines the methodologies of software development and IT in a single SDLC. This model increases the collaboration across different teams ensuring quick development and quality product delivery.
RAD stands for Rapid Application Development. In this SDLC model, the developers have the flexibility to adjust the development as per the changing market dynamics.
Thus the focus is always on delivering quality software relevant to the current user preferences while reducing costs.
Rapid application development consists of 4 major stages:
Scrum methodology is one of the most preferred models for software development. In this model, the project development is divided into small modules.
Now each module acts as an independent identity and works accordingly. This results in quick development and hassle-free maintenance and upgrades.
Scrum has three sequential phases.
Additionally, you also have spiral, incremental, Bigbang, V, and Iterative models. Each of these SDLC models has a unique approach to software development. However, all focus on building quality software applications tailored to business requirements.
There are hundreds of software development languages, frameworks and tools. However, the languages and toolset you use depend on your software development type and the SDLC model you choose.
Some of the common languages and tools to develop software applications are:
| Software Development Type | Programming Languages | Tools & Frameworks |
| Web Development | JavaScript, HTML, CSS | React, Angular, Vue.js, Bootstrap, Node.js |
| Mobile App Development | Swift, Kotlin, Java | Flutter, React Native, Android Studio, Xcode |
| Desktop Application | C#, Java, C++ | Electron, WPF, Swing, Qt, GTK+ |
| Game Development | C++, C#, UnityScript | Unity, Unreal Engine, Godot, Phaser |
| Data Science & ML | Python, R, Julia | Jupyter, TensorFlow, scikit-learn, PyTorch |
| Artificial Intelligence | Python, Java, C++ | TensorFlow, PyTorch, OpenAI GPT, Watson |
| Database Development | SQL, PL/SQL, T-SQL | MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle |
| DevOps/Infrastructure | Bash, PowerShell, Ruby | Docker, Kubernetes, Jenkins, Terraform |
| Embedded Systems | C, C++, Assembly | Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Atmel Studio |
| Blockchain Development | Solidity, Rust, Go | Ethereum, Truffle, Hyperledger Fabric |
| IoT Development | C, Python, Java | Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Node-RED, AWS IoT |
Having an in-house development team is great. But if you don’t have one, don’t waste your time in hiring resources.
Instead, hire a professional company that develops software solutions. These companies have talented developers, programmers and software engineers who have the skill and expertise to build you the software application you want.
The best thing is that software development companies have different hiring models. So, you can test their team’s knowledge and customize your development team.
However, with the demand for building software products, hundreds of companies have emerged in the market. Everyone claims to offer the best services. But are they really competent in what they advertise?
Please note that your one wrong decision in choosing a custom software development company can ruin your entire project.
While it’s equally important for the team to be technically sound, do they understand your idea? Does their communication and development approach match your vibe? Do they have the capacity to handle your project? Most importantly, are their services in your budget?
So, how will you select the right company for your project?
Here is a checklist that will help you sort out the best company.
This is a basic checklist that will help you get started. You can add more points to this as per your requirements.
When you start evaluating each company based on your curated checklist, you will find the company that suits your needs.
NetWeb Tech is undoubtedly the leading choice when it comes to custom software development companies in India. With a reputation for excellence and a track record of delivering top-notch solutions, they have earned the trust of clients worldwide.
Our team of highly skilled and innovative developers consistently produces cutting-edge software products tailored to meet the unique needs of their clients. From web and mobile applications to custom software development, NetWeb Tech’s commitment to quality and customer satisfaction sets them apart.
Our dedication to staying at the forefront of technological advancements ensures that clients receive the most up-to-date solutions that drive success.
When seeking a partner in India that develops cutting-edge custom software solutions, NetWeb Tech stands out as the best choice for exceptional services and results.
D 185 Phase, 8-B, Plot, Industrial Area, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Punjab
DISTT Shopping Complex, SCO 88, 3rd FLOOR, Ranjit Avenue, Amritsar, Punjab
Mr. Naseem Zia – Sales Person 17B, Lomond Way, Seville Grove, WA-6112
D 185 Phase, 8-B, Plot, Industrial Area, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Punjab
DISTT Shopping Complex, SCO 88, 3rd FLOOR, Ranjit Avenue, Amritsar, Punjab
Mr. Naseem Zia – Sales Person 17B, Lomond Way, Seville Grove, WA-6112
