A Web application is different from a Web site. A Web site provides information that has been pre-built and can be stored (more or less) in static Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) files. Information in a Web site moves primarily from the server to the client. When the user must enter information, the server provides a generic, canned response. Between requests, the server doesn't care what the client does. The client can skip from one place to another with no effect on the Web site because each page is a stand-alone unit; the Web is composed of discrete groups of hypertext documents. In contrast, a Web application provides information specifically retrieved and formatted for a single user or group of users. Information moves in both directions—the user's input or identity often determines the content that appears on the browser.
A Web application serves dynamic information, not static HTML files. The application extracts content as needed, often from a database server. A Web application not only provides information, but also accepts information from you and responds to your actions with a specific custom response.
A Web application does care what you do from one request to another. It needs to track you to serve your needs. You can't always skip around in a Web application the way you can in a Web site. Sometimes, you need to follow a process from start to finish (for example, filling out an online application) or the entire process is suspect and must be discarded.
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