asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX)

Asynchronous JavaScript And XML (AJAX) is a web service for dynamic web pages that enables the immediate exchange and display of parts from web pages without the need to reload and rebuild the entire web page.

Ajax programs give the impression that they are running on the user's computer. In contrast to the page flow of a traditional web application, Ajax does not load directly connected web pages by request, but simply submits requests to update individual parts of the page. Since the input data is reloaded in the background, the display is almost instantaneous with fast Internet connections.

Furthermore, any response to a user action that does not require a connection to the server is handled by the client itself. When it needs data from the server, it sends it to the server in the background on request. As soon as the response arrives, the web browser rebuilds or updates the relevant page area using Javascript. Thanks to the short delay times, Ajax gives the same impression as desktop applications. Project work can thus be carried out by several users, just as with local applications.

Ajax is based on several techniques that can be used to produce Web applications with interactive functionality and intuitive response. Extensible HypertextMarkup Language( XHTML) and Cascading Style Sheet( CSS) for separating content from design, the Extensible Markup Language (XML) and the XSLTransformation ( XSLT) as data exchange formats, Document Object Model( DOM) for dynamically changing display objects, and last but not least, JavaScript, which connects everything.

Ajax is a Web service for Web 2.0 that is of particular interest for B2B applications.