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Rich internet application

(also rich web application, installable internet application, RIA)

Rich internet application definition

A rich internet application is a web application that has similar functionality to a desktop app. Rich internet applications don’t need to be installed, and they take up no disk space on your machine. Your device operates the user interface, but all data is manipulated on a remote server.

Real rich internet application examples

2002: Jira is a popular project management web application that started out as an online bug-tracking tool.

2006: Google Docs is an online word processor that lets users create and edit documents on their web browser.