AJAX refers to Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. It is a powerful web development technique to create interactive web applications. AJAX’s fundamental function is to update web content asynchronously. This means a user’s web browser doesn’t need to reload an entire web page when only a small content section on the page needs to update. The best and practical example of AJAX is Google’s autocomplete functionality.

This feature helps you complete the keyword while you are typing in the search bar. If you have noticed that the keywords keep changing in real-time. Whereas, the page remains the same. Thus, makes your task easier. AJAX is quite popular and most web developers use it to streamline the process.

How Does AJAX Work?

AJAX works when JavaScript and XML come together to make asynchronous updating happen using the XMLHTTPRequest object. Therefore, when a user visits a webpage that uses AJAX, the Javascript creates XMLHTTPRequest for an object. Then, it transfers data in an XML format between a web browser and a web server. In like manner, the XMLHTTPRequest sends a request for the updated page data to the web server, then the server processes the request for the updated page to the webserver. The server processes this request and a response is generated on the servers side. This response is sent back to the server-side, which uses Javascript to process and display it on the screen as updated content.

The websites and applications that use Ajax are more user-friendly, effective, load faster and more responsive.