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Creating code that will run in all web browsers has long been the bane of web developers. While the W3C’s list of published standards is long, browser developers have at times been liberal in their interpretations of these standards. Additionally, they have at times made their own additions to their products not covered by these standards, making it difficult for developers to make their applications look and work the same in all browsers.

Since Ajax has only recently begun to receive mainstream recognition, it could be argued that many developers have been too overcome by the wow factor to really consider the security-related implications of building applications in this manner. It’s important to remember that, no matter what concept or language you are using to build and maintain your applications, you must always consider the security, safety, and well-being of not only your users, but also your own systems and data. Therefore, while developers new to the Ajax concept find themselves smitten with possibilities, they also must realize what is possible from a security standpoint. Is it possible to exploit certain aspects of the Ajax model? Are applications developed in JavaScript more at risk to potential attacks than those that are not? For both questions, the answer is yes. The good news is that only a few issues arise strictly because of the way Ajax functions; most security issues are the same old issues we have always faced, but they are often overlooked due to the new way that Ajax applications are handled.

The testing and debugging of JavaScript-based applications has long been a difficult task, primarily due to inconsistencies between platforms and browsers, and also due to a lack of developer tools. To further complicate matters, a new browser war has emerged, with Firefox strongly challenging the once dominant Internet Explorer for its share of the market.

The last step in your journey through Ajax- and PHP-based web application development revolves around the DOM. The DOM is a representation of all the objects and elements on a web page. Using a tree structure, all paragraphs, images, links, and other elements can be directly accessed and manipulated using JavaScript.