Asynchronous JAVA Script and XML (AJAX)

AJAX is actually a group of interrelated web development techniques. It is basically used for the creation of interactive web applications. AJAX's primary characteristic is that it helps increase the functionality, interactivity, responsiveness, speed and usability of the web pages being developed. This can be achieved by exchanging small amounts of data with the server behind the scenes. The purpose of this so-called hidden function is for the web page to work without the need refresh or reload it each time the user performs an action. Here is the breakdown of the different elements:

• "A" in AJAX is asynchronous, meaning unsynchronized. The program is unsynchronized in such a manner that extra data is requested from the server and then loaded unto the background without affecting the webpage.
• "JA" in AJAX is JAVA Script, of course. This is the scripting or programming language used in the underlying software.
• "X" in AJAX is XML which refers to the XML HTTP request object that is used in data retrieval.