An interactive web application framework allows a user to define user interface and logic of a web application and publish the web application. A web application system can receive a database notification from a database server. The database notification can indicate that an update of a user interface item has occurred in a database. The database notification can be generated by the database server in response to a request from a user device. The request can be a request to receive information when any state change occurs at the database server. The web application system can initiate communication with the user device without responding to a specific request requesting the update. The web application system can generate instructions for refreshing the user interface item in a browser, and push the instructions to the user device.