The role of a web developer is one that almost always makes it to the lists of
high-paying IT jobs. And why not? In today’s digital world, web developers are
indispensable. Whether it’s a stunning website, a high-performing e-commerce site, or
any other web-based application, it’s the handiwork of a web developer
If you’re aspiring to wear the hat of a web developer, you’d be thrilled to know that full
stack developer skills are in high demand. But do you know how full-stack vs. front end
vs. back end web development stack up against each other? In other words, what
makes these job roles different? We’ll break it down for you. In this article we will cover
the following topics that will give you clear understanding of the differences between
front end developer, back end developer and full stack developer:
● What is web development?
● Types of web development
● What is frontend development?
● Who is a front end developer?
● What are the front end developer skills?
● Front end developer salary
● What is backend development?
● Who is a back end developer?
● What are back end developer skills?
● Back end developer salary
● Frontend vs. backend development
● Who is a full-stack developer?
● What are the full stack developer skills?
● Full stack developer salary
But first, let’s get a couple of basics out of the way.
What is Web Development?
Web development is the process of creating a website on the internet. Web
development refers to the non-design aspects of a website, such as creating features
and functionality using programming, markup, and scripting languages. Developers
concentrate on the technical aspects of website development, such as architecture,
programming, and application integration, and graphics.
A web developer is someone who –
● Builds and maintains websites and other web applications
● Converts a web design into a website
● To comprehend the vision, they collaborate with clients, stakeholders, and
designers
● Can specialize in either frontend or backend development. If required, even as
a full-stack developer
Now that you know what web development is, look at the different types of web
development.
Types of Web Development
Web development mainly includes frontend development, backend development, and
when the two are put together, there is Fullstack development.
If you’re wondering what exactly they mean, don’t worry. Before learning about frontend
vs. backend development, you will look at them separately and understand each of them
in detail below in this tutorial.
What is Frontend Development?
● The aspect of web development that codes and produces frontend elements
of a website, or features that are immediately observable and accessible by
the end-user or client, is known as frontend development.
● Essentially, a frontend developer is in charge of everything you see be it
styling, graphics, text, alignment, navigation, colors, and so on, and attempts to
improve the user experience to make it as seamless as possible.
● They also contribute to the overall design and aesthetic, along with debugging.
● The major goals of frontend development are responsiveness and
performance.
If what you see in an application is the front end, then what do you think makes this
happen? That’s right, it is the backend of the application. Continue reading this tutorial
to understand this concept better, and start to learn about frontend vs. backend
development.
Who is a Front End Developer?
Front-end web developers take care of the website’s style and user interface. As you’d
probably know, HTML is the structural skeleton of a webpage. You can think of
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) as the physique or the body of the skeleton. CSS enables
front-end, web developers, to modify the shape of the physique, which, in terms of
websites, is like pre-defining certain sections to make the website display a specific
style.
For instance, if the website is a human body, using CSS, you can alter the build of
muscles and change the way specific muscles look. Now, with regards to websites, you
can use CSS to adjust specific sections of the site to define the look and style it
displays. Front-end web developers integrate these “style and look” into a CSS file and
include it on top of the HTML file. Whenever they need a particular style, they refer to the
CSS file that contains the pre-defined styles.
What are the Front End Developer skills?
A front end developer skills involve solid knowledge of scripting languages such as
HTML, JavaScript, and CSS3. If you wish to become a front-end website developer, you
need to master these three languages.
However, by far, the most critical front end developer skill is proficiency in JavaScript.
The versatile JavaScript, which works side by side with both CSS and HTML, features in
various applications, including the date and time and “Add to Favorites” button.
Besides, working as a front end developer also requires skills around JQuery, Ajax, UI
(User interface), UX (user experience) as well as familiarity with frameworks like
AngularJS, EmberJS, Foundation, Bootstrap, and Backbone.
Front End Developer Salary
An average front end developer in the US can make an approx. $104,893 every year.
What is Backend Development?
● Web development that occurs at the back end of programs is accurately
termed backend development.
● backend development covers server-side web application logic and
integration, and activities, like writing APIs, creating libraries, and working with
system components as opposed to frontend development, which focuses on
customer-facing services and programs.
● backend developers create code that allows a database and an application to
communicate with one another.
● backend developers are in charge of the back end of a website, which includes
servers, databases, and apps. They are in control of what you don’t see.
Surely you clearly understand what frontend and backend of an application means. But
what really sets them apart? What constitutes the two? These questions are answered
in the next section.
Who is a Back End Developer?
The user-facing interface of a website needs to be aesthetically pleasing. But, without
the software that runs in the background, the website’s UI wouldn’t even exist in the first
place. That’s something that puts back end developer skills to test. Back end developers
work on the server-side.
What are Back End Developer skills?
The programming languages that back end developers typically need to know include
PHP, Ruby, Python, and .Net to build applications. Plus, they should have good command
over database technologies like Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, and MySQL.
Since the developer community widely embraces PHP, let’s take that as an example. A
scripting language, PHP, works together with Structured Query Language, or SQL, which
is the database from where PHP pulls information out to enter it into an HTML file for
display. You can find examples of this process everywhere.
For instance, when a user registers on a website, the SQL database stores the
submitted information. Every time they log in, the server-side language gets the
information from the database, and HTML displays it on your screen. It’s the job of a
back end developer to set this process in motion.
Back End Developer Salary
Wondering what’s the salary package of back end web developers? Compared to front
end developers, they generally get a higher annual salary, which may fall within $128,880
per annum.