This beginner Guide to Web development will help you understand what web development is and how you can be a web developer, this will also provide you with a brief about the types of web development and which web developer you want to be and pursue web development as a career choice along with that, this guide will help you which programming, scripting, and markup languages are used in web development and for which purpose.
So without wasting any time, let's start with the definition and basic terminology.
What Is Web Development and Web Development Definition?
Web Development also known as website development or web application development is the process of creating, building, and maintaining websites or web applications that run online on the internet or an intranet. It may include building the Frontend and Backend of the website or web application and storing data in the database.
Instead of using the designing word, we have used building, building means creating the functionality and logic with the help of Markup and Programming language.
web development is a technique in which you write code and will require a range of skills or programming knowledge.
The languages you will use for web development varies, a few of them are basic/compulsory and a few of them are required to create logic and the backend of the website or web application.
HTML, CSS, and Javascript are used to design the structure of a website or web application and are used for the Frontend or Backend interface.
PHP, Python, Ruby on Rails, NodeJS, and .Net, are the popular choice to build the Backend of a web application or website. We also call them server-side programming languages.
While website or web application also consists of a database to store the data and display it to the user with the help of Backend programming or scripting languages.
MYSQL, MariaDB, MongoDB, etc are widely used databases for web applications or websites.
we also have another term called web design which is different compared to web development. Web design is the process of designing the interface.
While Web Development is building everything with the help of specific computer languages mentioned above.
web development is a complete process, so to get started with web development you will need a few tools and programming languages.
I will provide a brief overview of the languages required for web development and tools that you can use throughout the web development process to make things easier.
Types of Web Development and Web Developers
There are three major types of web development and web developers.
- Front-end Development (Front-end Developer)
- Backend-end Development (Back-end Developer)
- Full Stack Development (Full-Stack Developer)
Let me explain it further for you to easily understand, according to Carieer pursuing, if you want to start from scratch as a web developer then first learn basic front-end development (HTML, CSS, Javascript) which is easy to learn compared to backend and full stack development.
1. Front-end Development and Front end Developer
Front-end development is the process of converting the user interface (UI) design of the web application or website into code.
We can also call this client-side programming. HTML (Hypertext markup language), CSS(Cascading stylesheet), and Javascript (JS) are used to convert the user interface of the backend or the user interface of the front end.
- Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is used to create the structure and content of a website.
- Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is used to style the website and make it visually appealing.
- JavaScript: a scripting language used to add interactivity to websites.
The person who is responsible for the development of the frontend is called the frontend developer, frontend developers should learn HTML, CSS, Javascript, and Javascript libraries or CSS frameworks to use in their day-to-day life, or freelancing or in physical jobs.
Frontend developers must have a good understanding of user experience (UX) design principles and the latest web design trends to create engaging and intuitive interfaces.
They also need to be familiar with responsive design techniques to ensure that a website is optimized for different devices and screen sizes.
Overall, front-end development and front-end developer play a critical role in creating the look and feel of a website or web application and is essential for providing a positive user experience.
2. Back-end Development and Back-end Developer
Back-end Development is the process of creating functionality and logic of the web application or website with the help of programming and scripting languages along with storing data in the database.
We can also call this server-side programming because the backend will deal with the server in which the application/website is hosted and all the functionality is built logically and displayed on the front end to the user.
It involves the creation and management of the server, application, and database that work together to deliver the required functionality to the user.
The person who builds the backend of the application is called the back-end Developer, Backend developer is responsible to build the infrastructure and logic for the application that powers the front end of the application.
PHP, Python, Ruby, Java, .Net, etc are used by backend developers to build the complete infrastructure of the web application or website, frameworks like Laravel for PHP, Django for Python, Node.js, Flask, Ruby on Rails, and others are used to make the development process easy and fast compare to starting from scratch.
Databases like Mysql, MongoDB, SQL, MariaDB, etc are used along with the programming language to store the data in the databases and logically display it to the user.
The backend Developer also builds functionality to take input on the web application or website from the user and can further store it in the database or send it via email and use it in other functionality like login, signup, etc.
To pursue back-end as a career you need to learn anyone of the programming or scripting languages and practice it.
You can start from the basic procedural pattern of the language and then switch to an object-oriented pattern and after that, you can switch to a framework to speed up the programming.
3. Full-Stack Development and Full-Stack Developer
Full-stack Development is an approach in which the developer builds both the front-end and back-end of the application or website. Full stack development involves coding the front end of the website along with the back end of the website/web application.
Full-Stack development involves client-side programming and server-side programming.
The person who codes the front-end and back-end is called a full-stack developer. Full stack developer is capable of building both ends of the application.
Full stack developers are proficient in programming languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and frameworks such as React, Angular, or Vue on the front end, and languages such as Python, PHP, Ruby, or Java, and frameworks such as Django, Laravel, or Spring on the back-end.
In addition to having a deep understanding of both front-end and back-end development, full-stack developers must also have experience working with databases, APIs, and version control systems.
They must be able to manage the entire development process, from planning and design to deployment and maintenance.
Overall, full-stack developers are in high demand in the industry, as they have the skills and knowledge to work on a wide range of projects, from small-scale web applications to large-scale enterprise solutions.
As stated in the name “Full-Stack”, So what is Stack in the Full-Stack Developer?
A technology stack, also known as a software stack or development stack, is a data ecosystem that enlists the underlying tools, frameworks, and libraries used to build and run your application.
Full-stack developers use one or more stacks to build the application, Few of the stacks are:
| Stack | Stack Details |
| MEAN Stack | This stands for MongoDB, Express.js, Angular, and Node.js. It's a full-stack JavaScript-based framework that is used to develop web applications. |
| MERN Stack | This stands for MongoDB, Express.js, React, and Node.js. Similar to the MEAN stack, it's a JavaScript-based framework but uses React for the front end. |
| LAMP Stack | This stands for MongoDB, Express.js, React, and Node.js. Similar to the MEAN stack, it's a JavaScript-based framework but uses React for the front-end. |
| Django Stack | This stands for MongoDB, Express.js, React, and Node.js. Similar to the MEAN stack, it's a JavaScript-based framework but uses React for the front end. |
| Ruby on Rails Stack | This stands for MongoDB, Express.js, React, and Node.js. Similar to the MEAN stack, it's a JavaScript-based framework but uses React for the front end. |
| .NET Stack | This is a Microsoft framework that includes ASP.NET for back-end development and C# for programming language. It also includes tools for front-end development such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. |
| Java Stack | This includes Java for back-end development and Java frameworks like Spring, Hibernate, or Struts, along with front-end tools like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. |
Conclusion
After reading this article, I hope you may now know the basics of web development and how to start your career as a web developer, you can choose to be a front-end developer, Back-end Developer, Or Full-stack Developer. The choice is yours.
Front-end development is easy compare to back-end, and full-stack development, also you have to choose one of them and make it a career path and start practicing it.
