Welcome to our guide on web development essentials! In this blog, I will provide a concise overview of the key components that make up web development: front-end, back-end, and databases. Whether you’re a beginner deciding where to start or looking to understand the full stack, I’ll help you navigate through the technologies best suited for each area. Additionally, we will explore the various career opportunities available in the field of web development.
What is Web Development?
Web development is developing a front-end, a collection of web pages hosted on a computer connected to the internet, and developing a backend written in programming languages like Java, Python, Go, or JavaScript. The back-end application is also hosted on a computer or server connected to the internet. These two parts, front-end and back-end interact with each other. The Front-end, which users interact with, sends the request to the back-end for a resource, and the back-end processes the request and sends back the response. The computer or machine, the web pages are hosted on is also called a web server.
The back end interacts with a database which is a permanent storage of resources. The front end hits the back end through a URL, which hits a back-end API. To enable the front-end to interact with the back-end, we create APIs on the back-end application. Front-end hits the URL which hits a specific back-end API. We can leverage third-party APIs which act as a back-end for our application. These third-party APIs interact with a database and provide services for our application.
Web pages are digital files visible to users, written in HTML (HyperText Markup Language), styled with CSS (Cascading Style Sheet), and functioning with JavaScript. In other words, HTML creates the skeleton of a webpage, CSS provides the look and feel and JavaScript decides how the webpage should behave when a particular event like a click or scroll occurs. Apart from JavaScript, TypeScript is another programming language that is a superset of JavaScript that adds static typing and other features. TypeScript helps catch errors during development and is widely used in large-scale applications.
Web development is a collection of three parts:
- Front-End
- Back-End
- Database Management
Front-End Development
Front-End, as we discussed involves web pages the users interact with. To develop a front end, we need HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and TypeScript. But, there are frameworks also, which make development very easy. For example, over the top of CSS, there are frameworks like Bootstrap, Tailwind CSS, Chaktra UI, Material UI, etc. These CSS frameworks make styling of web pages very easy because they provide pre-built CSS templates that we can directly import in our front-end development. According to the 2023 State of CSS Study, Tailwind CSS stands apart as the most popular UI framework. Apart from using CSS, we also need a CSS pre-processor like SASS. SASS (Syntactically Awesome Style Sheets) is a preprocessor scripting language that is interpreted or compiled into Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). SASS extends CSS by providing features such as variables, nested rules, mixins, and functions, which make the CSS code more maintainable, reusable, and easier to write.
Similarly, over the top of JavaScript and TypeScript, some frameworks and libraries make our front-end development very smooth. These are Angular, ReactJS, Vue.JS, Backbone.JS, and Ember.js. There is also a framework called NextJs which is a meta framework built on top of React, enhancing its capabilities with features like Server Side Rendering and Static Site Generation. But, for NextJS, You should have a good command of ReactJS.
According to the StackOverflow 2023 survey, ReactJS is the most popular library for developing a front end. (Remember, React is a library, not a framework).
Link For Complete Roadmap of Front-End Development: Click Here
Let’s Summarize the Technologies To Become a Frond-End Developer
- HTML
- CSS
- JavaScript
- TypeScript
- Tailwind CSS
- ReactJs
- SASS
- Automated Testing
- Next.js
Back-End Development
Our front end is connected to the back end to handle the requests coming from the front end. The back end provides the requested resources after authentication and authorization. These resources are stored in the database the back-end interacts with. To develop a backend, we can use a programming language like Java, JavaScript, Python, and PHP. Please note that JavaScript can be used for both front-end and back-end.
We have also frameworks to develop back-end and these frameworks are on top of these back-end programming languages. For example, developers use Spring Boot for Java development, NodeJS for JavaScript, Laravel for PHP, CodeIgniter which is another popular framework for PHP, Django for Python, and Gin for Golang. There are lots of languages and there are lots of frameworks for each language. So, it is necessary to choose the right language and framework. In this article, I will also tell you the most popular languages and frameworks that will work in 2024 and in the future and can bring your web development career to its peak.
If you are starting your journey as a software engineer, I recommend going with Java or C#. Java or C# can teach the ins and outs of the programming world. These are object-oriented, robust, and multithreaded programming languages.
In terms of demand, Java is still occupying its market position. Big companies still rely on Java for enterprise applications. If you feel Java or C# is a little bit hard (Note: It is not that hard and verbose that people spread myths), you can learn Python. Python is also object-oriented programming and has simple syntaxes. JavaScript is widely being used in the back end also. But, going with Java or Python will give more benefits than going with JavaScript at the initial stage of a web development career. But, remember, stick to one programming language. If you feel JavaScript is better than others, stick to JavaScript.
Learning a programming language is not enough, you should have a good command over Data Structure and Design patterns to become a better programmer. Data Structure and Algorithm improve problem-solving skills whereas design patterns solve common software design problems. By learning design patterns, you will understand how a web framework works under the hood.
According to the Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2022, NodeJs is the most popular framework for web development.
Let’s Summarize the Technologies To Become a Back-End Developer
- Programming Language (Any one of the programming languages i.e Python, Java, or C#)
- Data Structure and Algorithm
- Design Patterns
- Web Framework based on chosen programming language
Database Management
Now, If we talk about database management, there are two types of databases, one is SQL (Structured Query Language) and another one is NoSQL (Non-Structured Query Language). Various SQL databases are Postgres, MySQL, and SQLite, etc. NoSQL databases are MongoDB, Reddis, and DynamoDB, etc. Don’t worry, I will tell you the most popular ones. We will also discuss whether you should choose an SQL database or a NoSQL database.
According to the Stack Overflow Developer Survey, PostgreSQL, an SQL database, is the most popular database among professionals. Link to Survey: Click Here
NoSQL database is a little bit easy to learn. However, I recommend, that anyone starting his/her journey as a web developer should learn PostgreSQL a SQL database. After learning SQL, they can move to a NoSQL database like Mongo DB.
If You are going with SQL database, you will learn about:
- CRUD (C for Create a table, R for Read data from a table, U for Update a table, D for Delete data from a table) operations
- Joining two or more than two tables (Inner Joiner, Outer Join, Left Join, Right Join, Self Join etc)
- Indexing
- Mappings like One To One mapping, One To Many Mapping and Many To Many Mapping
- Stored Procedures
- Constraints like Primary Key, Unique Key, Not Null, Composite Key, Check, Default, Foreign Key, Auto Increment
- Views
- Data Types
Free Resource To Learn SQL: Click Here
Apart from learning any technology, making projects is a must to get a job nowadays. You can get many projects on YouTube or you can take help from ChatGPT or Google. Projects build your confidence and improve the chances of selection.
What Can You Do After Learning Web Development?
After learning web development, you can explore numerous opportunities depending on your interests and career goals:
Full-Time Employment
You can join a company as a front-end, back-end, or full-stack developer. You can also work as a UI/UX designer in a company.
Freelancing
You can work as a freelancer where you will have your freedom of time and choice of client. If you are successful in freelancing, you can outsource your work to other freelancers and can make your own web development company in the future. There are various platforms like Upwork and Fiverr where you can create a profile to get a job. At the initial stage, it may take some time, but once you get 3 to 4 projects, your credibility will be increased and you will be getting more projects.
Creating And Selling Products
You can create themes and templates and sell them on a marketplace like ThemeForest. You can create plugins and Google extensions as well and can charge for premium functionalities from the users. Moreover, You can create SaaS (Software As a Service) products and create a good income source.
Mobile Development
After learning Web Development, You can also go for mobile application development using React Native which is based on Reactjs. With the help of React Native, you can create mobile applications both for Android as well as Apple devices and launch them on Google Play Store or Apple Store.
Conclusion
Web development is a dynamic and rewarding field that encompasses three primary areas: front-end development, back-end development, and database management. Mastery of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and modern frameworks like ReactJS and NodeJS, alongside SQL and NoSQL databases, equips developers to create robust and interactive web applications. As technology evolves, staying updated with the latest trends and tools is essential. Whether you choose full-time employment, freelancing, or creating and selling your own products, the skills you gain in web development open up numerous opportunities. With dedication and continuous learning, you can build a successful career and even venture into related fields like mobile development with tools like React Native. Embrace the journey, and let your creativity and technical skills shape the digital world.
2 thoughts on “Web Development”