Open a new browser tab, type in the site address you are looking for, press the Enter key. The site loads instantly. Well-designed pages are understandable, and the visual content is impressive. They are simple and easy to navigate.
Who created all this?
The answer is the WEB-developer.
The first site was born on August 6, 1991, and now there are almost a billion of them. WEB-developers build, analyze and support each one of them.
The website is an absolutely necessary component of any competitive business. Trends and features of WEB-development are changing every season and there is always a lot of work for WEB-developers.
But how can you understand who is doing what? There are many people who are engaged in WEB-development. They include Front-end, Back-end, Full Stack WEB-developers. Are you interested in HTML, JavaScript, or Python? It’s time to sort out what is happening in WEB-development. Who is who and what they are doing to make web sites work as they work.
Front-End Developer
Users only see and interact with the part of the website created by the Front-end developers. Everything that the user sees on the web page (the font, the background, drop-down menu, the slider and so on) were created using HTML, CSS and JavaScript and controlled by the user’s browser.
Skills and Tools of the Front-End Developer
The front-end developer creates the “face” of the site, the part the user sees. He takes into account the experience of user interaction with sites. To keep users happy and to make them understand how to work with the site, the developer should know programming languages such as – HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, he should be able to work with Bootstrap, Angular JS frameworks, jQuery-type libraries, and Ajax technology that allows access to the server without reloading the page for live search, interface elements, and dynamic loading sites.
If you envision the website as a building than you can say the Front-end developer is responsible for the appearance or the facade of the site, which was constructed by the Back-end developers.
The front-end developer works together with designers and UX-analysts to develop the workable site. It is important for him to communicate with other teams of developers in order to better understand the goals and needs of the business and then to offer solutions that will best match the business goals.
Everything you now see on our website was created by the Front-end developers. The designer created a logo and graphics, the photographer provided photos, the copywriter came up with the texts, and the Front-end developer combined everything together and translated it into the WEB language.
Back-End Developer
So, what makes the website work? Where are the basic data, client’s registrations, purchase orders from users, and callback requests collected and stored? The back-end part of the site consists of a server, application, and database. Back-end developers build and support technologies that control all components of the site.
Skills and Tools of the Back-End Developer
In order for the server and database to work together, the developer uses server-programming languages such as PHP, Ruby, Python, Java, or .Net, MySQL, Oracle, and SQL Server tools.
In the description of the vacancies of Back-end developers, you can often find requirements to work with PHP frameworks and to have experience with systems of version control, for example, Git.
Before starting to work on the website, developers communicate with business analysts and project stakeholders in order to understand their specific requirements and translate them into technical specifications for the site and choose the most effective solutions and architecture.
The server sends information to the computer when the user starts to page through the site, as a result it will display the required page. You read the blog of the STEP Computer Academy, because you clicked the “Blog” button on the Academy’s website. You then chose this article about WEB development, which is why you are on this page at the moment. This complex process is the result of painstaking work by the Back-end developer.
Full Stack Developer
Several years ago Facebook began to actively promote the idea of Full Stack Developers. That is the developer who works cross-functionally with a full stack of Front-end and Back-end technologies together.
Some say working with the server and client side of the site offers more opportunities. But this work is not without challenges. Full Stack developers should equally well understand both: the server and the client side of the site.
However, there is an opinion that it is difficult to be equally good in both areas.
Tools and Skills of the Full Stack Developer
Most often, the Full Stack developer is working on the server side of the site and understands Front-end development, which allows him to control how all the content on the user’s side will look.
Full Stack developers should know how the WEB works. They are doing server configuration and setup; they work on the page design using CSS, and write in JavaScript. Using these tools, the developer defines the client and server part of the site and is responsible for the decisions made regarding the selected technologies. Full Stack developers are responsible for the work of the site and for how the site behaves when a user visits it. They are in charge of its structure and interactivity.
Every developer must meet certain requirements. For example they must pay special attention to details, be a fast learner interested in new technologies, they should be able to solve problems effectively, and have good communication skills. They need to argue, to negotiate, and to communicate their ideas to the other developers on the team.
And lastly – remember that over the past 10 years, the demand for WEB-developers has increased by 20%, more than the average for any other specialists.
In the STEP Computer Academy we prepare both Front-end and Back-end developers. Students can choose the Front-end or Back-end, or study both and become a Full Stack developer.
In the classroom, students immerse themselves in the atmosphere of development and creation of the websites. They learn HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, Python, Java to create sites that help users and businesses all over the world.
There is a separate course on WEB-design for those who want to create site templates.
The Academy regularly holds interesting meetings with leading developers and owners of IT companies and small studios.
Join STEP Academy today!
