“We need a full-stack developer who can do frontend, backend, DevOps, design, and product management.” No, you need five different people. And you’re going to get someone mediocre at all of it. The industry’s obsession with full-stack everything is killing specialization, and we’re all worse off for it. Here’s what’s happening: Companies want one person who can build React apps, design APIs, manage infrastructure, write SQL, and deploy to Kubernetes. Because hiring one person is cheaper than hiring specialists. So you get developers who know a little bit of everything and aren’t truly excellent at anything. The frontend is functional but slow. The backend works but has security issues. The infrastructure is held together with duct tape because nobody really understands it deeply. Meanwhile, actual specialists who’ve spent years mastering their domain can’t get hired because they “only” know backend or “only” know frontend. Being a generalist has value. Understanding the full stack helps you make better decisions. But there’s a massive difference between understanding how the pieces fit together and being responsible for building all of them to production quality. A great backend developer who understands frontend beats a mediocre full-stack developer every time. A frontend specialist who can build accessible, performant UIs beats someone who “also does frontend” after years of only doing backend. Deep expertise matters. You can’t get it by spreading yourself thin across six different domains. The best teams I’ve worked on had specialists who collaborated well. Frontend devs who were experts at React. Backend devs who deeply understood databases and API design. DevOps engineers who actually knew how to run infrastructure. Stop expecting one person to be world-class at everything. Start hiring people who are excellent at one thing and good enough at the rest. Depth beats breadth when it comes to building quality software. Are you a specialist or a generalist? Which do you value more? 🔁 Found this useful? Hit repost to share with your network. 💡 New here? Follow Rostyslav Volkov for more thoughts on web and backend development. #BackendDevelopment #FullStack #SoftwareEngineering #WebDevelopment #TechCareers
the math doesn't add up, you're paying one full-stack salary for work that needs six specialists. mediocre across six domains costs the same as exceptional in one, except now you ship slower, break more, and lose people to burnout 🔥
From my experience, that is false. And I am Full Stack :-) The main difference at the Senior level is usually knowing a wider variety of tools. But in 90% of projects, extra tools like Zephir are not needed. And even when they are needed, how long does it really take to learn and use them properly? Fundamentals are simple. Then there are patterns, like how to process webhooks without the common mistakes. For hardworking people, this is not some impossible mountain. And even if you are junior, a lot of backend work is just database queries and returning JSON. How much time do you really need to become good at that? So if we are building a REST API, why hire a Senior Backend developer instead of a Senior Full Stack developer? What exactly will the Senior Backend developer do better? As a Full Stack developer, I have refactored many SaaS products for performance, so I do not like statements like that. And what about frontend? PixiJS, Phaser games, anything. After some time, when you understand the logic behind things, mastering any tool becomes a matter of will. What a passion do you have as developer if you can not publish quality product on your own? What is a point to code in php and do not know how to config load balancer?
I often see the following issue: the frontend developer is responsible for the application, and the backend developer is responsible for the API. Because the responsibilities are separated, they often cannot test and apply optimizations that require changes on both sides. As a frontend developer, you cannot tune the backend in a few minutes. You need to ask a backend developer to make those changes, and that only happens if you even know that such optimization is possible. So, now you know, that you bite me well 😊