Web development, or website development in full, can be defined as writing software programs that run on a browser. When you learn web development, you become a web developer.
A web developer doesn’t just build websites where users can get information about a company, for example.
They can build website applications (web apps) too. These are typically more versatile than websites. For example, they may include payment integrations, like being able to check out with PayPal.
- Frontend development involves writing code for the UI, or user interface. This is the part of the website that users interact with. It’s what they see when they visit a website.
- They are able to sign up, log in, and see different dashboards, for example.
- People who write frontend code are referred to as frontend developers.
- Frontend developers write code that requests information from the “backend,” for example to enable users to log in. Don’t worry—more on that in the next section!
- Backend development mainly involves writing what is known as “business logic”—how information is passed between the frontend and backend.
- The “backend” is the part of the software that the user cannot see. When a user clicks “login,” for example, they’re not able to see the database where their login data is stored.
- In this sense, the backend is more abstract.
- A backend web developer writes code that dictates how information flows, for example, between the user and the database.
- A full-stack developer is someone who writes code for both the frontend and backend.
- A full-stack developer can create a web application from end to end—that is, they can create the UI, write the logic for data to flow from the backend to the user, and even handle functionalities like payment integrations.
- A full-stack developer uses technologies like HTML and CSS, as well as frontend and backend JavaScript frameworks, to build an entire application.
Great breakdown of web development! Love the clear distinction between frontend, backend, and full-stack roles.