“What do I have to learn to be a web developer? Where do I start? “This is one of the most common queries we receive from people, and the answer is usually “it depends.”
It depends, because there is not a single type of web developer and because it is not the same that you start from absolute zero to that you already have experience programming in other fields of development.
As you can see, there is no single correct answer and as the amount of web programming technologies available can be overwhelming for someone just starting out, we are going to try to shed some light on this post so that you can make the best decision based on your circumstances.
What Is A Web Developer
The first thing you should understand first of all is what a web developer is.
A web developer is not one thing but many things: he encompasses multiple skill sets that translate into different specialties. The three most common terms used to refer to these specialties in a generic way are: front-end and back-end. In this article we will try to define each of them and see their differences., says Giuseppe Argento Web Designer.
The Front-End Developer
It works on the Client side, in the browser, on the side of what is seen. It mainly deals with the external components of the web design or web application. As a consequence, they must be fluent in HTML, CSS and JavaScript:
Front-end programming languages
- HTML: Hyper Text Markup Language is the key structural component of all internet websites. Without it, web pages cannot exist.
- CSS: Cascading Style Sheets, is what provides style to HTML, takes care of the presentation layer. Mastering CSS well and its capabilities are more complex than it may seem at first glance.
- JavaScript: Using only HTML and CSS your webs would be static pages; with JS your web pages are interactive.
In general, front-end developers are associated with the principles of page layout. However, a web developer goes further than a designer. Obviously you have to take into account the usability and readability of the page or the web application, but as a good programmer you are aware that your work will be executed on the Client side, in most cases, in the browser. And the information is not stored on the Client side.
What is a Back-end Developer
The back-end developer works on the Server side, behind the scenes, allowing the user to enjoy their experience with their work. Without him, the development carried out by his former partner would not be sustained.
Languages and frameworks used in back-end
To be a Server-side programmer, there are many languages and frameworks to choose from, everything will depend on the company you fall into. Today, the most common are:
- ASP.NET: is Microsoft’s web development platform. Widely used in companies. It has the Web Forms and MVC variants and now also ASP.NET Core MVC.
- PHP: for example, the famous content manager WordPress uses PHP behind. Laravel is one of the frameworks used with this language.
- Ruby: along with its Ruby on rails framework.
- Python: easy to learn. Often used with Django as a framework
- Node.js: It is getting more and more popular because it uses the same language as on the client side: JavaScript.
- Java: the classic language and one of the most demanded. For the development of web applications it is usually used together with a framework such as Spring or Hibernate.
However, it is not enough to master a language and a framework. Every web application must store data in some way. Therefore, a back-end developer must also be familiar with databases. Among the most common are:
- SQL Server
- MySQL
- Oracle
- PostgreSQL
- MongoDB , which is a non-relational or NoSQL data store.
Summary
Regardless of the type of web programmer you have chosen to be, if you want to stand out among your peers, do not forget to develop your social skills , what English speakers call soft skills compared to the ones we have been talking about throughout the post that were hard skills . The most important are: ability to learn quickly, ability to solve problems efficiently, attention to detail and of course, ease of communication.
