Web Development comprises of two different authorities namely – front-end and back-end. These two authorities have distinct roles in the field of web development and work for hand in hand with each other to great experiences to its users.
It can be quite complex to clearly tell the difference between these two roles –here we take a look at the straightforward and simple guide to learn about front-end and back-end developers.
FRONT END DEVELOPERS
Front end development also known as “client side” of web development focuses on the look, feel and the user experience of the website. It mainly constitutes with the website design and its flow.
Skills Required –
HTML – HTML is the basic markup language that is used to create and maintain web content making it visible to the users. It is an extremely important language for front-end developers as the main construction of the website is done using HTML.
CSS – CSS and HTML work hand-in-hand in creating great user experiences. CSS provides various features like colors, fonts, templates, buttons and other elements that help improve the look of the website.
JavaScript – JavaScript can be considered as both the front and back end language. With the help of JavaScript, one can create more interactive elements such as drop-down menus, dialogs, buttons and various other components. Moreover, there are various JavaScript frameworks like Angular, React, Vue that can be used for making complex and heavy front ends.
Tasks
Depending upon the projects the tasks of a front end developer may differ; here we discuss some common tasks-
- Develop all the visual components of a website.
- Use HTML, CSS and JavaScript to bring the design to life.
- Implementation of the wireframes.
- Modify and maintain the user interface of the website.
- Implement Responsive design for the website.
- Work with designers, UI/UX developers to bring out the expected outcomes.
- Test the site for its usability and fix bugs.
BACK END DEVELOPERS
Back end development also known as “server side” of the web development is mainly focused upon the functionality of the website. This kind of development involves three important parts: server, application and the database. Back end developers are responsible for the sending and receiving information that gets displayed on the front end.
Skills Required –
Ruby – Ruby is a very popular and easy-to-read programming language in the field of web development. Also there exists a very popular Ruby framework known as Ruby on Rails which can be used to create database-backed web applications.
Python – Python is one of the popular languages in the web development. It’s easy to learn, powerful, and has an extremely popular framework Django written in it. Python is powerful enough to perform simple scale to extremely complicated data operations.
JavaScript (NodeJS) – NodeJS is another popular JavaScript framework that has immense importance in the web development field. It can handle heavy and complex server side requests seamlessly without much delay or lag.
Tasks
Depending upon the projects the tasks of a back end developer may differ; here we discuss some common tasks-
- Write the server side code
- Focus on functionality and compatibility of the website.
- Work upon the code architecture.
- Develop back end systems.
- Create functional API’s.
- Monitor the server status.
Skills that make developers great
Front-end developers need to be creative and have exceptional visualization skills as they matter the most when it comes to website design and its user experience.
While Back-end developers should possess strong analytical and logical skills. Also, they must have great problem solving and critical thinking abilities that differentiates great back-end developers from the rest.