Frontend vs Backend vs FullStack Developers

Most people believe that all web developers essentially do the same work. They all create websites, web apps, and other web related applications. So, it’s not easy to tell them apart. Despite the similarity, web development is not a single skill, but an ecosystem of dynamic technologies and frameworks that are evolving everyday.

Needless to say, creating a fully functioning website which contain all the latest features is a challenging task. Web developers must become well-versed in a range of technologies and frameworks to develop fast, lightweight, and reliable websites.

In most cases, no one person has the skill to develop a high-performing website alone. Therefore, developers must work in teams, according to their dedicated roles to create websites we see and interact with every day.

To make things easier for developers, we divide developers into three categories; front-end, back-end, and full-stack developers. These categories are based on the role a web developer plays during web development.

In this article, we will present a between frontend vs. backend vs. full stack web development and explore what sets them apart from each other.

What does Front-End Developers do?

User Interface (UI) is what you directly interact with on a website and is formerly known as the website’s “Front-end”. Whatever you see on the web is essentially a combination of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and is controlled and managed by your computer’s browser.

A frontend developer’s job is to create an intuitive user interface that must be optimal in terms of speed and efficiency and function seamlessly across all platforms and devices. Needless to say, it must provide an immersive user experience; the hallmark of all excellent websites.

What are the main technologies a Front-End Developer must master?

Front-end developers create the interface of your website. Therefore, they must construct the website’s architecture from scratch. For this, front-end developers must learn three main technologies: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. These technologies are considered the entry point to web development because they are the building blocks of all websites.

However, a website with only HTML, CSS, and JavaScript barely has any features. To optimize a website’s speed and performance, front end developers must master several frameworks. Frameworks such as Vue.js, React.js, Foundation, Angular.js, Bootstrap, Backbone, and Meteor, help you construct intuitive and seamless web pages. Choose the right frame work.

Using libraries such as jQuery and LESS, frontend developers can also package their code efficiently through forms. Moreover, technologies like Ajax enable frontend developers to leverage JavaScript more effectively and load pages dynamically by saving server data in the browser.

What is a Front-End Developer’s role and who do they work with?

Frontend developers work closely associate with UX (user experience) experts and designers to ensure that the website design is followed to the tee and delivered within the recommended deadline. With their help, frontend developers conceptualize the website’s design and interface through mockups and wireframes.

Experienced Front-End developers are well-versed in web design, enabling them to accurately identify issues in user experience and improving design. In general, front-end developers are creative and more likely to experiment with new technologies and different design ideas to optimize the frontend’s performance.

What does Back-End Developers do?

Your front-end is the face of your website. Although you can only see the front-end of the website, there are a ton of things going on behind the scene. While using a website, you don’t just glare over its amazing interface all day and marvel at its clean layout. Instead, you fill out forms, input information, interact with various buttons and links, browse through several pages, and do some action, like ordering your favorite shirt online.

All this information needs to be saved and this is where the back-end comes into play. A website’s backend consists of an application, server, and database. Back-end developers essentially power the front-end of your website by saving information, providing a business logic, processing received data and communicating information back to the frontend.

What are the main technologies a Back-End Developer must master?

A back-end developer must ensure that the server, the database, and the application communicate efficiently. Unlike front-end developers, backend developers have a range of options in terms of programming languages. They must learn server-side programming languages such as Java, Python, C++, PHP, Ruby, Go, and .Net to connect your website to servers and databases.

Connected to these programming languages is a collection of frameworks such as Django, Laravel, ASP.NET, MVC Spring Boot, Flask, NodeJS, Symphony, CakePHP, and several more.

All these technologies are only related to the server side and back-end developers must master database tools such as SQL Server, Oracle, and MySQL to discover, save, or modify data and communicate data with the front end. Additionally, they must also learn version control software such as Git, SVN, or CVS, as well as, experience with Linux-based environments and virtual machines. Phew!

What is a Back-End Developer’s role and who do they work with?

Back-end developers use several tools, technologies, and frameworks to create fast, efficient, and cross platform web applications. Their job is to write and document the code that powers the entire web application well-documented code. However, before doing any of that, they must keenly follow all user requirements and collaborate with business stakeholders to create a solution that benefits users.

What does Full Stack Developers do?

Traditionally, IT professionals distinguished between Frontend and Backend developers. However, as new technologies surface, web developers now have the means to learn both ends of web development, allowing them to master a full collection or “stack” of technologies. These developers are known as Full Stack developers because they are versatile and can work cross-functionally across a stack of technologies from both the frontend and the backend.

What are the main technologies a Full Stack Developer must master?

A full stack developer has abundant knowledge of how the web works. From writing server-side APIS, configuring Linux servers, or shaping up the client-side to meet your client’s expectations, a full stack developer has quite a range of responsibilities.

With that being said, there is more than one path to becoming a full stack developer. You can learn database tools such as MongoDB, combined with other web frameworks and technologies such as Express.JS, React.js, and Node.JS to become a MERN stack developer, or replace React.JS with Angular.JS to become MEAN stack developer. To communicate with different frameworks, platforms, and technologies, full stack developers must also learn web protocols such as HTTP and REST.

What is a Full Stack Developer’s role and who do they work with?

Full Stack Developers are essentially the jack of all trades. They can write fast and efficient codes for server-side communication while also being able to create smooth and intuitive interfaces for your web application. Their unique set of skills make them ideal for handling complex problems and manage a team of junior developers effectively. They are versatile and adaptable and can help integrate your system with the latest features such as data analysis and machine learning.

They can work across several teams. Experienced full stack developers are ideal for managing other developers and can lead them effectively. It doesn’t matter what your requirements are; a full stack developer will have the experience and knowledge to put your idea into action and deliver the best solution for your needs.

Conclusion

Web development is not as simple as seen by most clients. Web developers not only have to learn different programming languages but also master a range of different technologies and frameworks. Hopefully, now you have learnt the differences between frontend vs. backend vs. full stack web development. For more content on web technologies and web related information, feel free to follow our blog.