This ‘What is Full Stack Developer – How to become a Full Stack Developer?’ blog discusses the following contents:
What is a Full Stack Developer?
Every job role requires specific skill sets. As the name suggests, a Full Stack Developer has got a full stack of skills for working with both the backend and the frontend of websites and mobile applications. They are well acquainted with CSS, HTML, JavaScript, and many more. A Full Stack Developer who works on apps can be called a software engineer. But not all software engineers are Full Stack Developers.
Check out this video by Intellipaat on Becoming a Full Stack Web Developer and get started on your journey:
In this ‘What is Full Stack Developer?’ blog, let us now discuss the reasons why you should consider building a career in this domain.
Need for a Full Stack Developer
Full Stack Developers constitute around 48 % of the overall Developer profiles. Below we will discuss what are the various reasons behind the need for a Full Stack Developer:
- Having a Full Stack Developer in your team will lead to lower wastage of resources for hiring multiple developers for the process. Full Stack Developers are skilled in single-handedly taking care of the entire process. They can very well handle an entire small-scale project on their own.
- Full-stack developers are known as the best fit for communicating with UI or UX designers and others.
- They are well equipped to provide guidance and help to other members of the development team and hence reduce the technical cost.
- They also play the most important role in ensuring the smooth running of the development system.
- They are well equipped in using various technologies and hence can resolve any issue promptly.
Front End Developer (Client Side)
Front-end developers take care of designing and implementing the user interface. They are responsible for creating and managing website design. These professionals see to it that the design is able to perform when online. Front-end developers are proficient in coding languages such as HTML, JavaScript, and CSS.
They also take care of the infrastructure and databases in the system and monitor the entire process—from start to end. It is named ‘Client side’ because the client here refers to the user and the user side is the view that is visible to the users (Clients). Some of the tools used by Front-end Developers are shown in the following image.
Back End Developer (Server Side)
The backend is the server-side development- the part not visible to the clients (users). Back-end developers deal with servers and databases that ensure that the process is running smoothly. Back-end development has a clear focus on databases, website architecture, and scripting.
The back-end developers write codes that help the system fetch the required data from the database and display it on the front-end website. A Back-end developer is skilled in writing scripts, and web development languages and working on databases and cache, etc.
Difference between Front End vs. Back End vs. Full Stack Web Developers?
So far we studied Full Stack developers, Front-end and Back-end developers. Now let us clearly understand the difference between the 3.
| BASIS | Front-End Developer | Back-End Developer | Full-Stack Developer |
| Meaning | Front-End Developers are responsible to work on the website’s user-facing side. It involves working with HTML and defining the look of the website. | Back-End developers are just the opposite of Front-End Developers. They work on the server side of the website. It involves working with databases, scripting, servers and the website architecture | Full-Stack is current an in-demand role because it combines both Front-End as well as Back-end. A Full-Stack web developer is one who performs the functions of both Front-End developer and Back-End developer. |
| Skills | CSS, HTML, Javascript | Web coding languages, working with cache, database and MySQL. Also knowledge of PHP, Ruby etc. | Knowledge of all the skills and technologies in Front-End as well as Back-end development. |
| Roles | The roles that a Front-End developer can perform are CSS/HTML Developer, Front End SEO Expert,Full-Stack Developer,Front End Web Designer and UI Developer. | The roles that a Back-end developer can perform are Java Developer, Software Engineer, DevOps Engineer, Full-Stack Developer, and iOS Developer | A Full-Stack developer is the jack of all trades and is always in a single role. Hence these professionals work as Full-Stack Web Developers. |
In this ‘What is Full Stack Developer?’ blog, let us now discuss the reasons why you should consider building a career in this domain.
Why go for Full Stack Development?
A Full Stack Developer is a jack of all trades who hasn’t acquired specialization in a particular discipline. The developer needs to have adequate knowledge about the overall processes undergone in the application development, along with the vital technologies involved.
How relevant is a Full Stack Developer position? Let us check it out.
Opportunities
- Full Stack Developers can communicate well with frontend and backend teams with ease. This aids in avoiding miscommunication between them.
- They serve well in startups or small teams as they have a fewer number of techies to work around.
- They are capable of solving multiple problems simultaneously, which are not surface level.
Obstacles
- Prioritizing projects will be difficult.
- There will be speculation about the quality of the work delivered by Full Stack Developers as they are not specialists in specific disciplines.
- As they are hired to carry out the jobs of frontend and backend developers, they are expected to settle for more working hours than is considered normal for each team separately.
Learn about both Frontend Developer skills and Backend Developer skills in our detailed blog on Full Stack Developer Skills.
Education and Background to Become a Full-Stack Developer
To become a Full-Stack Developer, it is recommended that you have a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related domain. Having any of these degrees is essential to better understanding the concepts and technologies involved in Full-stack development roles.
Also, you must have the necessary knowledge and skill set in both back-ends as well as front-end web development because a Full Stack web developer performs the functions of both these roles. Some of the skills that you must develop to become a Full-Stack web developer are:
- Version control/Git
- JavaScript frameworks and libraries (React JS, jQuery, etc.)
- Responsive/mobile design
- Programming languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
- Database management
- API architecture (SOAP/REST)
- Basic understanding of front-end technologies
- Programming languages such as Ruby on Rails, Python, and PHP
Check out our React JS Course to have a complete grip on react concepts.
Essential Skills for a Full-Stack Developer
Skills are the most important asset that Full Stack Developers have because they perform the role of both Front-End as well as Back-end developers.
HTML
HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language. HTML knowledge is a must as it is used in creating and defining the look and feel of the website. It is a tool used by Full Stack Developers on a daily basis. Also, the structure of the web pages is defined by HTML using markup.
CSS
CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets. It is a tool used by Full Stack developers to give a personalized touch to the website. It is also used along with HTML to define the look and design of the website.
JavaScript
It is an object-oriented scripting language that is used to effectively communicate the data from the database at the back end to display it on the front end. It is the only language that runs on both the client side as well as the server side of the website.
CSS Frameworks, Libraries, and Preprocessors
The CSS frameworks are used mainly for front-end development. Libraries are the storage and warehouse that are used for extracting the data required to be displayed on the front end. Preprocessors are compilers that basically convert the input from one source to output for another source.
Interested in React JS? Here is the React JS Training in Bangalore provided by Intellipaat.
Personality Traits of a Great Full-Stack Developer
If you aspire to become a Full Stack Developer, having just technical knowledge will not suffice. Since you have to play the role of both front-end and back-end developer, you need to have certain personality traits. Following are some of those traits:
- Analytical mind-set
- Effective time management skills
- Curious and inquisitive
- An eye for detail
- Creative
- Full of patience
Want a comprehensive list of interview questions? Here are the Full Stack developer interview questions!
How Much Do Full Stack Developers Earn?
We have mentioned below the salaries of Full Stack Developers in various countries:
| Country | Avg. Annual Salary |
| USA | USD $99274 |
| UK | £ 53853 |
| Canada | $ 74206 |
| India | Rs. 6,50,000 |
| Australia | A $98,000 |
Preparing for a UX Designer Job! Check out our UX Designer Interview Questions and Answers.
Get Into Full Stack Web Development
Once you are done with acquiring the required skill set, educational qualification, and related certifications to validate your skill set, you can start searching for jobs and applying for the same. During your job hunt, it is recommended that you keep working on some Full-Stack projects to showcase your skills and prove your expertise.
Enroll in this Full Stack Developer Course and start your journey now!
Career Path for a Full-Stack Developer
A Full Stack Developer has got many skills to hone. They can upgrade themselves to the Project Manager level where they will be entrusted with the responsibilities of overseeing other developmental works. They can opt to become an entrepreneur or an educator as well. Moreover, there are several Full Stack Developer jobs available for these professionals.
Looking to gain skills in Web Development? Sign up for our Web Development courses now!
Summing up
As interesting as the job role may sound, the journey to becoming a Full Stack Developer is quite rewarding. It provides a creative outlet for anyone whose passion lies in programming. This article discussed What is Full Stack Developer? is, Full Stack Developer’s roles and responsibilities, Full Stack Developer’s salary, essential skills required, and finally the path to becoming one. I hope you enjoyed it. Stay tuned!
To visualize your dream of becoming a Full Stack Developer, check out our Web Development Community and explore!