Web development is a process of building and maintaining websites that work over the internet and can be accessed in a web browser. Other aspects that web development includes are web designing, web programming, server-side scripting, client-side scripting, network configurations, and database management.
The demand for web developers is on the rise. According to LinkedIn, there are more than 18000+ jobs posted in India alone. Particularly, the companies are looking for MERN Stack Developer: Individuals with expertise in React (one of the most famous frameworks for building frontend), Node.Js (to develop backend services), and MongoDB for database. In this blog, we are not only going to cover what is Web Development but also how you can become a Web Developer.
Table of Contents
Introduction to Web Development
Being a web developer is like an artist who creates magical worlds in cyberspace where you can share your stories, photos, and games with the globe.
It’s as if you are a designer giving an appearance to the website, a builder doing this part that users see (front end) and this part that works behind them(back end), as well as an author commanding the servers.
Web development started in 1989 when Tim Berners Lee invented the World Wide Web. This was something similar to finding out how to write your stories on the Internet with the help of HTML. They were browsers like Netscape Navigator that served as story readers making the Internet popular. The ‘90s brought new technologies like PHP or ASP that made websites more entertaining and interactive. In addition, some people began advocating for rules so that everyone can access the internet, thus these led to the development of web apps and mobile apps too.
Therefore now with brand-new tools and frameworks web development has even become more innovative which lets us create incredible web apps with the use of WebAssembly to make them better than ever!
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Web Development vs Web Design
Below are the differences between Web Development and Web Design:
| Aspects | Web Design | Web Development |
| Definition | Focuses on the aesthetics and user experience of a website. It involves creating the layout, color schemes, and overall look of a website. | Involves the technical aspects of building and maintaining websites. It includes coding the website, ensuring it works on different devices, and managing the server-side operations. |
| Skills Required | Requires knowledge of visual design principles, user experience (UX) design, and responsive design. | Requires programming skills in languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for front-end development, and languages like PHP, Python, or Ruby for back-end development. |
| Tools Used | Uses design software like Adobe Photoshop, Sketch, and Figma for creating visual designs. | Uses development tools and frameworks like WordPress, React, Angular, and Django for building and maintaining websites. |
| Focus | Primarily focused on the visual aspects and user interface of a website. | Focuses on the functionality, performance, and security of a website. |
| Outcome | Results in a visually appealing and user-friendly website. | Results in a fully functional website that can perform various tasks online. |
| Example | Designing the layout and color scheme of a website to make it visually appealing. | Building a website that allows users to register, log in, and post comments. |
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In the world we live in today, rather than being a trend, a website is a necessity. No matter how small or big an organization is, to survive and succeed in this era of digitization, making a website and reaching out to the crowd using online methods are necessary. These days, people are also building web pages to share information or personal experiences with others. Some of the most popular website development platforms include:
WordPress
WordPress is among the most influential web development platforms used to design web pages. It comprises 62 different programming languages, which allows people to easily understand and use it. It is a free web page that offers various options for web hosting. Moreover, it includes numerous customization options, templates, etc., allowing users to build personalized web pages on this platform.
Understand the Difference between Web Development and Mobile Development
Wix
Wix is another amazing and popular web-building platform. It allows you to choose from a wide range of features and layouts available on the website in just a few clicks. It is a user-friendly and self-explanatory platform that allows you to build your blog, along with online shopping stores.
Its drag-and-drop feature allows even new users to use this website without any hassle. Also, in Wix, you can choose a blank template and create your page from scratch. Besides, it also offers a free storage plan, along with limited bandwidth. If necessary, you can also opt for the Wix premium plan based on your requirements.
Weebly
Weebly is one of the most convenient platforms for web development. It consists of the drag-and-drop functionality that allows users to build a well-designed web page. It also includes an app store for the users to add and update new features to their web pages easily.
Similar to Wix, it helps move elements efficiently and adds various features to the website when required. However, users can add these functionalities only to those areas on the web page that are predetermined, such as the footer of the web page and the main area of content. Further, the users can also switch in-between templates an ample number of times to get the perfect look for the website they are creating.
Jimdo
Jimdo is another name on the list of trending web development platforms. It allows you to build your website in a hassle-free manner. This web page creator platform is based on templates, using which you can develop attractive, attention-grabbing, and responsive web pages with little or no programming skills and knowledge. It supports all types of businesses, including e-commerce capabilities, portfolio options, and many more.
It has a wide range of options and features, especially for new users to choose from. Editing color, background, or font is easy and can be done with a few simple clicks and drags. These templates help you design personalized websites for your use and purpose. To change the outlook of your web page, you can switch the templates while retaining your work.
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To build functioning websites efficiently and easily, there are various tools that web developers can use. These tools allow them to build well-functioning websites with friendly user interfaces. Some of the widely used web development tools are as follows:
- GitHub
- Sass
- CodePen
- AngularJS
- TypeScript
- Sketch
- JQuery
- Sublime Text
- Bootstrap
- Grunt
- Chrome DevTools
- NPM
- Visual Studio Code
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Frontend Development
Frontend development refers to the section of a website or application that users directly see and engage with. It encompasses the components and designs that compose the pages and screens.
Frontend developers translate website designs into pages using coding. Their primary objective is to ensure a user experience, across devices and browsers such as phones, tablets, laptops, etc. They strive to construct interfaces and functionalities that operate seamlessly on all platforms offering users an experience.
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To learn ‘what is web development?’, you need to understand and have knowledge of the technologies used in web development. Below are some of the most common web development technologies that every web developer should learn to work with:
- HTML: Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) elements serve as the foundation of web pages. They allow for the inclusion of images and various interactive components, within the displayed page. By utilizing HTML, we can create organized documents by indicating meaning to text elements, like headings, paragraphs, lists, links, quotes, and more.
- CSS: The appearance and design elements of a page written in HTML or XML (including languages like SVG, MathML, or XHTML) are defined using CSS, also known as Cascading Style Sheets. It joins forces with HTML and JavaScript to play a part in the global web’s evolution.
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CSS Frameworks and Preprocessors
- Bootstrap: A variety of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript elements and tools are available in the Bootstrap framework, which exists as an open-source web development tool. It gives developers the ability to easily design mobile-friendly websites.
- Tailwind CSS: It is a CSS framework that allows you to change your designs exactly as you want them without any predefined styles that are difficult to change. The remarkable thing about Tailwind is that it doesn’t determine how your site should look or have design requirements. Instead, it lets you combine components to create a one-of-a-kind user interface.
- SASS/LESS: Preprocessors that extend CSS with features like variables and nested rules, simplifying and maintaining large stylesheets. LESS is a user-friendly CSS pre-processor that enables the creation of customizable and reusable style sheets, for websites. It serves as a style sheet language that enhances the functionality of CSS. SASS, short for Awesome Style Sheets, is a CSS preprocessor that offers syntax improvements. The program processes style sheets written in the syntax. Preprocessors compile them into standard CSS style sheets that can be utilized on websites.
- JavaScript: JavaScript is a scripting and programming language utilized for enhancing web pages. It empowers websites to go beyond information display by enabling features, like real-time content updates, interactive maps captivating 2D/3D graphics, and engaging video jukeboxes. Whenever you encounter a website with these functionalities, chances are JavaScript plays a role in making it happen.
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JavaScript Frameworks
- ES6: ES6, also known as ECMAScript 2015 is a version of JavaScript that was introduced in 2015. It is often informally referred to as “ES6”, by developers since it brought features to the language.
- TypeScript: TypeScript provides the ability to define the data types used in code. It can detect errors when there is a mismatch between these types. For instance, if you try to pass a string into a function that requires a number TypeScript will flag it as an error whereas JavaScript won’t. TypeScript performs type-checking, during compilation.
- Angular: Angular is a TypeScript-based open-source JavaScript framework that is maintained by Google. Its main objective is to facilitate the development of single-page applications. Angular offers benefits as a framework. It provides developers with a standardized structure to work with.
- React: React is a JavaScript-based UI development library that utilizes Webpack for the compilation of React, JSX, and ES6 code while taking care of CSS file prefixes. Although it’s technically a library rather than a programming language, it has gained popularity in the field of web development since its introduction in May 2013. Today it stands as one of the used frontend libraries, for building web applications.
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Backend Development
The backend is where the web’s magic happens, unseen by users. It involves servers, databases, and server-side programming, ensuring the front end has the data and resources it needs.
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Back-End Frameworks and Technology
- Node.js/Express: Node.js enables the use of JavaScript code to obtain performance and scalable web applications that run on servers. The Express framework improves the efficiency of web development tasks in Node.js by offering patterns, dropping the need for developers to alter fundamental behavior. By combining these technologies, developers can use JavaScript for both front-end and back-end development, resulting in improved consistency, speed, and overall efficiency, across the software stack..
- Laravel/PHP: In addition to the Laravel framework, PHP is a well-liked programming language for web development. Because Laravel offers frameworks, developers may avoid having to rewrite entire sections, which makes coding duties simpler. When used with PHP, Laravel manages authentication, routing, and other functionalities, reducing the amount of code required to construct web applications.
- Python/Django: Python is a programming language that is widely used for developing web applications. One of the frameworks for speeding up development in Python is Django. Django provides patterns, which cuts the need to rewrite functions. This enables the creation of web applications and websites by managing common features such as administrative pages, thereby reducing redundancy.
- Ruby/Ruby on Rails: A dynamic, reflective, object-oriented programming language with a framework that points out convention over configuration, known for its rapid and active web development capabilities.
Databases
- Relational Databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB): These databases store data in predefined structures and are known for ACID compliance and complex query capabilities.
- NoSQL Database (MongoDB): It offers a more flexible document structure, which is ideal for handling large volumes of unstructured data and rapid development.
Full Stack Web Development
Full-stack development is the combined development of the front end and the back end of a web page. It includes the development of the graphics and design of the web page, along with managing the database for data organization and storage.
Web Development Tutorials
- HTML
- CSS
- JavaScript
- jQuery
- Node.js
- React JS
- Angular JS
- PHP
Some Important Links on Web Development
Conclusion
The world of web development is constantly growing. Some upcoming trends to watch out for are the incorporation of intelligence, the rising significance of Progressive Web Apps (PWAs), and the shift toward serverless architectures. These advancements have the potential to make web development more user-friendly, adaptable, and efficient.
The field of web development is dynamic and constantly evolving, providing chances for both technical advancements. Whether it’s the aspects of frontend design or the powerful backend processing engines, web development continues to be a crucial skill in today’s digital era.