SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
LECTURE 6 (May 10,2022)
BS/SE II -Sec B Evening
–UBIT (DCS) University of Karachi
WHAT IS FRONT-END DEVELOPMENT?
Front-end development is the programming of all visible elements to visitors/users of websites and
web applications.
The part of a website that the user interacts directly is termed as front end. It is also referred to as
the ‘client side’ of the application.
Programmers who specialize in front-end development are said to be specialists in client-side web
development,
Front-end specialists work includes all the essential elements of
functional, dynamic websites, including:
Layout / design
Buttons
Internal links
Images
Navigation
FRONT-END LANGUAGES, FRAMEWORKS, AND LIBRARIES
Front-end specialists must master the "big three": HTML, CSS, and Java. These are
among the easiest programming languages to learn and form the front-end's
foundation. Some other useful front-end languages include:
TECHNOLOGIES NEED FOR THE FRONTEND DEVELOPMENT
Here are the important technologies used for Frontend Development:
HTML: HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) is the language used for the World Wide
Web. It is the standard text formatting language used for creating and displaying pages
on the Web. HTML files are consist of two things
1) the content and 2) the tags that format it for proper display on pages.
CSS: CSS is Cascading Style Sheets. It is a styling language which is simple enough for
HTML elements. It is popular in web designing, and its application is common in XHTML
also. Bootstrap is most popular and powerful tool for it.
JavaScript: JavaScript is an open-source & most popular client-side scripting language
supported by numerous browsers. JavaScript is used for enhancing the interaction of a
website with the user.
Some popular front-end frameworks include:
AngularJS
Backbone
Bootstrap
React.js
LIBRARIES FOR DEVELOPMENT
Library refers to a collection of files, programs, routines, scripts, or functions that can
be referenced in the programming code
When developers want more freedom, they draw upon libraries.
Libraries are bundles of prewritten code that developers can plug into their own
code. Some libraries used by front-end specialists include:
1. jQuery
2. LESS
3. Lodash
FRAMEWORKS FOR SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
A framework is a platform that you can use to build applications.
Frameworks are typically associated with a specific programming language
and are suited to different types of tasks.
Most Common Used Frameworks are:
React, NodeJS, Angular , Django or Xamarin ,BootStrap
TOP FRONTEND FRAMEWORKS IN 2021
FRONT-END DEVELOPER SKILLS
On the soft skills side, front-end developers need the following skills to excel:
Strong visual sense and creativity
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Strong sense of teamwork and group collaboration
When it comes to coding-related hard skills, successful front-end specialists should
master the following:
HTML and CSS
JavaScript and JavaScript frameworks
Testing and debugging
Version control systems
COMMON FRONT END DEVELOPMENT JOB ROLES
Front-end web developer
Front-end web designer
Front-end SEO specialist
UX designer
UI developer
GETTING STARTED IN
FRONT-END DEVELOPMENT
If you want to become a front-end developer, the best way to
start is by becoming competent in :
HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
From there, you can move on to tackling front-end frameworks
such as Bootstrap
WHAT IS BACK-END DEVELOPMENT?
-Area of web development focused on all of the necessary background processes
occurring at the "server side" of websites, web apps, and mobile apps.
-Allows a database and an application to communicate with one another
What is backend in programming?
refers to parts of a computer application or a program's code that allow it to
operate and that cannot be accessed by a user.
What do backend developers do?
A back-end web developer is responsible for server-side web application logic and
integration of the work front-end web developers do. Back-end developers usually
write web services and APIs used by front-end developers and mobile application
developers.
THE 9 SKILLS YOU NEED TO BECOME A BACK END DEVELOPER
Python.
Java.
PHP.
SQL.
GitHub
HTML.
CSS.
JavaScript.
TECHNOLOGIES NEED FOR THE BACKEND DEVELOPMENT
Web Development Languages
Database and Cache
Server
API (REST & SOAP)
BACK-END DEVELOPER SKILLS
Employers tend to look for these traits in back-end developers:
Strong skills with PHP and Python
Familiarity with multiple back-end frameworks
Database management
Effective written and verbal communication
Critical thinking
EXAMPLES OF BACK-END ROLES
Some common job titles found on back-end web development teams
include:
Back-end web developer
Java developer
Full-stack web developer
Software engineer
GETTING STARTED IN BACK-END DEVELOPMENT
Start by choosing a programming language to focus on, along with the
framework that goes with it.
For instance, if you choose to learn Python, gain some experience with the
Django framework, which uses Python.
You can learn some programming and database basics through a variety of
avenues, including coding forums such as Stack Overflow, coding apps, and
coding bootcamps
WHAT IS FULL-STACK DEVELOPMENT?
Full-stack web developers take on a role tackling both the front and back
ends of web development, usually for startups and small businesses.
These developers are not specialized like front and back-end developers;
however, they have strong enough overall knowledge of both the client and
server sides of web development to work for low-budget enterprises.
YOU MIGHT ENJOY FRONT-END DEVELOPMENT IF …
You have strong visual/design sense.
You are less interested in the dry details of how information reaches
people.
You have a strong interest in how ordinary people perceive and use the
internet.
You are a people person with a strong sense of teamwork.
YOU MIGHT ENJOY BACK-END DEVELOPMENT IF …
You have a keen eye for details and logic.
You are more curious about what's going on "under the hood" of
interesting things, rather than the surface appearance.
You possess strong critical thinking skills.
YOU MIGHT ENJOY FULL-STACK DEVELOPMENT IF …
You are not sure whether you want to specialize in front or back-end
development yet.
You are trying to accumulate practical experience quickly.
You are willing to work in a high-stress environment, like a startup with a
limited budget.
REFERENCE READING LINKS
https://www.angularminds.com/blog/article/top-web-development-stack-for-developers.html
https://xyzcoding.com/course/the-internet/how-the-internet-works/front-end-vs-back-end/
https://www.educba.com/front-end-vs-back-end/
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/web-development/
https://bootcamp.cvn.columbia.edu/blog/back-end-developer-skills/
https://www.guru99.com/front-end-vs-back-end-developers.html
