Learn Web Development:
Starting a career in web development can appear to be so difficult. There are numerous languages and tools to learn; for a newbie, just knowing where to begin might be challenging.
Yet in reality, it probably won't be as difficult as you imagine. You may quickly lay the academic groundwork for your future career as a web developer once you have a clear understanding of the skills required.
Are you interested in learning web development? We're prepared to assist. Anyone interested in learning more about web development or trying to expand their current skill set should read this article. It will go through some fundamental terms, specializations in web development, and the tools and abilities you'll need to create and maintain websites. To put it another way, it will guide you through all you need to know to launch your profession.
Let's get going!
Why Learn Web Development?
In short, job potential.
A career that is rapidly expanding is web development. Between 2019 and 2029, the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics predicts an 8% growth in employment for web developers. Web developers can operate as independent contractors or as internal workers for a business, and many do so remotely. In summary, it's a terrific field for anyone who appreciates prospects for professional development.
Skills covered in these tutorials:
- HTML
- CSS
- Python
- JavaScript
- Node.js
- SQL Databases
Learn Web Development
We’re going to go through everything you need to learn about the fundamentals of web development, from the nitty-gritty details of how websites work to high-level design concepts.
1. Web Development 101: How Do Websites Work?
Websites are essentially collections of code and files that are kept on a server that is connected to the internet. The client, commonly known as a browser (such as Chrome, Firefox, or Safari), is how you view a website. Together, they make up the "server-client model."
To illustrate how this operates in practice, suppose a friend sends you a link to a humorous video. Your web browser (the client) requests the video file from the video website (the server) when you click the link. The file is sent to your computer by the website's server after it receives the request.
The terms "front end" and "back end" are used to describe the client-side and server-side, respectively. Back end web developers concentrate on the server-side development of a website, while front-end web developers concentrate on the client-side features of a website. The "whole stack" of development technologies is what full-stack developers deal with, and they are experts in both front-end and back-end technologies.
You can choose which of the three you want to concentrate on during your career by knowing the differences between each. Let's now discuss how front-end, back-end, and full-stack web development differ from one another.
What Is Front-End Development?
The material you view when interacting with a website is produced by front-end developers. This contains graphic components that can run on a client's workstation, such as menus, buttons, and animations. The three main languages used by front-end developers are HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. HTML is used to establish the framework of a website and CSS and JavaScript are used to create interactive features.
What Is Back-End Development?
Back-end developers operate on a website's server side. This encompasses tasks that users aren't aware of when using the site, such as managing web servers, working with databases, and employing data analysis. To control a website's operation, back-end developers may also use data-focused technologies like SQL and Python.
What Is a Full Stack Web Developer?
The "whole stack" of website-related technology is covered in-depth by full-stack developers.
Don't worry if you're wondering how long it takes to become a full-stack developer; taking on this multifaceted position is simpler than you may imagine. Devoted tech enthusiasts can get job-ready skills in just three to six months with a full-time Bootcamp. Nonetheless, individuals who choose the thoroughness that a formal degree offers should be ready to devote four or more years to their studies.
Duties and Responsibilities of a Full Stack Developer
Full-stack web developers are tasked with several website-related tasks. These commonly include, but are not limited to:
- Developing a front-end website design
- Understanding user interface and user experience design
- Writing technical documentation
- Designing website architecture
- Implementing data security protocols
- Creating servers and databases
- Ensuring cross-platform optimization for mobile devices
2. Get the Tools You Need to Start
Basic Computer Specifications
You can get started with web development using any machine capable of running Windows, macOS or Linux. The minimum requirements for programming include:
- Intel i5/i7 processor, or Apple Silicon processor on newer Macs
- Full HD monitor or built-in laptop screen, ideally 1920×1080
- 8GB of RAM
Basic Text Editor
You’ll need a text editor to manage all the code you write. Thankfully, there are a lot of free options on the market to get you started.
Notepad ++ is a good text editor for beginners, but it’s only available on Windows. Atom is another excellent option for Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Web Browsers
To code, you'll need a web browser. It's likely that you already have one since you're reading this article. Yet, you should have more than one browser available because downloading multiple browsers allows you to ensure that your site renders correctly across the web. Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Brave, and Opera are a few common choices.
Local Web Server
You can test your code on your computer without putting anything online by setting up a local web server. During the development process, you can test new features, scripts, and layouts.
For instance, the tool XAMPP enables you to run a server on a Mac, Windows, or Linux computer. Another choice for Mac and Windows users only is MAMP.
Graphics Editor
Developers can create and edit graphical website elements with the aid of graphics editors. The Adobe Creative Suite is the industry standard, but if you're just starting out in design, its monthly charge can be prohibitive. Check trying GIMP (a free version of Adobe Photoshop) and Inkscape as alternatives (a free version of Adobe Illustrator used for creating vector graphics).
3. Learn the Foundations of Front End Development
How a website appears when it loads on the client side is decided by front-end developers. The aspects of the website that are visible to users must be created and designed by them. We've listed the languages that every aspiring front-end developer should be familiar with below.
HTML
Coders can specify the fundamental organization and layout of a website using HyperText Markup Language (HTML). An HTML file instructs a browser on what to show and how to arrange elements like paragraphs, lists, and images on a device's screen.
Those who are new to coding can get a great start using HTML because it is so approachable. It serves as the starting point for all websites and is an essential component of a web developer's arsenal. Powerful scripting languages like JavaScript are used by modern websites to create dynamic web content. HTML, despite being a much older technology, is still the foundation of many websites.
Want more information on this “building block” coding language? Here’s a guide to learning HTML.
CSS
HTML elements are displayed differently on screens thanks to Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). You can develop stunning web pages that look fantastic in all of the main browsers by understanding CSS. You can alter the layout, colors, and fonts of a page as well as give page elements effects.
To build and style web pages, HTML and CSS are combined. It offers a lot of depth while still being simple to learn and understand. Learning CSS is essential for anyone trying to build attractive and responsive websites since it allows you a lot of control over how an HTML document is presented to the user.
JavaScript
Another essential tool for a front-end web developer is javascript. According to HackerRank's 2020 Developer report (PDF, 2.8MB), it's one of the most widely used languages on the market and the one that recruiting managers most frequently seek.
Together with HTML and CSS, the client-side language JavaScript is used to construct dynamic, responsive webpages. A developer can take care of every aspect of a website's design and functionality thanks to its simplicity of learning and incredible versatility. JavaScript is a great introduction to coding because many of the skills required to write it can also be applied to other languages like Python and Java.
Learning JavaScript is essential for anyone who wants to work as a full-stack or front-end web developer. Check out our JavaScript for beginners guide for more information and ways to learn this crucial language.
4. Additional Front-End Development Tools to Learn
Front-end development tools help automate and manage your code-writing process, so it’s good to identify potential sources of support before tackling any intensive programming projects.
Package Managers
Package managers can be used to install libraries and other dependencies, often known as packages, required for front-end development. Dependencies are autonomous software elements that complete specific tasks. For instance, as its name implies, the package manager npm helps developers install and manage new packages.
Build Tools
With build tools, various web development processes can be automated. They are helpful for tedious and error-prone procedures like transferring or combining files and altering text strings inside of files. We've provided a few suggestions below that budding developers may find helpful.
Gulp is a task manager that uses JavaScript to automate particular development processes. It can be used to preprocess CSS files, run a local server, and optimize images. Although strong, configuring it takes some time.
A bundler that is often used in JavaScript development is called webpack. It separates your code based on how it's utilized and makes your application's code web-friendly. This makes managing and debugging considerably simpler.
Parcel is similar to webpack in that it is a bundler, but it requires less setup to get started.
Version Control
Version control systems keep track of the changes you make to your code and let you go back to a previous revision if necessary.
You'll most likely use Git once you begin learning about version control. Git is a widely used version control system among leading web development firms. It's a simple tool that any front-end developer can learn to use.
You can save your Git files on GitHub, a Microsoft-owned online storage service, and share them with others. Consider it a social network specifically for programmers and web designers. It's also a great area for you to promote your work and develop a portfolio. Several big businesses use GitHub to manage version control and code updates for their projects.
Responsive Design
Consider all the gadgets you use on a daily basis, including your laptops, desktops, tablets, and cellphones. Every website you design must work on every device a user might own.
The concept of responsive design holds that websites ought to adapt to a user's behavior and device. Any device can use responsive websites, which can display on anything from a 32-inch monitor to a 5.5-inch smartphone. Since more and more users are accessing the web primarily through their mobile devices, understanding responsive design is essential for contemporary web developers.
JavaScript Frameworks
Frameworks for javaScript are groups of pre-written libraries that can be used for common tasks. You can construct a website more quickly and effectively by using a framework rather than starting from scratch.
As an illustration, suppose you're creating an "About Us" webpage for a local company and you want an animation to play anytime a user hovers over a headshot of an employee. Instead of starting from scratch while creating an animation, you can use a framework.
A substantial front-end framework made up of CSS, HTML, and JavaScript is called Bootstrap. Are you curious to find out more? Check out our Bootstrap guide!
React, Vue.js, and AngularJS are three additional significant JavaScript front-end frameworks to investigate.
5. Learn WordPress Basics
The software that powers numerous blogs and webpages on the internet today is called WordPress. WordPress is available for free download and usage by anybody, thus being able to utilise it is a crucial skill. Knowing how WordPress functions can be beneficial in the future since you're likely to use it in the workplace.
6. Learn the Foundations of Back End Development
Back-end development involves structures and tasks that the user does not see –– namely, servers, databases, and data analysis.
Working with Servers
Back-end developers must be knowledgeable about managing servers.
A conventional, centralized server is the first category of server. This is a computer that uses Linux or Windows and keeps all of its data in one location. Since they seek more control over how their data is stored and accessed, large corporate companies frequently choose centralized server architecture.
The days of having to buy your own server and put it up in your home are long gone, so you no longer require a central server. You can use the servers of cloud hosting companies like HostGator to run a website.
Nowadays, a lot of businesses use distributed, or serverless, hosting. The back-end services for your website are provided by a vendor when using this architecture. A server still exists, but you are not in charge of keeping it up, therefore the term "serverless" is a bit misleading. The popularity of this system can be attributed to its affordability, speed, and ease of scalability.
A large percentage of the current internet's infrastructure is provided by serverless companies like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure. For a back-end developer nowadays, being able to work with one of these systems is a vital ability.
So how do you decide whether to employ a serverless design or a centralized server architecture? You must first take into account your unique business and technological requirements. Startup businesses commonly work with serverless vendors because they value the platform's scalability and ease of implementation. Yet, for large enterprise websites that consistently support significant compute loads, centralized servers are frequently preferable.
Programming Languages
Back-end developers should also know a few different programming languages, including:
- Java: Java is a general-purpose programming language that has applications on both the client and the server sides. It has been used for more than 20 years and is regarded as one of the easier languages to learn. Java is an open-source programming language with a sizable developer community and a vast library of information and building tools. Java's maturity has solidified its reputation as a durable, dependable, and scalable language. It is frequently used by large corporations, so getting some exposure to it now will help you when you start working.
- Python: Another well-liked programming language used in back-end development is Python. In fact, it is among the most widely used programming languages worldwide. Another excellent language for novices is Python, which is user-friendly, adaptable, and widely used in back-end development, data analysis, and data science. For additional information, see our beginner's guide to Python!
- Node.js: Node.js gives developers the most fundamental ability to use JavaScript for back-end programming. It is a runtime setting that enables programmers to run JavaScript scripts and code on a server to produce dynamic web pages. Microsoft, PayPal, and Uber are just a few of the renowned tech organizations that employ Node.js. Knowing Node.js will help you professionally greatly given how common it is among major tech players.
- PHP: On a server, PHP is a scripting language. In general, PHP is used to make content requests to a website's server and display it to users on their computers. For instance, a PHP script can automatically display your three most recent blog entries on the front page of your website. There is no need to reload the page because the postings are kept on the server and called when a person accesses your homepage. Anybody dealing with WordPress websites needs to be familiar with PHP because it powers the custom WordPress themes and plugins.
- Ruby: The mid-1990s saw the creation of Ruby, a flexible and all-encompassing language. Due to how quickly you can launch a project with Ruby and how quickly you can use it to prototype applications, it is popular among startups and small businesses. Ruby has a strong development community despite not being as well-known as some of the other back-end languages. Beginner developers or anyone who wishes to work in a startup setting should definitely consider it.
Working with Databases
When developing the back end, databases are essential. In order to advance as a back-end developer, you'll need to understand how to handle and access data.
SQL is a query language that is well-liked among back-end engineers and data scientists. It's used to build databases, populate them with fresh data, and edit data already present in databases. Relational databases, which contain data arranged as tables, can be queried using SQL by developers. Among the most popular choices are MySQL and Microsoft SQL Server.
(Want to learn more? Check out our guide to SQL.)
Also, you'll need to be familiar with using NoSQL databases. These databases don't use tables, columns, and rows to organize their data. Instead, these databases are simple, adaptable, and nimble. They're a fantastic solution for a company that deals with enormous amounts of data that can't be structured well in a traditional table.
Gaining knowledge of SQL and NoSQL databases can increase your future employment flexibility. Since every firm has a unique set of requirements, being able to work with a variety of database types will be useful to you in the future.
Data means nothing if you can’t analyze it, and employers look for developers who can analyze data sets effectively. Our guide to data analytics can help you get started.
7. Basics of Website Architecture and Design
Everything we've spoken about thus far has to do with how a website is technically put up. You should have a fundamental understanding of website architecture and design as a web developer.
You'll need to think critically about your site, your users, and your objectives. Who do you hope will visit your website? From where do they originate? Do you want them to make a purchase, complete a form, or do something else entirely? Although your website shouldn't be appealing to everyone, it should be to the users you are trying to reach.
Website architecture refers to the layout and structure of pages within your site. This can include pages like:
- A homepage
- An “About” page
- Landing pages
- A “Contact us” page
Depending on what your site is intended to accomplish, you will require different pages. A website for an online store, for instance, might include product categories, product pages, and product subcategories.
Consider how visitors will explore your website. Will all information be gathered on one page? Do you want visitors to your website to look around and discover more about your product or service? Make sure the architecture of your website clearly communicates its purpose and is user-friendly.
Design is also another crucial factor. You'll be in charge of a website's look and feel as a web designer. The typefaces, colors, and images used on your site all contribute to its appearance. Layout describes the way that the data is organized and categorized on each page. Here is your time to express your creative side.
Effective web design draws from design principles more broadly. Consider:
Color
When it comes to color, you have a lot of options, and color can sell your site's narrative from a user's first impression. For instance, a blog about nature could choose to utilize earthy shades of green, brown, and grey. It may be helpful to have a rudimentary understanding of color theory.
Font
You have a tonne of font options to choose from, and just as with color, they can say a lot about your website. Choosing the right font is important since different fonts convey different messages. For further information, see Google's guide to selecting web fonts.
Layout
Your website’s structure should follow a visual hierarchy. Which ideas are important for users to see, and in what order should they see them? Most people read websites in an F-shaped or a Z-shaped pattern. Understanding how people interact with the web can help you set up your pages.
One way to start thinking about design is to visit some of your favorite websites. Take note of the colors, fonts, and layouts they use. How do the elements make you feel? What attributes about the company do they communicate? Pay attention to how individual components are laid out, as well as the use of colors and fonts. This can help you see the websites you build in a new way.
