The web developer is a position that almost always appears on lists of high-paying IT careers. Well, why not? Web developers are essential in today’s digital environment. A web developer (like the front end, back end, or full stack developers) is a person who creates a beautiful website, a high-performing e-commerce site, or any other web-based application.
If you want to be a web developer, you’ll be happy to know that full stack developer skills are highly sought after. But do you know how a back end and full stack web developer compare? To put it another way, what distinguishes these employment roles? For your convenience, we’ll break everything down for you. Then, we’ll go through the responsibilities and skills of the developers to help you understand the distinctions between a back end developer and a full stack developer:
What exactly is web development?
The process of developing a website on the internet is known as web development. The non-design components of a website, such as building features and functioning using programming, markup, and scripting languages, are referred to as web development. Developers focus on the technical parts of website development, such as architecture, programming, app integration, and graphics.
A web developer is someone who does the following:
- Creates and manages webpages and other web-based applications.
- Creates a website from a web design/blueprint.
- Works with clients, stakeholders, and designers to understand the concept.
- Works on either the frontend or backend of a website, or both as a full stack software developer.
Now that you understand what web development is, have a look at the various forms of web development.
Web Development Types
Web development primarily consists of frontend and backend development, with Fullstack development emerging when the two are combined.
- Frontend development is the part of web development that develops and creates the website’s frontend elements or features that are immediately visible and available to the end-user or client.
A frontend developer, in essence, is responsible for everything you see, including styling, images, text, alignment, navigation, colors, and so on, and strives to make the user experience as frictionless as possible.
They also assist with debugging and adding to the overall design and look.
Frontend development’s primary goals are responsiveness and performance.
- Backend development is the word for web development that takes place on the back end of programs.
In contrast to front-end development, which focuses on customer-facing services and programs, backend development covers server-side web application logic and integration and activities such as writing APIs, creating libraries, and working with system components.
Backend developers write the code that allows a database and an application to communicate.
The backend of a website, which includes servers, databases, and apps, is the responsibility of back-end developers.
What is Full stack development?
It relates to creating a web application’s front end (client-side) and back end (server-side).
Full stack developers can alter the site’s appearance and performance from both the back-end and the front-end. This is because they are aware of the engineering skills while also understanding the business needs. A full stack software engineer is a programmer who also knows how to design.
Responsibilities of a Full Stack developer
Here are some of the responsibilities of full stack developers:
- Full stack developers should be participating in the analysis, design, development, and testing of requirements.
- Be hands-on and responsible for significant technical deliverables, which you must do flawlessly.
- Full stack developers should have the ability of methodical problem solving to establish best practices and be able to coach and guide team members completely.
- Participate in the planning, appraisal, and delivery of a full stack application.
- To build and iterate quickly, use a variety of front-end and back-end frameworks and technologies.
- Full stack developers should be able to create innovative prototypes in accordance with standards.
- Be a team player and develop high-quality code.
- Design, build and test new features in collaboration with development teams.
- Create test scenarios to run throughout development.
- Full stack engineers should be able to handle Software, CMS, and database design and maintenance.
- Create technical manuals and handbooks to represent design and code appropriately.
- Keep up with the latest development trends, upcoming technologies, and design patterns.
- Full stack programmers should keep up with the latest web application and programming language advances.
Responsibilities of a Back End developer
Here are some of the responsibilities of back end developers:
- Interpret the website’s business goals and propose cost-effective development solutions.
- Build and maintain the website, content management system, and associated infrastructure technologies in a proactive manner.
- Assuring that the website is a reliable, up-to-date, and interesting source of information and communication.
- To improve the user experience, collaborate with front-end developers and other team members to set goals, functional designs, and coherent coding.
- Store data safely and make sure it’s displayed on the front end when it’s needed.
- Build a system’s architecture and conduct data science analyses
- Maintain the website’s back-end functioning.
- Solve system-related issues and put algorithms in place.
- Follow best practices in website creation, coding standards, and deployment processes and master them.
- Improve the code release system by adding automation and testing the process.
- Actively share expertise with the team and keep track of all tasks completed.
Skills of competent Full Stack developers
These are the skills that good full stack developers possess:
- A desire to develop robust but simple-to-use technologies that have a genuine impact on customers.
- Full stack developers should’ve expertise in client-side and server-side programming languages.
- Working knowledge of system infrastructure, web architecture, and communication protocols.
- Full stack developers should have Comprehensive programming knowledge for a variety of deployment methodologies and approaches.
- Ability to work both independently and as part of a team, with great communication skills.
- Full stack developers should have the ability to think analytically and solve problems.
- Exceptional detail-oriented observation and time-management abilities.
- Inquisitive and eager to learn new things.
- Understand the overall picture, the company’s vision, and the requirements.
Skills of competent Back End developers
These are the skills that good back end developers possess:
- Knowledge of PHP, Java, Python, SQL, .Net, and Ruby
- Effective decision-maker and team player.
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
- Excellent time management and task management skills.
- Capable of negotiating and persuasion.
- A ground-breaking method for problem-solving, creativity, and lateral thinking.
- Ability to listen to others in the form of concepts, feedback, and information analysis.
- Demonstrated ability to convey technical concepts to non-technical peers.
- Ability to communicate ideas succinctly and convincingly.
Conclusion
In this article, we have looked at the various responsibilities and skills for full stack and back end developers. It is clear that full stack developers have the knowledge of both front-end and back-end and hence, they are paid accordingly. But at the same time, anyone that wishes to be a full stack developer has to be a back-end developer first and master the back end. Back end developers are also regarded and paid well. So I’ll leave it for you to decide which one of them suits your needs the most.
Author’s Bio:
Shivam is a content writer who is also a nature-aesthete. He goes by the philosophy of “being humanitarian first, then a professional.”