Frontend what is it

Front End Developer – What is Front End Development, Explained in Plain English

If you are new to programming, you might have heard of the term Front End Development. But what does that mean?

In this article, I will explain what Front End Development is, what skills you need to become a Front End Developer, and tips for landing a job.

What is Front End Development?

Everything you see on a website, like buttons, links, animations, and more, were created by a front end web developer. It is the front end developer’s job to take the vision and design concept from the client and implement it through code.

Everything on the page from the logo to the search bar, buttons, overall layout and how the user interacts with the page was created by a front end developer. Front end developers are in charge of the look and feel of the website.

Front end developers also have to make sure the website looks good on all devices (phones, tablets, and computer screens).

What Skills Do You Need to Become a Front End Developer?

The three main languages you need to know well are HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. From there you can focus on frameworks, libraries, and other useful tools.

HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. HTML displays the content on the page like buttons, links, headings, paragraphs, and lists.

You should not use HTML for styling. That is what CSS is for.

I would suggest going through the freeCodeCamp HTML challenges to start learning the basics.

CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets. CSS is responsible for the style of your web page including colors, layouts, and animations.

freeCodeCamp’s Responsive Web Design Course will teach you the basics of CSS, responsive design and accessibility. Responsive design is essential in creating websites that look good on all devices.

Accessibility is the practice of making sure that everyone can easily use your web sites. You do not want to create web sites that cannot be used by those with assistive technologies like screen readers.

After completing the course, you will be able to starting building small web pages.

JavaScript

JavaScript allows users to interact with the web page. Examples of JavaScript can be found in virtually any web page including the freeCodeCamp homepage.

For example, when I click on the Menu button at the top of the page, it will open a dropdown list of options. Every time I click on that button, it will toggle back and forth between opening and closing the Menu.

JavaScript can be used in online games, web pages, mobile applications and more.

To start learning JavaScript, you can take freeCodeCamp’s JavaScript Algorithms and Data Structures course. From there, you can start building projects from my 40 JavaScript Projects for Beginners.

CSS Frameworks, Libraries, and Preprocessors

Once you learn the basics of CSS, then you can start to work with different frameworks and libraries. These tools were created as a way to help speed up the development process.

Frameworks like Bootstrap and Tailwind CSS allow you to add the catalog of classes to your webpage. As a result, you end up with professional and mobile-friendly designs.

There are dozens of options on the market and you don’t need to learn them all. It’s often helpful to look at jobs in your area and see what technologies they’re using. Then you can focus on the most common/in-demand skills.

Here is a list of a few options:

CSS preprocessors like Sass and Less, allow you to add logic and functionality to your CSS. These tools make your CSS clean and easy to work with.

JavaScript libraries and frameworks

Just like with the CSS libraries and frameworks, there are many options for JavaScript.

It is not necessary to learn them all. Same as above, research job postings in your area to see what libraries and frameworks are being used.

Here are some popular options:

These frameworks and libraries allow you to save time and do more with less code. It is possible to get a job specializing in React, Vue, or Angular.

Here are some suggested learning resources.

Testing and Debugging skills

As you are developing your application, there will be errors in your code that need fixing. Debugging is the act of identifying those errors («bugs») and fixing them.

Testing is another important skill to learn. Writing tests for your code is a way to ensure that your code is doing what it is supposed to do.

For a more in depth explanation on the different types of testing, I would suggest reading this article.

Version control

Version control is a way to track and manage changes to the project’s code. Git is a popular software that is used to track your code.

If you mess up a lot of things in your code, you can use Git to go back to a previous version of your code instead of manually rewriting everything.

Learning Git also allows you to collaborate with others on a team and make changes to the same code base from different locations.

I would suggest starting to learn Git and using a service like GitHub to host your personal projects.

Problem Solving

The most important skill for any developer is knowing how to problem solve. Companies and clients are looking for you to provide solutions.

It is important to learn how to tackle a problem, break it down into smaller manageable pieces, and troubleshoot the issue in these web applications.

How Can You Get a Job as a Front End Developer?

Once you have learned the technical aspects of front end development, you have to focus on putting together your job application materials. There are many incredible resources that can help you learn how to get a developer job.

Résumé building resources

Technical interview resources

Tips for landing a job

Also, here are some resources on how to get started freelancing if you are interested in pursuing that route.

I hope you enjoyed this article and best of luck on your path to becoming a front end developer.

Простыми словами о «фронтенде» и «бэкенде»: что это такое и как они взаимодействуют

Вы наверняка уже слышали эти модные в сфере программирования слова «фронтенд» и «бэкенд», но что за ними стоит? Предлагаю в этом разобраться.

Давайте начнем с определений.

Фронтенд — все, что браузер может читать, выводить на экран и / или запускать. То есть это HTML, CSS и JavaScript.

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) говорит браузеру, каково содержание страницы, например, «заголовок», «параграф», «список», «элемент списка».

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) говорит браузеру, как отображать элементы, например, «после первого параграфа отступ в 20 пикселей» или «весь текст в элементе body должен быть темно-серым и написан шрифтом Verdana».

JavaScript говорит браузеру, как реагировать на некоторые взаимодействия, используя легкий язык программирования. Большинство сайтов на самом деле не используют много JavaScript, но если вы нажмете на что-то и содержимое страницы поменяется без белого мигания экрана, значит, где-то использовался JavaScript.

Бэкенд — все, что работает на сервере, то есть «не в браузере» или «на компьютере, подсоединенном к сети (обычно к Интернету), который отвечает на сообщения от других компьютеров».

Для бэкенда вы можете использовать любые инструменты, доступные на вашем сервере (который, по сути, является просто компьютером, настроенным для ответов на сообщения). Это означает, что вы можете использовать любой универсальный язык программирования: Ruby, PHP, Python, Java, JavaScript / Node, bash. Это также означает, что вы можете использовать системы управления базами данных, такие как MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Cassandra, Redis, Memcached.

Структура взаимодействия бэкенда и фронтенда

Сегодня существует несколько основных архитектур, определяющих, как будут взаимодействовать ваши бэкенд и фронтенд.

Серверные приложения

В этом случае HTTP-запросы отправляются напрямую на сервер приложения, а сервер отвечает HTML-страницей.

Между получением запроса и ответом сервер обычно ищет по запросу информацию в базе данных и встраивает ее в шаблон (ERB, Blade, EJS, Handlebars).

Когда страница загружена в браузере, HTML определяет, что будет показано, CSS — как это будет выглядеть, а JS — всякие особые взаимодействия.

Связь с использованием AJAX

Другой тип архитектуры использует для связи AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML). Это означает, что JavaScript, загруженный в браузере, отправляет HTTP-запрос (XHR, XML HTTP Request) изнутри страницы и (так сложилось исторически) получает XML-ответ. Сейчас для ответов также можно использовать формат JSON.

Это значит, что у вашего сервера должна быть конечная точка, которая отвечает на запросы JSON- или XML-кодом. Два примера протоколов, используемых для этого — REST и SOAP.

Клиентские (одностраничные) приложения

AJAX позволяет вам загружать данные без обновления страницы. Больше всего это используется в таких фреймворках, как Angular и Ember. После сборки такие приложения отправляются в браузер, и любой последующий рендеринг выполняется на стороне клиента (в браузере).

Такой фронтенд общается с бэкендом через HTTP, используя JSON- или XML-ответы.

Универсальные/изоморфные приложения

Некоторые библиотеки и фреймворки, например, React и Ember, позволяют вам исполнять приложения как на сервере, так и в клиенте.

В этом случае для связи фронтенда с бэкендом приложение использует и AJAX, и обрабатываемый на сервере HTML.

Вне фронтенда и бэкенда

Автономный фронтенд

Веб-приложениям, которые вы собираетесь создавать, подключение к Сети будет требоваться всё меньше и меньше.

Прогрессивные веб-приложения загружаются лишь один раз и работают (почти) всегда. Вы можете хранить базу данных в браузере. В некоторых случаях вашим приложениям нужен бэкенд только при первой загрузке, а затем лишь для синхронизации / защиты данных. Такой уровень постоянства означает, что большая часть логики приложения находится непосредственно в клиенте.

Легкий бэкенд

Бэкенд, в свою очередь, становится легче и легче. Такие технологии, как хранилища документов и графовые базы данных, приводят к сокращению количества обращений к бэкенду для повторного агрегирования данных. Задача клиента — уточнить, какие данные ему нужны (базы данных графов), или извлечь все различные фрагменты данных, которые ему нужны (REST API).

Сейчас можно создавать бэкенд-сервисы, которые работают не постоянно, а только тогда, когда они нужны, благодаря бессерверным архитектурам, таким как AWS Lambda.

Размытые границы

Вычислительные задачи теперь можно перемещать между фронтендом и бэкендом. В зависимости от вида приложения можно сделать так, чтобы вычисления производились либо в клиенте, либо на сервере.

Каждый из вариантов имеет свои плюсы и минусы. Сервер — среда более стабильная, имеет меньше неизвестных, но ему постоянно нужно подключение к Сети. Некоторые пользователи используют последние версии браузеров, и им выгоднее использовать клиентские приложения, которые и делают большую часть работы, и могут похвастаться красивым интерфейсом, но тогда вы оттолкнёте пользователей, которые не используют новейшие браузеры и высокоскоростное подключение к Интернету.

В любом случае, хорошо, что есть, из чего выбирать. Главное — выбирать именно то, что лучше всего подходит для конкретной задачи. Надеюсь, у вас появилось больше понимания о том, в каком состоянии сегодня находится веб-разработка.

What is Front-End Development? Necessary Web Development Job Skills Explained.

A front-end developer is someone who works on software, like desktop or mobile websites, that users interact with. Specifically, a front-end developer spends time on the side of technology that the user touches and sees.

The front end is also commonly referred to as the client side, or more broadly speaking, the user interface.

While many people use front end to describe website-related development, it can refer to any software that a user interacts with.

For the purpose of this article, let’s use a broader definition: front-end development can include the engineering work done on mobile apps of desktop software.

When I first learned about front-end development I heard a simple metaphor from a teacher that I have not forgotten.

I want to share this metaphor with you.

Front-end development is akin to building the buttons on an automated teller machine (ATM).

It goes without saying that the client side of an ATM is mission critical for withdrawing money.

But it is just one part of the process.

The back end of the ATM needs to store cash and properly account for withdrawals. The front end is what the user touches and interacts with when completing the transaction.

Taking this example back to the world of software, front-end engineers work in close collaboration with back-end engineers, designers, and product managers to design and build products holistically.

Let’s walk through a front-end developer’s interaction with each stakeholder they will engage with when building a website or application.

Internal Stakeholders

Firstly, a front-end developer must work with back-end engineers who manage the servers, instances, databases, and storage that modern applications and sites run on.

Much of the work between front-end and back-end developers is what drives cloud computing, which is the on-demand delivery of IT resources over the internet.

Secondly, front-end developers interact frequently with designers. Designers are responsible for the look and feel of products.

A designer owns the color scheme, layout, and usability requirements.

Designers help bring style, aesthetic frameworks, and schemas to the forefront so that the front-end developer can bring all of these attributes together for end users.

Thirdly, a front-end engineer will have a relationship with the product manager, the stakeholder most responsible for thinking strategically about how to build and bring a product to market.

Product managers own the product experience, the profit and loss of a product, and launch and marketing guidelines.

If you want to explore the field of front-end development, you should be prepared to work in a dynamic and collaborative manner with other internal technical stakeholders to drive your product forward.

Necessary Technical Competencies for Front-End Development

In order to become a front-end developer, you not only need to understand the nature of the work (which I have attempted to demystify above). You also need technical skills.

To think about it formulaically, front-end development is about engaging other stakeholders + helping users + working with technology.

For example, nearly all websites are built with a combination of HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. If you are not familiar with these technologies, you will need to learn them.

Learning how to write these languages and how they interact with each other is imperative to being an effective front-end engineer.

While writing this piece I interviewed a close friend who is a product manager at a large technology company.

His answers are illuminating.

If you are applying for a job as a front-end engineer, or want to become a better front-end developer, you would be wise to incorporate his guidance into your work.

What makes a great front-end developer?

“A strong and effective front-end developer shows a determined focus and obsession on what users and customers need and want.

They start with the use-case of the customer and works backwards, working tirelessly to earn and maintain customer trust by building the front-end of products.

Strong front-end developers own their products and own solutions. They need to think medium to long term while delivering immediate product results.

A good front-end developer uses project tracking tools to track changes, demonstrate progress, and most importantly let their peers know why changes are being made and when.

A front-end developer knows what their job entails and stays in their lane.

Lastly, a strong front-end engineer strives to invent and simplify.

By bringing a spirit of innovation to work, this developer may suggest improvements to the product, back-end APIs, or other aspects of the technical stack that make the product more usable and more effective.”

How does a front-end developer demonstrate ownership when building a product?

“A front-end developer is curious and this curiosity drives their ownership in the success and growth of a product.

The engineer never stops seeking ways to improve the product, or themselves.

These are attributes that front-end developers demonstrate when contributing to the building of products.

If you are a front-end developer, you need to communicate with your team.

You need to manage complexity, celebrate wins, and send product launch emails.

This is ownership and this is leadership.

If you are working remotely now, know how to schedule and lead virtual team meetings and communicate the development work you are planning to do.

In summary, front-end developers are obligated to respectfully challenge decisions when they disagree, even when doing so is uncomfortable. They show conviction.”

Jobs and Common Skills Needed

Now that you know what a front-end developer does, who a front-end developer interacts with, and what makes someone effective at this job, let’s turn to the skills needed to interview for and accept a role in this field.

Web development jobs are in high demand.

If you enjoy writing, testing, and deploying software, creating websites, or using HTML and CSS to interact with databases and services, you might thrive in a web-development career.

I reviewed dozens of front-end development jobs to summarize the core skills that nearly all job postings desired. Here are the top five attributes you must demonstrate:

Bringing It All Together: Examples and Conclusion

The day to day responsibilities of a front-end developer may vary depending on the technology that your job or team uses.

Regardless of the tech stack, you should expect to play a substantial role in shaping the front-end culture, have technical ownership of one or more of products, and be a subject matter expert on the software architecture.

Whether you start an online business, join a small company like a fintech startup, or manage engineering teams at large enterprises, you will need to navigate these processes and work-flows to drive value.

Remember the ATM metaphor.

This will make your career exciting and worthwhile.

Here are additional and specific examples that can inspire you to dive deeper and become a front-end developer.

Runners Athletics is a website that brings together a simple and elegant UI with powerful e-commerce backend ordering flow.

If you want to sell products on the internet a front-end engineer will need to bring together the clickable CTAs (Calls To Action) with back-end payment and ordering systems.

Many sites prompt you for your email or contact information. Signup forms are good examples of front-end design.

They are action oriented, easy for the user to engage with, and help a company or website collect valuable information.

Front-end work can improve not only mobile and desktop sites but video social media tools as well. Front-end developers can help the browser edit and compress videos and render better visual displays.

A front-end developer had to build these compelling templates that interact with payments, color schemes, and graphics.

Front End Development: Courses, Training, Other Resources

How to Learn Front End Development

Have you ever wondered who’s responsible for the design of the websites you use every day? Who was behind the design of Facebook? Who decided this site should have a footer? Behind every website is a front end developer who builds the side of a website that a user sees.

In this article, we’re going to dive deep into the front end web development career path. We’ll talk about the routes you can take and the front end developer skills you would need to break into the field. Finally, we’ll cover the job prospects and responsibilities for this type of web developer.

Front End Developer Quick Facts

What Is Front End Development?

Front end development refers to the management of the client-facing aspect or the front end of websites. This covers everything that the user sees, from text and images to menus and navigation bars. Front end developers are in charge of this.

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A front end developer reads a design file and creates a plan to turn that design into valid HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code. A web browser then renders this code when you go to a site. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are the three core programming languages used to build the front end of a website.

The main responsibility of a front end developer is to create a functional user experience. Users should be able to easily navigate a site and get the answers they were looking for prior to clicking on the site. Users must not run into errors or inconsistencies in the process.

What is Front End Development Used For?

Front-end development is used for designing the part of a website that a user sees. The front-end developer will turn designs created by a web designer into a functional, aesthetically pleasing user interface.

Front-end web developers use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to design web pages. They are usually involved in the design process to advise on technical implementations but in many cases they do not design a web page themselves.

Types of Front End Developer: Front End Engineer vs Developer

The terms “front end engineer” and “front end developer” are often used interchangeably. While their responsibilities are similar, there are a few subtle differences between these coders.

Front end engineers are more involved with the reasoning for the front end of a site. They spend most of their time analyzing the architecture of a site. With help from other developers and designers, they figure out how to implement a website.

Front end developers, on the other hand, are responsible for writing front end code. Their code should be maintainable and perform well at scale.

While understanding the design principles behind a site is part of front end developers’ responsibilities, they don’t spend as much time analyzing them. Instead, they put more focus on turning the design mockups into code.

Learning Front End Development

Front-end development is a valued skill in the technology industry. Although mobile apps are on the rise, it’s hard to describe just how important websites are to our lives.

Consider your day today. You must have visited at least one website because you are here. But you probably visited a lot more. Maybe a news site or a social network.

How Long Does it Take to Learn Front End Development?

It should take you about a month to learn the basics of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. If you want to become a professional front-end developer, you’ll probably need to study for at least six months.

Front-end web development is a bottomless pool of knowledge. You can get started pretty quickly thanks to the simple syntax and code structure of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Aspiring professional developers should expect to spend much longer studying. This is because professional environments usually have strict guidelines regarding code quality and best practices.

Before you pursue a career as a front-end web developer, you should know that just being able to code in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is not enough.

You’ll need to learn the basics of accessible and responsive web design, for instance. You cannot rush your learning. You need to keep your head down and keep going until you feel like you’re ready for a professional job.

How to Learn Front End Development: Step-by-Step

How do you become a front end developer? That’s an excellent question. If you enjoy solving technical problems and have a creative mindset, then you might want to consider a developer job.

Below, we’ll break down a few steps you can take to start your journey to become a front end web developer.

Front-end web development is a skill that you should be able to use throughout your life. the web has only been around since 1989 but it is already a part of many of our daily lives.

The Best Front End Developer Courses and Trainings

Online courses are a great place to start your learning journey. In an online course, you’ll be guided through the topics that you learn about. Many courses are interactive so you can code as you go.

Below we’ve listed some of the top front-end developer courses you may want to consider taking.

Online Front End Developer Courses

Codecademy Web Development Path

Codecademy has created a web development path that guides learners through all the topics they need to know to build a website.

In this learning path, you’ll cover HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and other skills that you’ll need. Each part of the course comes with interactive exercises that will help you reinforce your knowledge.

By the end of taking this course, you’ll have built a few websites. This course aims to teach you to build a site for a coffee shop and a site to search for restaurants.

Intro to HTML and CSS

This course is a basic introduction to building websites with HTML and CSS. You’ll cover the basic HTML tags, CSS selectors and styles, and how to use developer tools in a browser to analyze a web page.

The course lasts three weeks and features interactive quizzes, a student support community, and learning content made by industry professionals.

Treehouse Front End Web Development Track

Treehouse has aggregated all of their front-end tutorials into one learning track. This track starts by introducing learners to the basics of HTML and CSS. You’ll then master the fundamentals of JavaScript.

As you go through the course, you’ll cover topics like accessibility, CSS flexbox, and HTML forms. By the end, you’ll have a deep understanding of how to use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to build a functional, aesthetically pleasing, and accessible website.

Front End Developer Books

HTML and CSS by Jon Duckett

HTML and CSS Is a comprehensive introduction to building websites with HTML and CSS. You’ll learn how to use HTML and CSS to build accessible and usable websites.

This book features a range of photography and graphics to help reinforce the technical concepts you learn about. You’ll also find plenty of code snippets so you can easily experiment with the code you read.

Eloquent JavaScript, now in its third edition, introduces readers to the essentials of JavaScript and programming. To start, you’ll learn about the basic JavaScript syntax and common functions.

You’ll learn how to apply functional and object-oriented techniques to your code. You will also learn how to use the Document Object Model to interact with websites.

Learning Web Design: A Beginner’s Guide to HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Web Graphics by Jennifer Nieder Robbins

By reading this book, you’ll build a solid grasp of how to use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to build functional web pages. You’ll start by building HTML pages with text, tables, and more.

The book progresses on to discuss new HTML5 elements and using CSS to apply styles to a web page. Toward the end of the book, you’ll start using JavaScript to make your web pages more interactive.

Front End Developer Resources

Mozilla Developer Network

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more comprehensive resource than the Mozilla Developer Network (MDN). This online repository of documentation covers pretty much everything you’ll need to know about HTML, CSS, and JavaScript syntax.

You’ll find plenty of interactive tutorials across MDN. These tutorials teach how to use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, how to make accessible web applications, and more.

Career Karma Web Tutorials

Career Karma has an extensive range of web tutorials written for beginners. Here are our lists of tutorials for these topics:

Frontend Masters Bootcamp

Frontend Masters is a series of online tutorials for beginners to web development. In this bootcamp, you’ll learn everything you need to know to start building your own websites.

This bootcamp is accompanied with interactive coursework to help you build upon the skills you learn in class. Classes are taught by industry-leading experts who have extensive experience building web pages.

Front End vs Back End vs Full Stack Developer

There are different fields in web development and developers employed in each have unique responsibilities.

Back end web developers are more concerned with the part of a website that a user doesn’t see. They are the brains behind the operation. The codes they write may be used for processing payments on a site or deciding the content a user sees when opening a page. To accomplish these, they use programming languages like Python, Ruby, and PHP to build an application.

Full stack developers are what you would call “jack of all trades” developers, or generalists. As the name implies, they have experience and proficiency with both ends of a website.

Full stack web developers are crucial to any web project. They help bridge gaps between the client-side and server-side of a website. This entails ensuring that a site is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. Naturally, they have a grasp of both client-side tools like JavaScript and server-side technologies such as PHP and Ruby.

Front End Developer Skills

There is a range of skills that you’ll need to be successful in front end web development. Determining these skills will depend on where you work and what projects you’re working on.

Below, we’ll break down a few of the top skills that come up in job descriptions for front end web developers.

HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

It’s impossible to find a job in front end development without knowing the three key web technologies: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

A JavaScript library, like jQuery

A JavaScript library is an extension of the JavaScript language. These libraries all have a particular set of features that are designed to help developers build websites more efficiently.

Let’s take jQuery as an example. The jQuery was designed to make implementing JavaScript on a website much easier. It abstracts away many of the functions that you may encounter in JavaScript in favor of more simple syntax.

Using jQuery allows for the efficient performance of various tasks. There’s the easy manipulation of CSS on a web page and changing HTML elements. There’s also the addition of effects and animations to a site, and streaming data to a web page using AJAX.

Version Control

Version Control Systems (VCS) are used to manage changes to a software project. Examples of these systems include Git and Mercurial.

VCS are important because they let developers see how a project has evolved. They track every change made to each file in a project. Alongside each record of a file change is information on who modified it and when.

Having this record means that it’s easy to see how a project appeared at a particular point in history. It also makes reverting a project to a previous version easy if you make a mistake.

Front End Frameworks

A front end framework is a scaffolding that comes with pre-written code by which you can build an application. Common JavaScript frameworks include React and Next.js.

React, for example, makes it easy to build an interactive web application. It has features that allow you to render the right parts of a web page when data changes on a website. React also lets you split your project into components so that you can reduce repetition in your codebase.

Using React can trim hours from a project because it’s ready to use out of the box. It also provides a range of features you may use throughout the development of an application.

Web Design: User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX)

Front end developers do not need to be web design experts. Web design is its own field. With that said, having a strong knowledge of web design is key. The two core parts of web design are User Interface (UI) design and User Experience (UX) design.

UI design refers to creating the look of a web page. A user interface designer will decide where elements such as buttons, text, and images appear on a website.

UX design, on the other hand, is concerned with the whole experience a user has on a website. User experience designers analyze and research a product to determine any points that may confuse users. They then figure out how these problems can be addressed so that users have a seamless experience when they use a website.

Responsive Design

People use mobile phones, tablets, and monitors which come in varying screen sizes. This is where responsive design comes in. Responsive design is concerned with building a website that renders effectively on a range of different devices.

This involves understanding the different types of devices on which a user can view a site. Front end developers should be able to design and develop unique experiences for users of these devices. After all, showing the desktop version of a site on a mobile device may work but it’s not exactly elegant.

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs ) are used in a range of contexts in web development. Often, back end developers create APIs which power the logic of a site, such as user authentications and payments. Front end developers must then query these APIs so that they can interact with them.

APIs also let you interact with external services. For instance, the Google Sheets API lets you retrieve data from Google Sheets that you can use on your website. This means you can build integrations on top of an existing website.

As a front end developer, you’ll probably use APIs daily to access data for front end display.

Debugging

No matter what type of coder you are, you need to have some debugging skills. After all, no developer writes perfect code every time. There are almost always mistakes that need to be corrected before a site is launched.

You’ll need to know how to break down a front end problem into different parts and solve it effectively. You should be capable of thinking critically when approaching problems, testing potential solutions, and evaluating the effectiveness of each.

Soft Skills

You’ll need more than just technical skills to be a successful front end web developer. Soft skills are an essential part of any job.

Creativity. This is a game-changer in front end development. Websites are one of the most creative mediums of communication. You should be able to come up with unique ways to display information on a site.

Adaptability. You should be open to suggestions and adapt your websites as trends and specifications evolve.

Excellent communication skills. This means knowing how to explain complex technical topics in simpler terms. This is because not everyone you’ll work with will know how to code. You should also regularly update people on your progress so other developers can see how a project is doing.

Good teamwork skills. Good front end developers are those that excel at working in teams. This goes hand-in-hand with being a good communicator. While you may spend a lot of your days writing code, you’ll need to work with other front end developers to build a project.

Talking with developers who work behind the scenes is also important to figure out how to integrate their work into yours. Working with designers, meanwhile, is crucial to understanding how a page should appear. That’s not to mention all the other people with whom you may interact, from project managers and quality assurance engineers to customers.

Front End Developer Salaries and Job Outlook

Front end web developers enjoy impressive job prospects. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in web development are expected to grow by 13 percent by 2028. This growth is reportedly “much faster than average,” an expected event due to the increasing presence of Internet technologies.

The BLS does not break down their statistics specifically for front end web developers. However, the overall trend is clear—front end web development will be a lucrative career for years to come.

Should You Become a Front End Web Developer?

Front end web developers spend their days translating designs into code. They get to know the inner workings behind a site’s design. They then use this knowledge to build a functional and aesthetically pleasing experience.

For developers who enjoy creative work, front end web development could be an excellent career. Not only will you code other people’s designs but you’ll also have some say in the overall creative direction of a website.

If you are more interested in the “brains” behind a website, then back end or full stack web development may be for you. Whatever you choose, one thing is for sure—careers in web development all afford lucrative salaries, great career prospects, and unique responsibilities.

Front End Developer FAQs

While both are concerned with the end user, they do differ in focus. A web designer focuses on website design or appearance. A front end web developer, on the other hand, is more concerned with website functionality.

About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.

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James Gallagher

About the author: James Gallagher is a self-taught programmer and the technical content manager at Career Karma. He has experience in range of programming languages and extensive expertise in Python, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. James has written hundreds of programming tutorials, and he frequently contributes to publications like Codecademy, Treehouse, Repl.it, Afrotech, and others.

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Фронтенд-разработка: ключевые технологии и понятия

Когда вы гуляете по городу, что вы видите? Взгляд часто останавливается на стильных витринах, созданных с целью привлечь внимание. Вы выбираете самую красивую из них и заходите внутрь.

То же самое происходит и в интернете. Блуждая по интернету в поисках необходимого, вы натыкаетесь на самый подходящий на первый взгляд сайт и заходите на него.

Но если витрины прозрачны и показывают, что находится внутри, приглашают рассмотреть товары поближе, то для сайтов все немного иначе. Что скрывается под видимыми элементами сайта, как они взаимодействуют с пользователем, друг с другом и с системой, стоящей за всем этим? Давайте же выясним это.

Что такое фронтенд-разработка? Фронтенд vs бэкенд

Фронтенд веб-сайта — это все, что пользователь видит и с чем может взаимодействовать при помощи браузера. Создание этой визуальной части называется фронтенд-разработкой. Дизайнеров, создающих пользовательские интерфейсы, тоже можно в какой-то смысле назвать фронтенд-разработчиками, потому что они совместно работают над этой же частью проекта.

Для разработки фронтенда в качестве базовых инструментов используются: HTML (для создания базовой структуры страниц и контента), CSS (для стилизации внешнего вида) и JavaScript (для добавления интерактивности). Такой же набор инструментов используется в процессе создания прогрессивных веб-приложений — мобильных приложений, которые выглядят, как нативные, но при этом создаются с участием фронтенд-технологий. Подробнее об этом можно почитать в статье по ссылке.

Бэкенд — это серверная часть веб-приложения, скрытая от глаз пользователя. Это понятие включает в себя серверы, на которых расположены веб-страницы и определенную логику, которая управляет функциями и процессами сайта. Здесь можно почитать более подробное описание внутренней работы веб-приложений.

Бэкенд разрабатывается с использованием другого стека технологий, включая Java, PHP, Ruby, C# и иногда JavaScript, о которых мы поговорим в соответствующем разделе статьи.

Цикл запрос-ответ

Итак, базовый набор инструментов для разработки фронтенда четко определен: HTML, CSS и JavaScript. Однако этот набор может быть значительно расширен, включив в себя диспетчеры пакетов, CSS-препроцессоры, фреймворки и многое другое.

HTML: ключевая фронтенд-технология

HTML (от англ. Hypertext Markup Language) — это язык гипертекстовой разметки, предназначенный для создания веб-сайтов, которые впоследствии могут просматриваться при помощи доступа к интернету. HTML обычно используется для структурирования веб-документа. Он определяет такие элементы, как заголовки или абзацы, и позволяет вставлять изображения, видео и другие медиафайлы.

Как работает HTML. HTML-код представляет собой множество тегов и пишется в текстовом файле. Этот текстовый файл затем сохраняется в виде HTML-файла, который можно открыть и посмотреть в браузере. Браузер сканирует его, интерпретирует код в визуальную форму и в лучшем случае отображает страницу именно так, как задумал дизайнер.

Гипертекст — способ, с помощью которого мы путешествуем по интернету, переходя по гиперссылкам, которые ведут на другие страницы. «Гипер» отсылает к нелинейности, которая позволяет перемещаться в любое место, поскольку этот процесса не подразумевает предопределенного порядка.

Разметка определяет качества, которыми наделяется текст внутри HTML-тегов. Теги определяют, как браузеры форматируют и отображают содержимое страницы.

Будучи языком, он содержит кодовые слова и синтаксис, как и любой другой язык.

Пример HTML-кода

Парный тег / определяет границы веб-страницы, а текст между тегами /