There are two parts to each website – the frontend and the backend. The front is what visitors to the website see and experience. The backend is invisible, but the frontend couldn’t exist without it.
Frontend developers work on websites’ visual aspects with which the majority of users interact. These include but are not limited to fonts, layouts, and colors.
Backend developers create the structure that helps websites run properly. They make more money than front-end developers and have different skills.
There are also so-called full-stack developers. They work on the backend as well as the frontend of a website.
Overlap between the two
There is some overlap and often blurred lines between the backend and the frontend, particularly in terms of so-called functionality plugins. Those can change how the backend and the frontend behave.
Content management systems like WordPress sometimes assign “administrative rights” to website users, which come in different categories. Users can be contributors and upload media or create posts. Their functions then overlap with those of administrators because they have the right to perform tasks that are technically administrative in nature. They have access to the backend in WordPress, becoming de-facto collaborators in some of the site’s areas.
Frontend development
Frontend developers focus on the site’s user-facing aspects. They use design skills, programming languages, and other tools to make sure the website is easy to navigate. They produce the layout, drop-down menus, and designs.
Popular programming languages for frontend development include CSS, JavaScript, and others. Each language has a unique function. JavaScript can help build advanced navigation features, while CSS adds design features. Other programming languages, albeit less commonly used by frontend developers, are Python and PHP.
Frontend development requires experience using libraries and frameworks like AngularJS, EmberJS, jQuery, Bootstrap, etc. Libraries package code into small packages, while frameworks make sure all devices display content correctly.
Developers can use Eclipse, Notepad or another code editing tool, and Photoshop or other graphic design programs.
Frontend developers need technical experience and creativity to make sure the website is user-friendly and works properly. They must cooperate with designers and backend developers to ensure the best possible experience for everyone involved in the creation and use of a website.
Backend development
Backend development is focused on the work behind the scenes, so to speak. These developers create a website’s overall functions, features, and structure, and it’s thanks to them that the site’s front end exists. They build the application programming interface (API) and the site’s databases and enable it to operate.
The backend includes a database, a server, and an application. Website users and internet users, in general, rarely see the components of the backend, which are below the surface of a website.
Backend development requires advanced expertise in Java, Ruby, Python, or another server-side programming language. Developers use tools like Oracle and SQL Server to organize, store, and alter data. Sometimes, experience with version control software, PHP frameworks, and debugging backend apps and systems is required.
