Are you thinking about exploring a career as a web developer? If so, then it’s important to understand the key roles and responsibilities that you will be taking on in your profession. Let’s break them down and discover how they could fit into your professional schedule.
How Is Web Development Divided?
Web development is often separated into front-end development and back-end development. If you are working as a freelancer, you could need to complete both of these roles. If you are part of a larger team, you’ll probably just be focused on one aspect.
Front-End
Front-end development is based on programming languages which can include HTML, Javascript, and CSS. When you research web development, you might find that developers favor a particular language and suggest that this one is the best. However, that’s not the case and the individual languages all have different roles to play. Which one you use will depend on the project that you are working on.
As a front-end developer, you’ll be focused on connecting the dots between design and the technology behind it. While web designers will focus on the visuals of a site, the web developer works to transform these designs. Key aspects include:
- Layout
- Buttons
- Navigation
- Internal links
For instance, if you are working on navigation you might need to explore the best tree testing tool. This will ensure that users can easily find core pages on the website and that they don’t get lost down the rabbit hole of endless links. Developers have to test various aspects of site usability and ensure that everything is functioning as it should.
Back-End
This refers to the server-side element of development. If you’re working as a back-end developer, then you won’t have any connection to the visuals or the design of the website. However, the role is just as important. You will need to update the website and make the right changes. It will also be necessary for you to constantly change the website is functioning as it should and remains effective.
Back-end developers are required to write code. This code is used to communicate information from the database to the browser. You do need to be familiar with the language front-end developers are using to ensure that this does work effectively. However, you will also need to understand other coding languages as well.
So, while front-end developers focus on the holistic side, back-end developers looking at whether the site is functioning correctly. Back-end languages can also be used to create dynamic sites.
When you’re part of this aspect of development, you will need to make sure that you understand the goals of a website owner or app owner and work to bring them to fruition. You will also need to make sure that information on the site is displayed correctly for the end-user.
We hope this helps you understand some of the essential roles of a web developer and helps you determine whether this could be the right choice for your career.
