Web developers write programs that do everything from creating the visual interfaces users interact with to building the servers that store and serve information. Depending on their individual focus, web developers may be responsible for anything in this process, such as how a website looks or functions, or ensuring it's accessible.

Front-end Development

Front-end web development, sometimes called client-side development, is the creation of user interfaces—what users see, click, tap, and interact with when using an application. Front-end developers are generally well versed in design and styling, and their work increasingly overlaps with that of web designers. Some front-end developers focus almost exclusively on visual presentation, while others, often called UX engineers, write code that makes a user's experience with an application smooth and intuitive.

Back-end Development

Back-end web developers write code that stores, processes, and sends data to and from the interface and the internal servers. This data can include everything from user information, such as emails and passwords, to messages, articles, or video information. Database administrators, or DBAs, are back-end developers who focus on creating and updating the databases that store information, but don't process that information. Other back-end developers, known as system administrators, maintain and optimize the servers that run the code and databases.

Full-Stack Development

Full-stack web developers can build both user interfaces and back-end processes, with varying degrees of expertise, although some in the industry consider a true full-stack developer to be something of a myth.

“A full-stack developer is someone who pretends to be good at both,” says McMinn. “They're responsible for building an application from what you see on the screen to the database that runs the application, and literally everything in between. And it's hard to be consistently good at all of it.”

As a generalist techie, you can keep your employment options open and give developers a well-rounded understanding of the profession as a whole, but focusing on one core area—back-end or front-end—can provide a clearer path and a more rewarding career.

What skills and qualities should a web developer have?

Markup languages are among the simplest programming languages because they don't process any logic or actual functionality. Markup languages describe the structure of a document. The most common is HyperText Markup Language, or HTML. HTML is the cornerstone of the Internet—everything you see on a website or web application is HTML. HTML is one of three types of code a web browser can understand.

But HTML alone won't get you very far. To make HTML look a certain way, you need to style it with CSS, a kind of style sheet language. HTML and CSS work together to create user interfaces in web development. In addition to “vanilla” CSS, there are several preprocessed style sheet languages, such as LESS and SASS, which can be compiled into CSS that a web browser understands.

The only other type of code that a standard web browser can run on the front end is jаvascript.

jаvascript is a real programming language because it can handle logic, not just appearance. Since it can run in the browser, it can control how elements on a web page look. Whenever you click a dropdown menu or image slideshow, submit a form, or otherwise interact with a page, jаvascript code is most likely responsible.

Other programming languages are used in web development, but not on the front end. These back-end languages include Node (which is jаvascript running outside a web browser), PHP, Python, C#, Ruby, and Elixir. Almost any general-purpose programming language can be used to generate HTML and send it to a web browser, making it effective as a back-end language.

These back-end languages are also used to communicate with databases and retrieve information from them. A database is a structured way to store information that makes it easy to retrieve using code, a bit like a spreadsheet. Some popular databases include MySQL, SQLite, Postgres, Microsoft SQL Server, and MongoDB. SQL, or Structured Query Language, is a way to interact with a database to retrieve, create, update, and delete information.

If that seems like a lot, it is. Developers often refer to technology “stacks”—collections of languages, databases, and tools used to build an application. Similarly, frameworks are collections of technologies designed to work together, or toolkits built with a single technology that let you do more, faster. Popular front-end jаvascript frameworks include jQuery, React, Angular, and Vue.js. Bootstrap and Tailwind are widely used CSS frameworks. Laravel, .NET, and Django are three common back-end frameworks that use C#, PHP, and Python, respectively.

Web developers use many other tools besides languages and other technologies. Integrated development environments, or IDEs, are text editors designed for code, and they let you use add-ons and plugins that make writing and running code easier. Visual Studio Code, Xcode, and Sublime Text are IDEs. Git and GitHub are tools that make code management easier, even when several developers are working on one project. Jira and Clubhouse are two project management tools that help development teams know who's working on what.

In addition to the technical skills needed to be a web developer, certain qualities make someone especially suited to this career. According to Jennifer Nelson, a UX engineer at credit management and analytics company Quantalytix, problem-solving is one of the most important skills a developer can have.

What education and experience does a web developer need?

Everyone starts their web development career in their own way. Although the traditional path of earning a degree in computer science or a similar program is common, it isn't necessarily what distinguishes a good or successful developer. A growing number of successful web developers teach themselves through online resources and local courses.

According to experts, whether you need a degree largely depends on the kind of work a developer wants to do.

“If you're building an application to show people pictures of cats, one or two bugs aren't the end of the world, and you can get by without in-depth training,” he says. “If you're writing software to train people to fly, you probably need to get a master's degree.”

The developer community tends to be pretty forgiving toward beginners offline, and local communities can be a great learning resource. To get started, consider finding a Meetup developer group in your area.

Tech boot camps are popping up in cities across the United States, offering an introduction to the huge world of web development and helping prospective developers get started with local and national companies. But careful research is important when weighing the time and money involved in a boot camp, and understanding training opportunities, company connections, acceptance rates, and employment rates is vital.
Generally speaking, whatever path you choose—traditional degree, self-study, or boot camp—learning is only half the battle. Getting a job and succeeding as a web developer can be difficult, and it may not happen right away. Diligence in your job search, learning more than what you're taught, and practicing on your own will take you a long way.

How to become a professional web developer

Although there's no set way to become a web developer, there are several things you can do to get started.

1. Make sure this is what you want.

The reality of the job isn't always fun and easy. There are plenty of videos, blogs, and interviews online that explain what a web developer's day-to-day life looks like at different companies, and they can help you decide whether this career path is right for you.

“Find a place that offers free training to start, so you can figure out if you want to do this”

2. Start learning the basics.

Whether through self-study, college, or boot camps, learn the programming basics that you can build on by yourself.

“Find a language that's widely used and study it in depth. Focus on the fundamentals of programming languages and how they work. Technologies will change, but you'll have what you need to pick up other things.”


3. Expand your knowledge.

Once you've learned one or two languages and understood the core principles, it's time to dig into other disciplines. Learn the most popular frameworks for the languages you know and build a few projects on your own. Some of the most useful projects you could take on at this stage are a portfolio, a personal website, or a virtual résumé.

“Once you have a good foundation, start working with a component-based structure like React or Angular,. It's much more satisfying than seeing the console spit out numbers.”


4. Apply for jobs.

Once you have some training and experience under your belt, start applying for jobs. If you're looking for an entry-level position, your best bet is to find a startup that needs help.

“What you learn in your first year working at a startup is equivalent to what you'd learn in four years (at a corporate job). Good management will show you the areas where you're struggling and help you get better.”


5. Consider freelancing and open-source work.

If you can't find a job or companies keep turning you away because they're looking for someone with more experience, contributing to open-source projects and small, unpaid local teams can be a great résumé booster. Open-source projects are software whose source code is publicly available and built through contributions from the community. You'll learn a lot about teamwork by participating in open-source projects, which is valuable to potential employers.

6. Keep learning and start teaching.

No matter how new you are to web development, teaching what you know to someone less experienced is a great way to reinforce your knowledge. They'll ask you questions you might not have answers to, prompting you to research them and learn something new. The world of web development is constantly changing, so be ready to keep learning.

What does the job market look like for web developers?

The job market for web developers grows every year. Web developer positions are widely available in the United States. While major cities like San Francisco and Seattle are among the highest-paying cities for web developers, many smaller urban areas are seeing significant growth in the tech sector.

Wherever you start, the trajectory defines the field of web development in terms of both financial growth and skill development.