What are the key principles of front-end development?

I have worked two jobs as Front End Developer. Now as a Senior Front End Developer. In my first job, it meant anything having to do with design. It required that I knew enough about programming to design for it in html, then bootstrap, and javascript. I would work with the client from design through necessary programming once the design was decided and laid out. Mt job now is mostly ticket based. I no longer communicate with clients, just follow up and fix or design whatever they request of the sales staff. Now I do much more of the programming as well, using php, javascript, html and css. When I encounter database driven changes, I refer that to the back-end programmers.

Semantic HTML elements play various roles such tags like header, nav, footer defines the structures of the webpage explicitly. It makes code more readable and maintainable. Properly structured content using h1 , ol tags can improve website ranking and discoverability It helps screen readers identify and understand the content and present it to users with disabilities in a comprehensive way.

HTML is the base for any web applications. And it contains tags containers etc. It defines the structure and content of the page like headings, paragraphs. Semantic html means it will helps to the screen readers and other tools.

Semantic HTML is crucial for creating well-structured and accessible web pages. By using semantic tags appropriately, you not only enhance the understanding of your content by browsers and other tools but also contribute to better SEO and overall code quality. It's an important practice for web developers aiming for clarity and best practices in their HTML markup.

Create designs that adapt seamlessly to various screen sizes and devices, providing users with a consistent experience across desktops, tablets and smartphones. Optimize front-end code, assets, and resources to ensure fast loading times and smooth performance. Minimize the size of files, leverage caching, and implement lazy loading techniques to improve page load speed. Prioritize usability by creating intuitive and user-friendly interfaces. Ensure that navigation is clear, actions are easily discoverable, and feedback is provided to users for their interactions.

Building a responsive web design should start from the small screen, means the mobile device. The practice known as mobile first design. Then you can stretch your layout into a bigger screen like for the tablet screen or desktop screen. This practice also being adopted by many popular CSS frameworks or utilities out there, like Bootstrap and Tailwind CSS.

Responsive design is a pivotal approach in web development, ensuring optimal user experience across diverse devices and screen sizes. Employing flexible layouts, media queries, relative units, and breakpoints enables seamless adaptation to varying resolutions. This not only enhances usability and accessibility but also boosts overall performance. Responsive design is essential for catering to the evolving landscape of digital devices, fostering a consistent and engaging user interface.

Responsive design is pivotal in front-end development, ensuring websites function across various devices and screen sizes. It requires a fluid grid layout, flexible images, and CSS media queries to adapt the layout to the viewing environment. Emphasizing mobile-first design, it prioritizes performance and user experience on smaller screens. A responsive approach also entails understanding touch versus mouse interactions and minimizing load times for a seamless cross-platform experience. These principles are vital for creating accessible, user-friendly websites that meet today’s diverse browsing habits.

Based on recent researches, 70% of users use small devices like mobile and tablet, so it's so important to make websites and products responsive to the device size.

Expertise in html css and JavaScript. This is the base, apart from it having a good knowledge in frameworks and libraries based on the requirements of the client. A developer should be experienced in acknowledging how the user will interact with the app and how the data flows through the web app

Also, ensure that all interactive elements are accessible via keyboard navigation. Users with visual impairments may rely on keyboard input or alternative input devices. Test your site's functionality using only the keyboard to make sure it's working properly.

HTML elements for example button, input in a form, anchor tag should have text that describe what it is meant to do in order to guide especially the visually impaired users using screen readers (that reads out the text) on a web application or website. Front-end developers can add the attribute "arial-label" to HTML elements in instances where it is not practical to have well-describing text associated with it.

Not everyone uses websites the same way. People with visual, hearing, or mobility may use assistive tools, such as screen readers, text to speech, and a plethora of other devices to help them navigate the web. When building websites, it is crucial to take everyone into account and ensure that no matter their difficulty, they can enjoy your content equally. From using semantic, well structured, and accessible HTML, to adding a simple button that enlarges the page's text, there are various ways we can make the web more inclusive. Tools like achecks and Lighthouse, can help find issues and fix them. Those can be obvious, such as missing alt tags on images, to not so obvious, like not enough contrast between text and background.

Conducting accessibility audits using tools like Lighthouse or axe can quickly highlight areas that need improvement. It's a crucial step in ensuring your web page is inclusive. Neglecting accessibility. It's not just about compliance; it's about making the web a welcoming place for everyone. Implementing accessibility features not only benefits users with disabilities but also enhances the overall user experience.

Making a good website design that you can show your friends but not your grandmother because she can't see the details in your site ??. Remember accessibility so everyone can see it ??

A website's performance can significantly impact its search engine rankings, user experience, and overall visibility. For SEO purposes, server-side rendering(SSR) is often preferred. Search engines can easily index content that is present in the initial HTML response. As it allows them to understand the page's content and relevance quickly. SSR is ideal for content-rich websites like news platforms and blogs, e-commerce sites with dynamic product information, applications with real-time updates, multilingual websites, content-critical pages, and those requiring efficient metadata indexing, ensuring quick discovery and indexing of frequently updated content. Tools like Next.js (React) or Nuxt.js (Vue) can facilitate SSR.

Optimizing performance is a critical aspect of web development. By minimizing the load time and improving the responsiveness of web pages, developers can significantly enhance the user experience. Techniques such as image optimization, script minification, and efficient resource delivery contribute to faster page loading, reducing the likelihood of user frustration and abandonment. Implementing performance optimization strategies not only benefits users but also positively impacts search engine rankings, making it an essential consideration for web developers aiming to create high-performing and user-friendly websites.

Performance optimization enhances user experience and retention by improving web page load speed and smoothness. Key strategies include reducing resource size and count, such as compressing images and minimizing CSS/JavaScript. Leverage caching, both browser and server-side, to decrease repeated requests. Enable Gzip/Brotli compression to reduce file sizes during transmission. Implement minification and bundling to streamline resources. Optimize loading strategies with lazy loading, code splitting, and preloading critical assets. Regularly monitor and test performance using tools like Google Lighthouse to maintain optimal results.

As we strive to optimize our application’s performance, it is essential to consider the following best practices: *Remove unused or outdated components and code. *Utilize Tree Shaking to ensure that only the desired functions are imported, rather than entire libraries. *Avoid importing the same SCSS file multiple times; instead, import it once at a global level. *Implement lazy loading for modules to improve runtime performance. *Use a CDN for assets such as images. *Monitor bundle sizes with source-map-explorer to identify areas for optimization. *Utilize the Lighthouse extension to assess your application’s performance. *Always use the --prod build flag to reduce bundle sizes. *Define performance budgets to prevent regression.

Optimization is constantly overlooked by development teams disconnected from their customer base. Understand the people utilizing your product and the technology they are using to get there. A customer's experience starts at the initial load and first impressions are everything.

"WRITE A CODE THAT IS EASY TO REMOVE OR DELETE" The most important thing about writing clean and maintainable code especially in the frontend space is writing a code that is easier to delete. Frontend space is very fast moving and requires lot of changes to stay with the trend, and many of the websites gets revamped or redesigned after 1 year. Write code that is easy to remove whenever needed by avoiding hard-coding and separating your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code.

Your code should be the bare minimum needed to complete the requirements. Never be afraid to prune unnecessary references or delete outdated code. (That is what we have version control for.)

Writing clean and maintainable code is essential for the long term success of a software project. Clean code is easier to understand, debug, and extend making it more efficient and cost effective. Some key principles are - Meaningful Variable and Function Names - Comments and Documentation - Consistent Code Style - Modularisation - DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) - Refactoring - Keep it Simple

Writing clean and maintainable code is crucial for effective web development. Code serves as the language through which developers communicate with browsers, and its quality impacts readability, collaboration, and long-term maintenance. Clear and consistent code reduces the likelihood of errors, bugs, and technical debt, fostering a more efficient development process. Practices like using meaningful variable names, providing code comments, maintaining proper indentation, organizing files and folders logically, and periodically refactoring code contribute to the creation of codebases that are easier to understand and work with.

Follow some good resources like active medium writers, bloggers, youtube channels, course instructors, officials channels, X official accounts to make sure you are always up to date to the trends and new stuff on the market but do not fell for new trends easily and try to stick with what is tested to work most of the time.

Utilizing free APIs to develop side projects is an excellent way to not only apply new frontend technologies but also to enhance your existing skills. With the rapid evolution of frontend development, leveraging APIs provides a practical avenue to stay updated while simultaneously creating meaningful projects

You can tremendously increase your skill and build your confidence by following a free or paid tutorial project and recreating what is being done. In other words "watch and code", do not copy and paste the code, rather write the code yourself, and you'll get used to the syntax. When you continue to do this, your understanding will begin to add up and you will be able to use the experience to build the next couple of projects on your own

Participating in online coding challenges and hackathons. They not only sharpen your skills but also expose you to different problem-solving approaches. Relying solely on one learning resource. While online courses or tutorials are valuable, exploring a variety of resources like blogs, forums, and projects can offer diverse perspectives and deepen your understanding.

Regularly test and debug code to identify and fix issues early in the development process. In my front-end development journey, testing and debugging aren't just tasks, they're the daily rituals that ensure my work meets the highest standards of quality and functionality. They're my allies in delivering a seamless user experience and making the web a better place, one bug at a time.

"Performance Monitoring and Optimization" Continuously monitor and optimize the performance of your front-end code by using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse to identify and address performance bottlenecks.

An essential aspect to bear in mind is that contemporary Frontend code predominantly relies on frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue. When employing one or more of these frameworks, it is imperative to adhere to their respective best practices. It should be noted that these practices can vary across programming languages and frameworks.

Chunking your production build will be fasten your website load speed. The browser will load only necessary files and assets for each page. Every single byte is matter in front-end

Use the principle of least power: HTML over CSS over JS over ARIA. 1. HTML is for content & structure 2. CSS is for presentation 3. JS is for functionality 4. ARIA is for accessibility Don't put styling or JavaScript in your markup. Don't add content via CSS. Don't add content or apply styling via Javascript. Only use ARIA attributes if you can't solve the problem using a solution lower in the stack.