You’re building a website from scratch. What are the most versatile web development tools to use?

For building from scratch, the trifecta is your best bet: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. They're the bedrock of any website, like the LEGO bricks you gotta master before getting fancy. If you're looking to boost your workflow, check out code editors like VS Code, Sublime Text, or Atom. They're like power tools that highlight your code, suggest what to write next, and help you catch bugs before they crash the party.

You can't even think about starting work on a website or web application before knowing the absolute basics. Every other tool just provides conveniences on top of these languages to achieve specific tasks. Looking at examples from codepen for instance will open your eyes to everything these simple building blocks have to offer, and will make you a great web developer, no matter what framework you finally end up using.

When building a website from scratch, mastering the core languages of the web, namely HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, is essential. HTML defines the structure and content, CSS styles the elements with colors, fonts, layouts, and animations, while JavaScript adds interactivity and logic. Using any text editor suffices for coding, but tools like Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text, and Atom enhance productivity with features such as syntax highlighting, code completion, debugging, and extensions. Proficiency in these foundational languages, coupled with efficient coding tools, forms the cornerstone for versatile web development, ensuring the creation of dynamic and interactive websites.

For building a modern website, HTML, CSS, and Javascript are the basic requirements for every developer. HTML is markup language which means that it annotates text in a way that conveys meaning regarding the structure and presentation of the content. CSS is used for styles, colors, and other modern graphics on top of HTML to make it more beautiful. Javascript is used to add logic to the website. for example, adding the validation in the form.

When building a website from scratch, some of the most versatile web development tools include: Visual Studio Code: A powerful, extensible code editor with built-in Git support and a vast library of extensions. GitHub: Essential for version control, collaboration, and hosting repositories. Node.js: Enables server-side scripting and backend development. React or Vue.js: Popular front-end frameworks for building dynamic user interfaces. Bootstrap: A CSS framework for responsive and mobile-first design. Webpack: A module bundler for managing assets and dependencies. Postman: Useful for testing APIs and endpoints. Google Chrome DevTools: For debugging and optimizing performance.

Bootstrap and jQuery are the peanut butter and jelly of web dev. Bootstrap offers responsive design with predefined components, while jQuery simplifies DOM manipulation and adds interactivity.

- Bootstrap makes it easy by providing ready-made components and styles to create responsive websites. - jQuery helps you do JavaScript tasks on your website without writing lots of complicated code.

While bootstrap is great, Do not limit yourself to Bootstrap. Also consider other libraries like tailwind and choose the one that suits your need the most

Bootstrap and jQuery are like handy toolkits for building awesome websites. Bootstrap is like a set of ready-made building blocks. It helps you create websites that look good on both big screens and tiny smartphones. You can use its pre-designed components to save time and effort. jQuery, on the other hand, is like a helper for JavaScript. It makes working with JavaScript easier, especially when dealing with things like changing what's on the screen, handling clicks, talking to servers, or adding cool animations. You can get Bootstrap and jQuery from their official websites or just link to them directly from the web. It's like having a toolkit of cool gadgets to make your web development journey smoother.

Bootstrap is still relevant today, so it might be worth spending some time to learn this, but as for jQuery, it's a thing of the past, modern web APIs are on par with jQuery so you should only learn this when dealing with legacy codebase.

Choosing your CMS is like picking your car. WordPress is user-friendly, and suitable for beginners, with a vast theme/plugin library. Drupal is more powerful, and flexible, requiring technical skills. Both are open-source, free, and installable on your server or through hosting services.

My personal preference is Wordpress for CMS but things are becoming even more simpler nowadays. You can even start with Canva which is just a designing tool.

If you select WordPress as a CMS, always use a caching plugin to go along with it. Without a cache plugin on a shared hosting environment, your website may give your users a nightmare when it comes to loading speed.

WordPress and Drupal are like magic tools for building websites without diving deep into coding. They're both Content Management Systems (CMS), meaning you can create, edit, and manage your website content easily without being a coding expert. They're free and open-source, and you can tweak your site's look and features by using thousands of themes and plugins.

Before you pick either of these two CMSs suggest, I want you to consider WHAT problem you are solving. If you need something for a client to use that is verbose with as much customization that you can do, then these are options. However, if your customer has a smaller budget or requires minimal customization at best, then consider other tools such as Shopify, Wix, etc. Customer requirements come first.

- Git is version control system. It tracks changes, so if something goes wrong, you can go back in time and fix it. - GitHub is like a big storage for your code where we can work together with the help of git. Here you can track changes from each person.

If you struggle to remember git commands, there are many helpful git tools that integrates directly into your code editor. For Example, VS code has a great extension for Git

An absolute must-have skill for anyone who deals with code. Every company, big or small, uses these tools today. Learning these will pay huge dividends over the course of your career. Git - This is what you mainly want to learn, git is a version control system GitHub - This is a remote cloud repository for code.

Git and GitHub are like superheroes for web developers, especially when you're working together or on big projects. Git is like a superhero sidekick that keeps track of changes in your code. It helps you see what's different, go back in time, and work on different parts without chaos. GitHub is like a fortress where you can store your code online. It's not just a safe place; it's also a cool hub where developers can team up, share their code, and make projects better together. You can use Git by typing commands or using user-friendly interfaces like GitHub Desktop or SourceTree. And, if you want, you can connect Git and GitHub with your code editor to make things even more seamless. It's like having a superhero team for coding success.

Modern web development relies on Git and GitHub for collaboration, version control, remote hosting, open-source contributions, and integration with development workflows.

Chrome DevTools and Firefox Developer Tools are like special kits your browser provides to help you build and fix websites. With these tools, you can do lots of cool things without leaving your browser. You can change your website's code right there, check and tweak how things look, see how fast your site loads, and even test it on different devices or internet speeds. To open these tools, just right-click on your webpage and choose "Inspect," or use a keyboard shortcut like Ctrl+Shift+I (Windows) or Cmd+Option+I (Mac). It's like having a superhero gadget to make your web development tasks way easier.

1. Visual Studio Code (VSCode): A lightweight, feature-rich code editor with robust language support and an extensible ecosystem. 2. Git and GitHub: Version control system (Git) combined with a web-based platform (GitHub) for collaborative software development, tracking changes, and hosting repositories. 3. Node.js: A runtime environment that enables server-side JavaScript execution, facilitating scalable and efficient network application development. 4. Bootstrap: A front-end framework simplifying responsive web design through pre-designed components and styles. 5. React.js: A JavaScript library for building user interfaces, known for its component-based architecture and efficient rendering for dynamic web applications.

Most beginners ignore the power of command line shell in Chrome Dev tools. Familiarize yourself with monitoring network resources too. If your website is going to be opened by a number of users, always make sure it is fast

Concerning the Chrome DevTools and Firefox Developer Tools, if you use these, be sure to utilize the Network tab to view the times resources load in, as well as API responses. A tip for newbies, utilize those breakpoints for debugging! Much faster than using console.log().

Tools like Chrome DevTools and Firefox Developer Tools offer invaluable debugging, inspecting, and performance analysis capabilities. They're vital for optimizing your website and ensuring a smooth user experience.

Firebase and Heroku are top picks for versatile web development. Firebase offers real-time database, authentication, and hosting, integrating seamlessly with Google Cloud Platform. It's beginner-friendly with robust features. Heroku, a PaaS, supports multiple languages, simplifies deployment with Git, and provides a range of add-ons for enhanced functionality. Both platforms offer flexibility and scalability for building websites from scratch.

Heroku is one of the best cloud app services at the moment. However, based on my experience, platforms like Digital Ocean (app) are a better option in terms of price/quality, since you can obtain better resources at a lower price, offering a very simple deploy through the use of Git. In the case of needing a free option for testing instances, Vercel is a very good alternative, especially since Heroku's free plan has been discontinued.

Firebase and Heroku are nice but today we have tools that many would consider even better. Supabase is for example a very good open source alternative to Firebase and their documentation is not as confusing for beginner. Heroku offers allot of ready made solutions that can be convenient but if you want to try out something that would be more common real situation (like a server in your office or in the cloud) I recommend checking out Digital Ocean where you can get your own server in the cloud.

These are Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS) platforms offering pre-built infrastructure and tools for development, deployment, and scaling. They simplify back-end management but might not be necessary for smaller projects or require platform-specific knowledge.

In the current ecosystem, I might check alternatives like Clerk for the authentication, Neon for the database, and Vercel for the hosting. They all provide very good developer experiences and are very scalable.

API Documentation API documentation serves as a clear and standardised communication channel b/w different team working on a project. It helps developers under how to interact with an API, what data is expected and what response they can anticipate. And APIs that need to adhere to certain industry standards or comply with regulations, documentation is essential for outlining the compliance requirements and demonstrating how API meets them.

Drawing from my own experience, when building a website from scratch, selecting the most versatile web development tools goes beyond mere knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, frameworks, platforms, and 'cool tools'. The choice should be deeply influenced by the project's objectives, the developer's expertise, and most importantly the strategic business goals the website seeks to fulfill. Thus, versatility in web development tools cannot be generalized; a comprehensive analysis ensures that the selected tools not only ease development but also align with the website's long-term success and its intended functions.

When building a website from scratch, it's crucial to consider not only the tools but also the architecture and design patterns you'll adopt. For instance, using a responsive design approach is essential for ensuring your website functions well on various devices. Additionally, understanding the principles of SEO from the outset can greatly influence the structure and content of your site, making it more discoverable to search engines. Lastly, keep in mind the importance of website performance and optimization, as these factors significantly affect user experience and retention.

Perform your requirement analysis first. Know what you are building first. Draft how you plan to build it. Consider all the available tools first BEFORE you start diving in. Measure twice, cut once.

Choosing versatile web development tools depends on the project's requirements, but here are some widely used ones: 1?? Frontend Framework: React.js or Vue.js for dynamic user interfaces. 2?? Backend Framework: Node.js with Express.js for a JavaScript full-stack solution, or Django for Python. 3?? Database: PostgreSQL or MongoDB depending on whether you need a relational or NoSQL database. 4?? Version Control: Git for tracking code changes. 5?? IDE: Visual Studio Code for its extensive features and plugin support. 6?? Deployment: Docker for containerization and AWS or Heroku for hosting.