Discovering Web Development: My Insights from Frontend to System Design

As a frontend developer, I often found myself deeply immersed in fulfilling the requirements of web applications by writing HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and using various frameworks. However, over time, I started hearing terms like Agile, web development, system design, and architecture more frequently. This sparked a growing curiosity in me—I wanted to connect the dots and understand how web development really works beyond just the frontend. I began surfing the web, engaging in conversations with experienced techies in the industry, and gathering insights to broaden my understanding.

Understanding Agile in Web Development

Agile is a widely-used methodology in software development, and it’s crucial to web development as well. The Agile process typically involves iterative steps such as:

1. Planning
2. Analysis
3. Design
4. Development
5. Testing
6. Deployment
7. Maintenance

Key Steps in Web Application Development

There are specific steps in web application development that are crucial to building a successful product. These steps go beyond just following Agile principles—they encompass the essential technical decisions and implementations that ensure the application is robust, scalable, and user-friendly. Here are my findings and understandings as a techie, and I encourage anyone to add to this:

1. Selecting the Tech Stack

2. Architecture and System Design in the Backend

Architecture and system design are foundational to the backend of a web application. This involves making high-level decisions about how the application will be structured, how data will be managed, and how different components of the system will interact.

• System Design: Involves defining the overall structure, including databases, APIs, microservices, and how they will work together.
• Scalability and Reliability: These are key considerations when designing the backend. Techniques like load balancing, caching, and database replication are often employed to ensure the application can handle increasing traffic and remain reliable.

3. Design Systems and Architecture in the Frontend

On the frontend, design systems and architecture play a vital role in ensuring that the user interface is consistent, scalable, and easy to maintain.

• Design Systems: A design system is a collection of reusable components, guided by clear standards, that can be assembled to build any number of applications. It ensures that the user interface is consistent and that new features can be added without compromising the overall design.
• Frontend Architecture: This involves structuring the codebase in a way that supports scalability, maintainability, and performance. It includes organizing components, managing state, routing, and optimizing the application for speed and responsiveness.

4. Testing and Quality Assurance

5. Deployment

6. Monitoring and Maintenance

Note: These are my findings and understandings as I’ve explored web development more deeply. I encourage others to add to this list, share their experiences, or offer different perspectives. Web development is a vast and evolving field, and we all benefit from sharing our knowledge and insights.