FULL STACK DEVELOPER

FULL STACK DEVELOPER?

A Full Stack Developer is someone who works with the Back End — or server side — of the application as well as the Front End, or client side. Full Stack Developers have to have some?skills in a wide variety of coding niches, from databases to graphic design and UI/UX management in order to do their job well. They are something of a swing, ready to assist wherever needed in the process.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF A FULL STACK DEVELOPER INCLUDE:

Helping with the design and development of software

Testing and debugging software to keep it optimized

Writing clean code for the front and back end of the software

Designing user interactions on the web application itself

Creating servers and databases for the back end of the software

Ensuring cross-platform compatibility and optimization

Testing and maintaining the responsive design of applications

Working with graphic designers to design new features

Developing APIs and RESTful services

Keeping up with technological advances to optimize their software

Communicating effectiveness of emerging technologies to decision makers

Considering security, maintenance, scalability, and more when developing

FRONT END VS. BACK END VS. FULL STACK WEB DEVELOPERS — WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

Front End Developers:?- Deal with the interface and user-facing systems - Develop the navigation, interface, and visuals - Focus on user experience - Utilize HTML, CSS3, and JavaScript - Are the most aesthetically-forward web development position

Back End Developers:?- Deal with the server and database of the application - Create the back frame that allows the front end development to exist - Utilize Python, Ruby, and PHP - Store user information into database

Full Stack Developers:?- Cross-discipline web development skills involving front and back end - Deal with the overlap between the front end and back end - Utilize all the coding languages of the first two plus MySQL, machine learning, and more - Take responsibility for the entire experience to make sure it goes smoothly

TOOLS USED BY FULL STACK WEB DEVELOPERS

The following are the basic tools required for full stack development:

Computer and Operating System: These are the most important prerequisites. You cannot program without a computer and an operating system.

Text Editor: A text editor lets a developer enter, edit, and store text characters. Text editors come with software development packages and operating systems. Full stack developers use these to edit the source code of programming languages.

Browser: Developers use browsers to troubleshoot issues they encounter during development. Most developers use Chrome or Firefox.

Terminal: A terminal is one of the best tools at the disposal of a full stack engineer to increase efficiency. It acts as the interface to the console where you can execute text-based commands. You cannot access the source code using terminals, but it allows you to execute the commands for tasks. PowerShell, Git Bash, iTerm, Zsh are examples. Apart from these basic tools, there are front-end tools, back-end tools, and other web architecture maintenance tools that constitute the full stack development toolkit.

FRONT-END TOOLS

1) Bootstrap: Bootstrap is an open-source framework used in web development and has design templates for navigation, typography, buttons, and so on. It offers a wide range of fonts, colors, and layouts to choose from. The biggest advantage is the uniform appearance of all elements across all browsers.

2) Angular.js: Angular.js is a framework Google developed. It allows clear expression of your application’s components using HTML’s syntax and templates.

3) Foundation: Foundation is a CSS framework used to execute responsive user interfaces. It has all the patterns necessary to create a responsive website or application. It is an open-source framework and is available on GitHub.

4) Python: Python is a general-purpose programming language that suits beginners that assists functional and object-oriented programming and focuses on code readability.

5) JavaScript: JavaScript is a programming language that assists prototype-based object orientations. It helps in the development of interactive pages for all devices.

6) Elixir: Elixir is a programming language on Erlang VM. Its use is for maintainable and scalable applications.

7) HTML and CSS: HTML and CSS make the building blocks of full stack development. Irrespective of the back-end language or frameworks you use, you always need HTML and CSS for front-end development.

Learn HTML5 for attributes, semantic elements, and doctype

Learn CSS fundamentals for positioning, colors, and fonts

Learn CSS Grid and Flexbox for creating columns and aligning things

BACK-END TOOLS

1) Django: Django is a Python-based framework used for server scripting. It encourages pragmatic design and quick execution.

2) Ember.js: Ember.js is one of the popular choices of web developers for creating modern web applications. Though it is primarily for the web, this Javascript framework is also used to build mobile and desktop applications.

3) Lodash: Lodash is a JavaScript library that follows functional programming. It helps developers write short, maintainable codes.

4) React: React is a JavaScript library Facebook maintains that is for building single-page applications and mobile applications.

5) D3.js: D3 or data-driven documents is a JavaScript library used to develop dynamic data visualizations for browsers. It gives developers great control over visuals.

?PROFICIENCY WITH THESE TOOLS AND SKILLS ARE REQUIRED:

Front end programming languages like HTML, Javascript, and CSS

Back end programming languages like Python, Ruby, and PHP

Version control systems like Git and GitHub

APIs like REST and SOAP as well as protocol like HTTP

Database storage solutions like JSON, SQL, and NoSQL

Graphic design and visual communications skills

Apache or nginx servers

REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER FULL STACK DEVELOPMENT FOR YOUR CAREER

1) Full stack Development Is All About Versatility

Full stack developers are multi-developers who provide end-to-end solutions. IT companies appreciate them for their versatility and expertise in all aspects of software development. This means, learning full stack development will help you master a wide variety of skills. Knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, back-end languages (Python, PHP, Ruby), database storage, HTTP, REST, and NPM, along with a good set of soft skills are inevitable to become a good full stack developer. Since the web application architecture is an ever-evolving space, full stack developers need to continually learn new programs, languages, and tools to stay updated and ahead of their game.

2) The Scope for Growth is Multifaceted

IT companies are no longer in pursuit of specialized roles. They have shifted to training and choosing full stack developers who are multifaceted and flexible. Their end-to-end solutions are globally valued and full stack developers boast of a fast-tracked, multidimensional career growth. Most full stack engineers start their careers as front-end or back-end developers. With years of experience, exposure, and learning, they master every aspect of development and become stack-savvy. Full stack developers begin their career typically at the entry-level and quickly move up ranks as they perfect their technical skills.

3) Full stack Development is One of the Highest Paid Jobs

4) Equips for Faster Delivery of Projects

5) Greater Responsibility Comes with Greater Productivity

Skills Needed to Become a Full Stack Developer

1) Front-end languages (HTML/CSS)

HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) contribute to the overall appearance and feel of a webpage. HTML structures the page while CSS defines its visual layout. To create interactive web applications, a full stack developer needs to have skills for using these front-end languages.

HTML helps the authors of webpages to structure the content on webpages to different headings, sub-headings, sections, paragraphs, and so on.

create forms for transactions, to order a product, or to make reservations

to include audios, videos, spreadsheets, and other applications

to retrieve information using hypertext links

CSS is to: define the presentation of the webpage format the layouts, fonts, colors tailor pages for different kinds of devices (small screens, large screens, printers)

2) Back-end Languages

Back-end languages help a full stack developer define the functionality and logic of a web application. There are a number of back-end languages to choose from. The following are some of the most important languages that help a full stack developer:

PHP: Released in 1995, PHP is a back-end language that serves as a great option for beginners. The setup is easy and is more tolerant of errors.

Ruby: Ruby or Ruby on Rails is a back-end language that has little back-end work. It is an open-source language that lets you create basic tasks. It has a smooth learning curve and an incredible array of frameworks and libraries. Airbnb, Scribd, and TaskRabbit are some of the popular companies that use Ruby.

Python: Used in small- and large-scale projects, Python is a programming language that supports a number of programming paradigms. It is object-oriented and focuses on code readability.

3) JavaScript JavaScript is a programming language that applies in both front-end and back-end engineering. It is common to build mobile applications, games, websites, presentations, and so on.

4) Database Management Skills :Every software needs one or two databases to store its data so the developers can access them later. Therefore, understanding and manipulating databases are imperative for being a developer. A full stack developer needs to have refined database management skills and good knowledge of relational databases.

?SOME OF THE COMMONLY USED DATABASES IN FULL STACK DEVELOPMENT ARE:

Oracle

Redis

MongoDB

SQL Server

Design Skills

HTTP and REST: Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and Representational State Transfer (REST) are two important, yet different elements of full stack development. HTTP is a client-server protocol for all kinds of data exchange. It is also for fetching resources like HTML documents. It is simple, extendible, and a significant contribution to the overall performance of the application. REST is an interface used to gather data without compromising the stability of the application. It allows room for flexibility as the code on the client’s end can change without compromising the server’s operation.

?NPM

NPM is an easy-to-use package manager that full stack developers need to use for managing local dependencies of their projects. It helps full stack developers to auto-update their packages as well as install all the required dependencies in a single command.

Knowledge of Web Architecture

Full stack developers need to have a comprehensive knowledge of the web architecture. The development of an application is a sophisticated process that involves multiple complex computational tasks. A good full stack developer should know where to locate each task, how to structure and store data in databases, how to structure the code, how to separate files, and so on. A perfect understanding of web architecture helps the full stack developer to bring in efficiency, scalability, security, and reliability. Web architecture is a constantly evolving space. Therefore, a full stack developer needs to define the requirements and possibilities before working on the development.

Source Tree and Git

Version control or a source control system is a software tool that helps a developer track and manage the changes made to a software code. Version control systems like SourceTree and Git help a full stack developer work faster and smarter while supervising all the modifications made to a source code.

Soft skills

Problem-solving skills

Effective communication skills

Creativity

Patience

An eye for details

Analytical skills

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