The Basics of Front-End Web Development – A Roadmap for Beginners

Learning web development is challenging but it offers plenty of opportunities for growth. As a web developer, you become part of a highly competitive job market with immense potential to earn high incomes.

Even if you do not intend to embark on a web development career, understanding how website development agencies work empowers you to grow your business. Extensive knowledge of web dev enables you to design and build a business website or eCommerce site that will give your customers exceptional experiences.

Now, we don’t want to overwhelm you with the heavy stuff just yet. We’re laying the basics first to get you started on your web development journey.

What is web development?

Web development is a blanket term for everything that has to do with building a website. It encompasses markup, coding, scripting, network configuration, CMS development, eCommerce development, and all other related development tasks. Everything that is accessible in your browser is a product of web development.

Web Basics

Before you can develop a simple blog or a business website, you need to understand how websites work. Basically, a website is a set of files stored on a server and accessed by a client using a browser such as Safari, Chrome, and Firefox. There are two key terms here that you should know how to distinguish: server and client.

• Client vs. Server

The server is a computer that hosts or stores files for websites. Countless servers are connected to each other in a massive network we commonly call the Internet. The client is a computer used to access websites. The computer you are using right now to read this article is a client. Data moves back and forth from servers to clients when we use the web.

• Front end vs. Back end

Web development is divided into two broad categories based on the client-server relationship—front-end development and back-end development. Front-end or client-side development focuses on the user interface or what you see on the browser when you use the Internet. Back-end or server-side development focuses on what happens in the background. To non-developers, the back end seems like a random series of letters, numbers, and symbols but it carries the digital infrastructure that makes a website run smoothly.

If your website were a brick-and-mortar shop, the front end would be the storefront and product display area where customers look at the products and make their purchases. The back end would be the stock room and back office where products are delivered, stored, and inventoried.

• Code Editors

A code editor is a tool used by web developers to write and edit code. An essential tool for building websites, it has specialized functionalities that simplify the code editing process. A more advanced and robust tool is an integrated development environment (IDE) which combines different development tools to make coding much easier.

The most used code editors today include Visual Studio, Atom, Sublime Text, and Vim. For beginners, you can check out VS Code which is a lightweight version of Microsoft’s main IDE, Visual Studio. VS Code is easy to use and has customizable features that make it great for beginners.

Front end Development

Front-end, client-side, and user-facing—are the most common terms that refer to front-end development. This type of web development deals with the visual aspects of a website from text and graphics to layout and navigation. If you were to become a front-end developer, your main goal is to design and develop user interfaces that are aligned with the goals of your clients.

Main File Types

• HTML

As the main file type loaded in browsers, HyperText Markup Language (HTML) serves as the foundation of all websites. It defines the structure of a website regardless of how simple or complex the site is. It uses tags to indicate how text, images, and other content should be displayed. You can create a simple static website with HTML alone.

• CSS

To enhance the visual appeal of a website, developers often use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) along with HTML. CSS is a coding language for styling and customizing web pages. You can use it to add custom fonts and colors, change the layout, and improve the aesthetics of your site.

• JavaScript

To make a website more dynamic, you need JavaScript. This programming language adds interactive elements that respond to user inputs such as click buttons and search queries. It becomes crucial when user engagement is important to meet the goals of the website.

Basic Front-end Tools

• Package Managers

Package managers are tools that automate the use of software (packages). They help you install, remove, upgrade, or configure software used in your web development projects. They can also retrieve software from repositories. Among the most widely used package managers are Node Package Manager (NPM), Advanced Packaging Tool (APT), and Red Hat Package Manager (RPM).

• Build Tools

Build tools automate the process of building and running software. They are used to turn development source code into production code for executable applications. They also perform other helpful tasks such as compiling Sass files, transpiring JavaScript files, and running a local web server. The most popular build tools among developers include Webpack, Gulp, and Parcel. Because it comes pre-configured, Gulp is a good option for beginners.

• Version control

Version control or source control is a system that manages and tracks changes to software code. It records every code change you make so you can easily revert to previous versions if something goes wrong. It also enhances collaboration among developers working on the same project. Today, Git remains the most widely used version control system. Most developers store their Git repositories in GitHub.

Additional Front-end Tools

• Sass

Syntactically Awesome Stylesheet (Sass) is CSS with sass. It is an extension of CSS that allows you to create style sheets faster and make writing styles more intuitive. It allows you to create variables, use nested rules, and split up styles into multiple files.

• Responsive design

Responsive design ensures that web content adjusts smoothly to different screen sizes on various devices. It uses flexible sizing for elements so your content looks good whether on smartphones, tablets, or desktops without requiring you to maintain different versions for each.

• JavaScript frameworks

JavaScript frameworks are collections of code libraries written in JavaScript. Their pre-built structures allow developers to build apps faster. Among the biggest frameworks are Google’s Angular and Facebook’s React. Worth checking out is the new framework Vue, which is easy and fun to use.

Business Owners Must Understand Web Development

As a business owner, you must gain an understanding of the web development process to provide your customers with better experiences when using your website. Familiarity with the process will also help you collaborate better with your web development agency. Take time to learn at least the basics, because this will ultimately lead to business growth in the long run.