There are so many web agencies out there it can be hard to pinpoint which one to hire. There are three basic categories of web developers.
- The Front-End Developer (aka Front-End Engineer aka “Web Developer / Designer”)
- The Back-End Developer (aka the person no one really knows about – but who is key to the team)
- The Full-Stack Developer (aka the Superman / Superwoman)
Before you get stuck into figuring out which company to hire it pays to understand what different types of developers do. Front-end developers are responsible for the parts of a website that people see and interact with, back-end developers are responsible for the behind-the-scenes code that controls how a website loads and runs, and full-stack developers do a bit of everything
Front-End Developer
A front-end developer is someone who takes a client, or design teams’, website design and writes the code needed to implement it on the web. A decent front-end web developer will be fluent in at least three programming languages – HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
HTML allows them to add content to a website while splitting it into headings, paragraphs, and tables. CSS lets a decent developer style the content and change things like colours, sizes, and borders. JavaScript allows the inclusion of interactive elements, such as push buttons.
So, what do web developers do when they work on the front end of a website?
A web developer makes sure that all of the content that is needed for the website is clear, visible, and found in the right place. In some cases, front-end developers may also have content writing skills, allowing them to create the content for the website as they go.
They make sure that the right colours are in the right places, especially concerning text colours, background colours, and headers. Some of the best front-end developers are also very good designers, allowing them to tweak things as they go.
They make sure that all outbound links are correctly formatted, that all buttons work properly, and that the website is responsive and attractive. Mobile design is usually a big part of the job, while it is also important to make sure that a website will display correctly on all web browsers.
As you can see, the answer to the question “What is a web developer?” certainly isn’t simple. Even front-end developers have it tough, and this is probably the simplest of the three types of development to learn.
Back-End Developer
While it may seem like front-end developers have a difficult job making sure that a website looks great, works well, and contains the correct content, back-end developers have it much worse. While front-end developers are responsible for client-side programming, back-end developers have to deal with the server-side of the process.
This means that they have to create the code and programs which power the website’s server, databases, and any applications that it contains. The most important thing as a back-end developer is the ability to be able to create a clean, efficient code that does what you want it to in the quickest way possible.
Since website speed is a major consideration when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), it is a large factor when developing the backend.
To fully explain what a web developer is it is essential to know that back-end developers use a wide range of different server-side languages to build complicated programs.
Some of the most popular languages used include PHP, Python, Java, and Ruby. JavaScript is also becoming increasingly widespread as a back-end development language, while SQL is commonly used to manage and analyse data in website databases.
Since different websites have different needs, a back-end developer must be flexible, able to create different programs, and they absolutely must have a clear, in-depth understanding of the languages that they use.
This is very important to make sure that they can come up with the most efficient method of creating the required program while making sure that it is secure, scalable, and easy to maintain.
Full-Stack Developer
If you are looking for a quick, simple answer to the question “What is a web developer?”, then a full-stack developer is probably the closest thing that you’re going to get.
Full-stack developers understand both front and back-end strategies and processes, which means that they are perfectly positioned to oversee the entire process.
In the case of small websites, that don’t have a huge development budget, a full-stack developer will often be employed to build the entire website. In this case, it is extremely important for them to have a complete, in-depth understanding of both front and back-end development and how they work.
A good development company will have a combination of all three types of developers, together with creative designers, skilled project managers and digital marketing experts.
The Chimpare team has everything you need to build and maintain your site. No monkeying around, just great websites at fantastic prices. Give us a call.