Web development is building a database-driven website. Mostly, it is working with the back-end of a website. It means creating features & functionalities and communicating with the database. And this is what web development is! It is also different than web design.

A web developer should know at least one back-end (server-side) programming language or framework. So if anyone calls himself/herself a web developer without knowing a server-side programming language, then it’s their lack of knowledge.

There are a few server-side languages & frameworks such as PHP, Ruby, Ruby on Rails (framework, built with Ruby), Node.JS (it’s not a language nor a framework, it’s JavaScript runtime), and there are a lot more. And a web developer should know at least any one of them.

A web developer also may know web design but it’s not mandatory for them.

Types of Web Development: Front-end, Back-end & Full Stack

There are three types of web development that exist.

Front-end:

It’s a client-side development process. The term “Client-side” may seem confusing but it’s not. Simply think of it as your web browser.

The front-end developer’s job is to produce HTML, CSS & JavaScript in the web browser using a server-side programming language or framework. For example, think of a situation where- you posted 30 blog posts on your website. That means those posts are already stored in the database. Now you want to display all these posts on your website and that’s why you hired someone to write code to do that. This kind of development is known as front-end development.

To clarify one step further- a front-end developer writes code to display data from the database to the web browser.

Back-end:

The back-end development is creating new features & functionalities or extending/modifying existing ones. They are involved with developing CRUD operations and in most cases, they develop the system for inserting data into the database. This system also involves updating & deleting data from the database.

Full Stack:

As the name suggests, a full-stack developer is a person who works with both the front & back end. Not to mention, most of the back-end developers are also full-stack developers. Because most of them also know front-end development as well.

Difference Between Web Design & Development

The web design involves HTML, CSS, JavaScript, creating layouts for different devices, the look & feel of a website, color, font, images, icons, etc.

Also, a good web designer knows at least one design tool/software such as Photoshop, InDesign, Sketch, etc. And a web designer has nothing to do with the database.

On the other hand, a web developer is responsible for working with databases. And it’s (database-related task) the main difference between a web designer & a developer.

How to Learn Web Development

The first step is to learn a back-end (server-side) programming language or framework. And then learning about a specific database system depending on the programming language you are interested in.

For example- if you are interested in learning PHP, then you have to learn MySQL database. Node.JS for MongoDB database. Please note that a programming language can work with different types of databases.

Now the question is which language to learn. The answer is totally up to you. But here are a few tips- if you love JavaScript, then Node.JS will be the right choice for you. PHP and Laravel are also very popular. Though you will see few people are saying “PHP is dead” or something like that. It’s just their lack of proper knowledge. PHP is still popular and it will be.

Think Before You Start Learning

Many newbies start learning frameworks without knowing the actual programming knowledge. And this is a big mistake! For example- learning Laravel without knowing PHP is not the right path.

It’s up to you which language you will learn for web development but you should learn the core language first and then the framework. Otherwise, you will lose your interest and excitement during a certain period and you will not understand why & how the framework works. It may seem like memorizing/imitating code without understanding.

Online Platforms for Learning

You don’t need a computer science or engineering degree to learn web development. Your desire is capable enough to learn. If you feel interested in or love web development, then you can definitely start learning. But if you want to learn web development only to earn money, I would advise you to not waste your time with it.

However, there are many online platforms for teaching web development such as Udemy, Lynda, Treehouse, etc. Some of them are subscription-based platforms (monthly/yearly) and some of them are one-time fees for one course. Try whatever best suits you.

Keep in mind, that all the teachers are not excellent. So you have to find them out yourself.

Aside from learning from online platforms, don’t forget to check documentation from the parent website. For example- if you are learning Node.JS, then always check documentation from their own website, and so on and so forth.

Required Skills for Web Development

HTML, CSS & JavaScript is compulsory for any type of web developer and even web designer. You don’t have to be a guru but you should have a basic understanding of these three. Aside from it, you have to learn at least one language or framework from the list:

And much more.

Not to mention, if you want to become a WordPress web developer, you also have to learn PHP.

Where You Will Find Web Development Jobs

Building your own client source is the most efficient way to get jobs regularly. Definitely, the source is your own website and marketing platform. However, it’s not possible to build your own client source overnight and even in a short period of time.

In the meantime, you can work on various freelance marketplaces e.g: Toptal, Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer, People Per Hour, etc.

How Much a Web Developer Can Earn

Generally 1000 USD per month. But it depends from person to person. Some web developers earn 10,000 USD and some are 300 USD. As you know, it depends.

Popular CMS (Content Management System) for Web Development

WordPress is the most used CMS around the web. 40% of websites are powered by WordPress CMS. Aside from it, there are other content management systems that are also popular: Joomla, Drupal, Magento (eCommerce CMS), etc.