NURE Kharkiv national university of radioelectronics

The Department of Information and Network Engineering

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Web developer

A web developer is a multidisciplinary specialist who deals with the software-administrative and visual part of a website, program or mobile application. Such a developer is usually called a full-stack developer. By the way, the developer who develops the software and administrative part is called a back-end developer, and the developer who develops the visual part of the site, program or application is called a front-end developer. But most often, these specialists are called backend or frontend for short.


front-end – developer – “this is a person who skillfully combines the ability to write effective code and create a convenient, intuitive design” and “Make the unreal real and at the same time make it beautiful” – this is how front-end specialists say about their profession. Frontend is the development of the user interface and functions that work on the client side of a website or application. It’s everything a user sees and interacts with when they open a web page.
A frontend developer works with designers, programmers and UX analysts to create a user-friendly and sought-after product.
To clearly understand frontend development, it is worth opening the page of any site – the first thing you will see is the interface that frontends are developing.

In cooperation with them – backends – “are specialists who deal with the software and administrative part of the web application, the internal content of the system, server technologies – database, architecture, software logic. That is, the part that is invisible to an ordinary Internet user” – “This is the component that is “hiding” behind the frontend component.Backend development is a set of hardware and software tools that implement the logic of the website. More simply, it is something that is hidden from the user’s eyes and happens outside his browser and computer.
For example, if you enter a query on the search engine page and press the Enter key, the frontend ends and the backend begins. The request is sent to the server of Google or another search engine, where the search algorithms are located. That’s where all the “miracle” happens. As soon as the information you were looking for appeared on the monitor, you will return to the frontend area again. To put it simply, a server is the same computer, only more powerful. It stores data and responds to user requests.
Thus, both specialists create sites, programs, applications, various catalogs and libraries – exactly what each of us uses on the Internet with the help of tablets, smartphones or a regular computer.

 

Typical responsibilities of a web developer
Frontend development involves painstaking work, as a result of which each icon, button or text stands in its place, looks integral, does not interfere with and do not overlap each other (the so-called web layout). And anyone can clearly see the code of the page in their browser. At the same time, it is important not only the external design of the resource, but that all its elements fulfill their direct purpose, that is, with their help, it is possible to perform the necessary actions. Responsibilities of a web front-end developer include:

  • creation of an HTML site page based on design layouts, i.e. layout using HTML and CSS based on design/design layouts;
  • binding to the interface of scripts that provide visualization and animation of site pages;
  • providing the required level of user interface (UI – User Interface) and interaction experience (UX – User Experience);
  • development of single page applications (single page application) using popular libraries: React, Angular or Vue.js.

The backend is everything that runs on the server. Based on this, backend development is work on software tools aimed at implementing the logic of the resource. This part is hidden from the user’s eyes, because it happens outside of his browser or a specific computer. In this case, the website developer uses the resources available on the server. At the same time, his duties can vary significantly, depending on the product in question. So, a specialist can create and integrate databases, ensure resource security, configure backup technologies or restore information.
Thus, the range of tasks of the backend developer looks like this:

  • development of a subject area (domain) model;
  • development of the platform and the main functionality, i.e. business logic;
  • development development of secure programs that support the user interface;
  • configuration of servers (combat, test and working) and programs for monitoring their states;
  • use of the version control system (this is a general requirement for all programmers);
  • setting up databases, creating models of the subject area and interactions between them;
  • setting up continuous integration and delivery processes.

Usually, the entire process of working on the development of a website or application is cyclical:

  • Frontend collects user data and forwards it to Backend;
  • data is being processed;
  • information is returned by accepting an understandable form and executing the request.

Skills required for work:
First of all, a “newbie” – the front-end needs solid knowledge of HTML, CSS and JavaScript programming languages. It also helps to understand the basics of working with the GIT version control system. Of course, one cannot do without knowledge of the English language.
The main tools of the front-end developer in the web:

A typical, basic back-end technology stack looks like this:

  • web server: Apache, Nginx, Microsoft IIS;
  • server programming languages, the main of which are: PHP, Python, Ruby, Java, Perl, JavaScript;
  • databases (necessary for obtaining and storing information): MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB.

Where do web developers work?
So, web developers work in companies that develop websites, web applications, mobile applications and are engaged in freelancing, that is, they work for themselves.