In 2017, it’s impossible to escape the constant rush of people, talking and searching on their cell phones as they wander from one place to another. The World Wide Web—or internet—makes all this possible. It’s estimated that there are at least 4.74 billion pages on the indexed web alone, not including the deep/dark web components. Have you ever wondered who builds these websites, pages, and applications? The short answer is a web developer. Although the overall job of the web developer has changed dramatically over the past few years, this article will explain some of the more important aspects of their responsibilities.
The most basic way to define a web developer is someone who writes programmatic information that is readable by internet browsers. Internet browsers can transmit this data and display it in a human-readable format. Because the information is written using program languages, known as code, it can be transmitted around the globe within fractions of a second.
While the definition above is a general definition of a web developer, it’s important to understand that different web developers possess different skill sets. These skill sets can typically be broken down into three categories:
Front-end Web Developers
Front-end developers focus strictly building the portion of the website that humans see and interact with.
Back-end Web Developers
Back-end web developers focus primarily on developing the framework of a content management system (CMS), website, or web-based application. They are also responsible for building and maintaining databases that store important information from websites, such as usernames, passwords, server information, and form submissions. Lastly, a back-end developer ensures the successful execution and transmission of data from a web server to its intended recipient.
Full Stack Web Developers
A full stack developer possesses professional knowledge of both the front-end and back-end web development.
Building a Website
The front-end web developer has a very similar role to the web designer. In many instances, the same person acts as the front-end developer and the designer. This is because the front-end developer is responsible for creating page layouts, templates, color schemes, fonts, and other design elements. The front-end developer knows exactly where to place each of these elements based on the designer’s website mockup.
Once the front-end developer has made the mockups come to life, there is one more thing to do. The front-end developer must then make the website function. This includes things like making buttons clickable, allowing videos and animations to play, and more. Once everything looks and functions as the designer intended, it’s up to the back-end developer to finish the job.
The back-end developer is responsible for building a website’s inner workings and database management. They utilize programming languages such as PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) or Ruby on Rails to create and develop the framework of the website’s information management system, often referred to as a content management system or CMS. This makes it possible for the front-end developer to structure and organize the markup text, style sheets, and functions.
The back-end developer is also responsible for managing the database, which stores all the information presented on your website. This includes form submissions, passwords, and other vital information. Along with the database, the back-end developer typically manages the server as well. They must have extensive knowledge of web servers such as Apache.
Once a website is complete, it can be sent off to the client for review. After a few rounds of editing to get the website jus the way the client wants it, it’s ready to go live online.
Professional Website Development and Design
If you’re business needs a new website or is ready for a redesign, contact Blue Frog Marketing! We build websites that are easily readable by search engines, intuitive for users, and growth engines for our clients. Contact us today, or click the link below to read our free ebook detailing 25 things your website must have.
