A beginner's guide to web development

Web development is the process to design and build websites and web applications.

It sums up to be a broad field that ranges from graphic design to content creation to programming. Web developers are responsible for creating a website or application's structure and underlying code. They develop a site's graphical interface or "skin."

According to BLS, the employment of web developers and digital designers is expected to escalate by 8 percent from 2019 to 2029. This figure is much more than other occupations.

Web developers use a variety of skills to create and maintain websites and web applications. They might design, code, test, debug, deploy, maintain, or update the website. Web development can be divided into 3 types; front-end, back-end, and full-stack.

This article will guide you through these basics and familiarize you with how to get started with web development.

Let’s begin!

Web Development - The Basics

There are a few basics of web development that you must understand before beginning your journey in this field.

What is a website?
What is coding?
What is CMS?

What is a website?

A website is a file stored on servers. All these servers are ultimately collected to a wide network called the Internet.

Every business/organization prefers a website nowadays as it acts as a medium between the company and the user. You can access websites on browsers, such as Google, Internet Explorer, etc., via the Internet. Furthermore, you are required to buy a domain space to host your website. For instance, www.abc.com. The name ‘abc’ is the domain name, and you must buy this space on the internet through various domain providers such as GoDaddy, Hostinger, etc. There is a specific amount to be payable while purchasing the same.

What is coding?

Coding is writing pieces of code for applications or websites via several programming languages. Some of the most famous ones are C, C++, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, HTML, CSS, etc.

What is CMS?

CMS or Content Management System.

A content management system (CMS) is a set of software that allows for creating, organizing, editing, and publishing content you develop.

A CMS manages the content for a website or other online application. It provides several features that allow users to manage the content easily. These features include tools to create and edit web pages, add images and multimedia files, manage navigation menus, add search capabilities, etc.

It offers an intuitive user interface that is easy to learn and use, even for those who are not technically inclined.

Why is Web Development Important?

A website is a medium to deliver your products and services to a wide array of customers. A site with high-quality pictures, videos, good information, and crisp content always impresses the users that can become your potential buyers.

You must understand web development or hire a web developer to run a website. Here we are mentioning the benefits of web development and why it's important:

Easy connectivity with the customers
Wide network of users
More traffic
Chance to monitor analytics and make improvements
Confirms your credibility

Types of Web Development

There are different kinds of web development.

Front-end: Front-end development is building a website's user interface and designing the pages. Front-end developers handle how a website looks, responds to user input, and displays information. To understand the basics of website building, it is important to understand some languages such as JavaScript, CSS, PHP, Python, etc.
Back-end: Backend development is the process of building or modifying software that runs in the background of a website. This includes data storage, server-side logic, and databases. Backend developers ensure that all site data is safe from hackers and that all business logic runs smoothly.
Full stack: Full stack development combines front-end and back-end development. Full-stack developers have knowledge in both fields, allowing them to work on any part of the site's codebase if needed.
Mobile Development: Mobile development is developing a software application that runs on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. Mobile apps are created using programming languages such as Java, Swift, C++, or HTML5 with frameworks like PhoneGap, Xamarin, or React Native.
Game Development: Game development is developing games for consoles and computers. Game development usually involves writing computer code that a programmer or video game designer can compile into a game.

Benefits of Learning Web Development

Web development is a vast field with plenty of advantages for developers. Let’s look at them:

Easy to Learn: Web development is easy to learn. Start your journey with basic scripting languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc. These programming languages create strong foundational skills. Gradually, you will learn how to build a website by using more languages like Python, Ruby, Java, and more, which help create dynamic websites.

Problem-Solving Skills: Web developers are expected to solve problems quickly. Web development builds analytical and problem-solving skills in developers, as the major focus is to find solutions in this field. This way, you can contribute to helping people in the real world by creating websites and apps that simplify their lives.

Designing Skills: Web development is a vast field. You don’t just focus on coding but also learn ways to choose the design, layout, font style, text size, etc., in a site. A user-friendly website always wins! Therefore, with web development, you can also have a knack for creating appealing designs to attract more visitors.

Teamwork Capabilities: It is crucial to have teamwork capabilities for a smooth workflow in a firm. Web development is only successful when there are motivated and skilled front-end developers, back-end developers, testers, writers, and analysts. Hence, this field teaches you ways to coordinate with other team members. This quality will help you in a long successful career path.

Impressive Packages: This field guarantees lucrative packages in big firms. Every company requires web developers and is ready to pay well for their services. Hence, web development provides you with a stable financial career as well.

Skills Required to Become a Web Developer

A lot happens behind the scenes to make a website robust, appealing, and smooth. Therefore, frontend languages, frameworks, and libraries play an essential role in web development. The list below will answer the question; what does a web developer need to know? Take a look at the below-mentioned technologies.

Front-end Technologies

Languages: HTML, CSS, JavaScript

HTML: Hypertext Markup Language is a programming language used to make simple websites and applications. It's more like a skeleton of the website with basic functionalities. Furthermore, it doesn’t provide features that help enhance the look of a website. However, this language is widely used in web development, app development, game development, etc. With HTML5, websites can be made more user-friendly, functional, and appealing.

CSS: CSS or Cascading Style Sheets help to make the website more presentable. There are several features, such as text effects, layouts, easy maintenance, etc. Moreover, there are various elements to improvise the overall appearance of a site.

JavaScript: This language is one of the most widely used languages in the world. It provides incredible cross-operationality, speed, and semantics. In addition, the user gets a seamless experience.

Frameworks: Angular, Backbone.js, Ember, Vue.js

Angular: It is a framework for building single-page client applications using HTML and TypeScript. It is written in TypeScript. With Angular, it is possible to build apps for various platforms such as tab, mobile, desktop, etc.

Backbone.js: It helps to structure web applications by offering several features such as the collection of APIs, views with event handling, models with custom events, and key-value binding. Moreover, it also provides a flexible JavaScript framework that further helps run web browser applications.

Ember: It is a JavaScript framework used to develop modern web applications. Ember provides rich and appealing UIs with cross-platform operationality.

Vue.js: Vue is a progressive JavaScript framework that is approachable and versatile. It helps to build interesting and attractive web interfaces.

Libraries: Anime.JS, D3.js, Chart.js

Anime.JS: It is one of the most widely used Javascript libraries by developers worldwide. You can easily add animations to the site and make it more appealing. In addition, it is powerful and lightweight.

D3.JS: This library offers visualization collection to developers. It is simple to add customized extended functionality.

Chart.js: It is an excellent javascript library. You can easily add charts and graphs to the site and save time. Further, it is fast and lightweight. There are 11KB gzipped elements that lower the loading time. Hence, benefitting your site speed.

Backend Development

Handling the backend or the backbone of a website is essential. It helps in providing the overall stability and smooth functioning of the website. Web developers use various technologies to guarantee back-end logic, well-functioning databases, overall architecture, etc. Here are some backend development technologies:

Languages: PHP, Python, JavaScript

PHP: PHP is known to be a server-scripting language used to make interactive and dynamic web pages. It was one of the first languages to be embedded into HTML that provided additional functionality.
Python: It’s an extremely popular and high-level programming language. Python is used to create highly creative and interesting websites. It is a must to have knowledge about this language if you want an edge over other developers.

Frameworks: Laravel, Django, Ruby on Rails, Express.js

Laravel: It’s a PHP web app framework with an easy-to-understand syntax. Backend developers use this in projects for routing, authentication, sessions, caching, etc. It eases the development process.
Django: It’s a Python-based web framework that is open-source. Django helps in the fast development of secure and highly maintained web applications.
Ruby on Rails: Ruby on Rails is a development tool. It provides the structure and framework for the websites without any hassle. Furthermore, the framework helps develop the websites after removing redundant tasks.
Express.js: It’s a Node.js web app framework. Express.js can be used in building a robust web and mobile applications.

Databases: MySQL, Oracle, MongoDB, PostgreSQL

MySQL: MYSQL is an RDBMS or Relational Database Management System. It is free and open-source. It helps to maintain the entire database of your applications. Moreover, it is highly recommended for both small and large projects. For instance, in the case of WordPress sites, all the data, images, posts, etc., will be stored in the databases.
Oracle: Oracle is the best option for storing large databases. It was the first database constructed for the purpose of enterprise grid computing. It fulfills the needs of large industries and provides modular storage and servers as well.
MongoDB: It’s an open-source NoSQL database management program. NoSQL databases are known to work with a set of large and undistributed data. Hence, MongoDB handles document-oriented data, stores it, and retrieves it.
PostgreSQL: It’s a free and open-source RDBMS. PostgreSQL is a warehouse or database for mobile, web, and analytics applications. Moreover, it supports various SQL standards.

Roles and Responsibilities of a Web Developer

Some of the key roles and responsibilities of a web developer are:

Develop prototypes for new projects, such as web applications using languages such as Java, Python, PHP, etc.
Have up-to-date knowledge of the latest advancements, updates, and innovations in new technologies and languages.
Build the application architecture, and test it in different environments and browsers to ensure smooth functionality.
Review the code and fix bugs, if any.
Create and maintain the database.
Create information architecture for the web application.
Have regular meetings with other team members to understand the project's progress.
Use comments while writing codes that may help the next developer who works after you.
Attend conferences and webinars to better understand the ongoing trends in the market.
Test new features in your current project to ensure proper functionality.

Website Development

The procedure of developing a website is not a cakewalk. There are several steps and complexities involved. Here is a website development guide that will help you understand the entire process.

Make a Plan

It is highly recommended to make a plan and begin your journey.

While formulating a plan, always consider getting the answers to the below-mentioned steps:

What is the purpose of your website?
Who is your target audience?
What’s your budget?
What will be the most efficient structure of your website?
Who will all be on your team?

These answers will create a roadmap for you.

Now, the first step is to decide on the design of your website.

Design the websites - Create Wireframes

Wireframes are like blueprints of the website created by developers. These designs provide you with a rough idea of how your website will look in the future. You can add dummy images and texts in the beginning to see the final look of your front end.

Hold frequent meetings with your developers to align your ideas and the final outcome suits you. However, if you have not hired a designer at the initial stage, there are other options to create wireframes too. You can use tools such as Mindnode, Invision, etc.

Create a structure

After finalizing the design, it’s time to build the structure of your website. Here too, you can take the help of a designer or work on your own.

Include these points while structuring the site:

Total number of pages
Navigation of the pages
Types of content on different pages
Hierarchy of these pages
Categorizing the pages
Mandatory pages to include in the site
Pages that may be excluded

Linking different web pages includes planning. Make sure you do it efficiently.

Coding

Web developers use various programming languages to write code for web applications. Some of the most common languages are:

HTML: HTML or HyperText Markup Language is the most basic language for building a website. It creates the skeleton of a site that is not visually very attractive. However, HTML5 is the latest version popularly used in mobile app development.
CSS: CSS or Cascading Style Sheets is highly recommended for creating websites. It beautifies, adds various elements, and helps to build appealing websites. It can be accessed on any browser.
JavaScript: JavaScript is the most popularly used language to create websites. It provides stunning functionality and attractive features to a site. Moreover, it also has the capability to automate various tasks. Overall, with JavaScript, you can create a great website.

These 3 languages are a must-understand while you enter the world of web development. They form a foundation!

Backend and Frontend of the site

Developing the backend and front end requires deep knowledge and understanding of some foundational programming languages, as discussed above.

Backend development:

Here are some key elements associated with the backend:

Database: Databases store and organizes the data that the server can retrieve further.
Server: Servers send, receive, and process user data requests.
Middleware: It provides client-server connectivity. It forms a layer between applications and networks: server, database, OS, and more.
APIs: APIs play a fundamental role in building server-aspect software program architectures.

Skills required by the backend developers:

Configuration, management, and administration of databases.
Knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc.
Server-side languages such as C# and PHP.
Database technologies like MySQL and SQL.

Frontend development:

The front end is the data visible to the customers. Its development includes programming languages such as CSS, HTML, and JavaScript. Other elements such as font, typography, navigation, positioning, responsiveness, etc., are important elements of the website.

Note: Keep updating the website interface with the latest trends and technologies. This delivers freshness to the users and ultimately benefits you.

Domain Name

Now is the time to find a suitable domain name for your website. Various domain providers, such as Hostinger, GoDaddy, and more, deliver these services to the users.

Mostly, all the domain names must be renewed after a year. However, different providers have different policies.

Website Launch

Just before launching the website, take care of a few more steps for a smooth operation:

Testing the site several times to ensure there are no bugs or errors.
Dividing the work for each team.
SEO optimization.
Loading speed.

Once you check this list, you are good to go!

Web Development Courses

Various online courses are available if you are interested in learning web development in-depth. We are providing you a list of the same:

TutorialsPoint: With 30M+ students worldwide, this is a popular platform to learn web development for beginners. There are more than 2800 courses in the development course.
Udemy: It's an excellent online learning platform providing more than 2 lakh courses. You can avail both paid and free web development courses here.
Simplilearn: It provides the best online courses for students. Simplilearn also offers job guarantee programs. So, it's easy to learn web development and apply for relevant jobs.
Codecademy: This platform provides expert courses in various fields. One of the most popular courses is web development. Technical organizations highly regard the certifications provided by Codecademy.
Udacity: This platform is a famous name in the list of online learning platforms. Experts in different fields curate courses and train individuals to land excellent jobs.
Futurelearn: Online courses and programs are provided by the world's top universities. This platform provides good exposure to the students. For a certificate, you must gain 70% or more in all your tests and complete 90% of the current course.
Egghead: Egghead has courses, especially for front-end web developers. It offers high-quality video content to students and professionals.

These full-fledged courses will give you detailed knowledge of web development. The learning hours and pricing varies for each course.

Web Development Jobs

Here is a list of various web development jobs below.

Frontend Developers
Backend Developers
Full Stack Developers

Frontend Developers

Note: According to AmbitionBox, the average salary of a frontend developer in India is 4.6 Lakhs. However, with experience, it reaches up to 20 Lakhs. (The salary criteria and package is subjected to different requirements and budget of a company).

Front-end Developer/Engineer
Mobile/Tablet Front-end Developer
Front-end SEO Expert
Front-end Accessibility Expert
Front-end Testing/QA
Front-end Dev. Ops
CSS/HTML Developer
Web/Front-end User Interface Developer/Engineer
Front-end Web Designer

Backend Developers

Note: According to AmbitionBox, the average salary of a backend developer in India is 5.5 Lakhs. However, with experience, it reaches up to 20-25 Lakhs. (The salary criteria and package is subjected to different requirements and budget of a company).

Backend Developer
Sr. Backend Developer
Lead Backend Developer
Node.js Backend Developer
Java Backend Developer
Python Backend Developer
.Net Backend Developer

Full Stack Developers

According to AmbitionBox, the average annual salary of a full-stack developer is 6.5LPA.

Which Web Development Job is Best For You?

As mentioned in this article, there are different types of web development. First, it is crucial to choose your specialization. After selecting the field of your choice, you can take a look at the below-enlisted jobs with their respective salaries.

Top-Paying Web Development Jobs

Note: All the data enlisted below are taken from AmbitionBox. Furthermore, each salary package is for entry-level posts/ freshers. With experience, the packages rise. Moreover, different companies have different criteria. So ultimately, the salary package depends on the company’s budget.

Annual average salary (AmbitionBox)

Full-Stack Developer: 6.5 LPA

Frontend Developer: 4.5 LPA

Backend Developer: 5.5 LPA

UI/UX Designer: 5.5 LPA

Sr. Cloud Engineer: 11 LPA

Web Developer: 3.1 LPA

DevOps Engineer: 6 LPA

Final Remarks

Web development has a bright future in the industry. There are various job opportunities with handsome salaries and job security. If you are interested in this field, you must try it!

In a nutshell, you must understand the meaning, types, and kind of specialization in web development you relate yourself most to. After that, prepare a layout and analyze the structure with your team. As different departments are needed in the development phase, ensure you have the proper knowledge to handle the complexities.

We hope this article on understanding web development helps you learn the basics of web development and solve your queries! In case of any doubts, do leave a comment below. We will reach out to you.

Good luck!

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I learn web development as a beginner?

Yes, there are various online and offline courses for web development available.

2. Is web development challenging?

You must be fluent in programming languages to excel in web development. However, there can be times when it is challenging. But constant effort can help tackle obstacles.

3. Which is the ideal language for web development?

There are several languages used in web development. However, a web developer must have Java, Python, C#, and PHP expertise.

4. Is coding essential for web developers?

Yes, knowledge of coding is crucial for a web developer. Without coding, you can not enter the field of web development.

5. Is web development a good career?

Web development is one of the most promising careers in the country, with impressive salaries. You must go for it!