What is frontend and backend development, how do they differ and what are the similarities?

The job title of “web developer” is growing in popularity. After all, as more businesses go online, this encourages the development of cloud services and the appearance of new functional websites. It also leads to the formation of distinct specialities within a single programming system. As a result, web developers started to share the languages they use. Plus, “branches” appeared – Frontend Developer and Backend Developer, which we will talk about later.

What is Frontend Development?

The first category of specialists is fully responsible for the development of the user interface of the site or application. Frontend’s responsibility includes adaptive, responsive layout and fonts that are readable at any resolution. Also support for all modern versions of browsers, mobile devices, SEO optimization features. Coders at this level are usually mostly limited to the HTML markup language, CSS cascading tables, and JavaScript scripting.

The front-end developer toolkit is quite simple

Approximate algorithm of work (generalized):

• The markup sets the page structure, the location of graphic elements, the combination of other blocks for text content, advertising, menus, etc.
• Styles give the pages an attractive appearance, allow you to design them in accordance with the corporate brand book.
• Scripts are responsible for animating static pages, connecting plugins, performing simple operations like “contact capture form.

JavaScript is capable of more. For example, dynamically generate pages.

Frontend developers interact directly with designers, UX analysts to make the product beautiful, convenient and consistent with marketing objectives. This applies to websites, online games, and mobile applications. Web technologies stay relevant through compatibility with virtually any desktop platform (Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS, or Windows Mobile), easy upgrades, and easy maintenance.

If you want to hire a professional front-end developer, follow this link: https://fireart.studio/hire-front-end-developers/. 

What is Backend Development

Unlike the front-end, back-end developers deal with the server-side of a website or cloud product. And the first thing they do is organize work with a database that stores all content, from a template to pictures and texts on all internal pages and connected plugins integrated through the API of external services. The same applies to the registration form, purchases of goods from the “basket”, acceptance of payments.

Backend development is usually more difficult, takes more time to implement

Directions in which Backend developers often work:

• Mechanisms of registration, authentication.
• The functionality of personal customer accounts in B2B and B2C.
• Distribution of roles, issuance of permissions, access control.
• Collaboration on projects (reading, editing, deleting).
• Receiving requests from users, processing them (downloading files, etc.).
• Interactive forms for ordering goods, services, calculating parameters (calculators).
• Integration with external applications, other sites, equipment.

The backend specialist is also responsible for organizing the sending of various notifications.

Similarities and differences

Directly comparing Frontend and Backend is almost pointless. Yes, these are completely different areas of programming, but separate modules cannot work without each other. What’s the point of the calculator’s calculation code if there are no corresponding buttons in the interface? And vice versa, pressing them will not lead to anything if the corresponding program is missing or “broken” on the server. Therefore, the development team includes specialists from both categories. Web development in general requires a large amount of skills

Interface and server interaction options:

1. The user’s browser sends an HTTP request, after processing the response is returned in the form of an HTML page.
2. A JavaScript script similarly sends a request using AJAX technology, the response comes in the form of XML or JSON, it is processed by the same or another script.
3. Pages based on the Angular and Ember frameworks communicate with the backend without updating the immutable content.
4. The Ember and React libraries separate application execution between the server and client side to optimize speed.

The choice of solution depends on the tasks. It’s one thing to develop a one-page website for advertising campaigns, and it’s completely different when a programmer works with an online store stuffed with “to the eyeballs” features.

And even a corporate site with an internal portal will differ from a catalog with goods or a business card site. The easiest way is to cooperate with Fullstack specialists, for whom it is equally easy to program the interface and modules hidden “under the hood”. But then you will have to wait longer for the result than is possible with the parallel development of two “independent” blocks.