web developer road map
Chances are that you have interest in web development but often indecisive about this whole trend of languages and stacks making it difficult to settle on development goals.
Not absolutely wrong. The world of web development can be daunting for freshers seeking new adventures in quest to better lives or switch careers.
In here, I walk you through the key models to grasp that will quickly aid your journey through the development landscape.
Am not going to bombard you with so many languages at the moment as you might have already seen on the web. The resource and tools you need to know to set you on your mask is what would be dealt with.
Of course, the trend of web development is so versatile and once you get firm grasp of the fundamentals, you keep building upon it.
What we will cover:
- Front-End Development
- Back-End Development
- Full Stack Developer
It’s incumbent to first know which of the above domain you take interest in to set the path for the expedition.
Do you have interest in creating stunning interfaces for the web? Turning mock-up ideas and prototypes into interactive codes? If yes to this, then Front-End Development might be your go to area.
Front-End Web Developer is responsible for implementing visual interfaces that users can interact with and see in a web application.
To take interest in server side logic such as user authentication of an application, speaks a voice of Back-End Developer.
Cumulatively, the combine role of Front-End and Back-End makes one a Full Stack Developer.
What then makes one Front-End, Back-End or Full Stack Developer? Let discus but before that, below is a general requirement as a web developer.
Required for any path:
- Git – version control
- GitHub
- Basic terminal usage
- Semantic versioning
- Data structures and algorithm
- HTTP/HTTPS and APIs
Data structures and algorithm to develop well scale applications, programmers need to choose perfect logic to a problem leading to algorithm design which helps in choosing the finest solution.
HTTP/HTTPS and APIs working with api(s) is an essential part for all walks of application developers and as such, to excel in your field of expertise, a keen attention must be paid to application programming interface (api) and the communication of apps through http/https communication.
Front-End web development road map
MUST HAVE
HTML
CSS
JavaScript
ANY OF THESE
Bootstrap
Materialize css
Bulma
FRAMEWORKS – ANY
Angular
React
Vue
PACKAGE MANAGER
NPM
Yarn
The story goes beyond these but the goal here is to get you up and running quickly. Trying to learn everything before working on projects or applying for jobs, will never let you out of tutorial hell!
With a sound foundation, all other stuff will come in handy and it will prevent you from burning out as many do.
At the time of writing this post, the most popular JavaScript frameworks around is Angular, React and Vue.
You are free to pick any since they are all JavaScript frameworks and with solid understanding of JavaScript, working with any of the frameworks won’t be much of a problem.
My preferred apart from the must have html, css and JavaScript is Angular, Bootstrap and npm. Pick what interest you and focus on that. Getting the job don is the end goal.
Back-End web development road map
There are numerous languages for back-end development:
- Phython
- Node.Js
- PHP
- Golang
- Ruby
- Rust
- Java
Not to be decisive but I personally recommend learning Phython or Node.Js for the backend. If your are coming from JavaScript background, Node.Js will be essy to pick up.
Learn Relational and NoSQL Databases
Relational databases differs from NoSQL databases and you will get to know the difference when you learn them. Based on application requirement the decision will be made on which database best fit the scenario.
Relational Databases
- MySQL
- PostgreSQL
- MariaDB
You can Start with MySQL for now
NoSQL Databases
- MongDB
- Cassandra
- Couchbase
Rest APIs
Creating restful apis is an integral part of back-end development and time need to be invested in this.
Authentication
- OAuth
- Basic authentication
- Token based authentication
- OpenID connect
Full Stack Developer
The combine task of Front and Back-End development levels you as a full stack with design abilities in addition.
Hope you find this road map helpful. The trick in mastering programming is consistency. Keep learning and practising.
Good luck in the development journey.