Frontend development

The internet is not only a tool that facilitates communication between two end users on various platforms like social media (Facebook, WhatsApp ), email, etc. The internet is so much relied upon as a source of information of all types, medical consultations, news, payment of bills, and a lots more.

What is Front End Development?

Front-end development simply means building out the visible layout of a design concept and implementing it through code. Every website or application that is online today has a user interactive interface.

A front-end developer is also known as a front-end web developer who is tasked with the responsibility of bringing to life the vision and design concept of a web page or application and implementing it through coding languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Before moving on, let us clarify the difference between a front-end developer, back-end developer, and a Full stack developer in very simple terms.

A front-end developer (client side) is a person responsible for the design and implementation of the interactive part of a website or application for a smooth user experience. The interactive part of a website is the visible and functional part of the website or an application.

A back-end developer (server side) is one who builds out the “non-visible” part of a website or application. The “non-visible” part consists of a database, algorithms, and infrastructure which communicates with the front-end interface in real time for a smooth and enjoyable user experience.

A full stack developer is simply a person who develops the client side and server side (front end and back end) of a website or application.

Responsibilities of a Front end Developer

The core responsibility of a front-end developer is to ensure smooth and easy usage by the end user of a website or application. Among these are various roles and responsibilities of a front-end developer:

Optimization of user experience.
Development of design concepts and features to enhance user experience.
Introduce a diverse variety of markup languages to design web pages.
Maintenance of traffic and software workflow.
Effective solution to Bugs within the application.
Development of reusable Cross browser tools to improve user interaction and experience.

Common Front End development Tools

Front-end development involves design and web development, it is customary that the tools revolve around the area of focus.

Graphic Design Tools

Before a website or application is developed, it is typical to have a graphic representation or design of the website or application. This enables the developer to experiment with the user interface before developing the actual website or application.

Some graphic design tools include:

Balsmiq
Figma
Illustrator
Photoshop

Code Editors

A code editor simply refers to the software a front-end developer uses to write and edit codes for websites and applications. Preference for code editor depends on the developer. Below are different types of code editors:

Atom
Visual Studio Code
Notepad
Dreamweaver
Sublime Text Editor

Skills You Need to Become a Front End Developer.

The main languages needed to establish a desire in front-end development are HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Frameworks, libraries, and other useful tools can come after an in-depth knowledge of the aforementioned.

HTML

HTML simply means Hypertext Markup Language. Tags, links, headings, photos, images, text, tables, and buttons. These contents describe the structure of a web page and empower the end user to access information at the click of a button.

CSS

CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheet. This describes how HTML elements in a website or application are positioned and displayed on different media screens and devices. CSS adds beauty to a web page to enhance a smoother and more effective user experience.

JavaScript

JavaScript is often described as “the language that powers the web”. This scripting language enables a developer to develop diverse and complex functionalities in a web page. Whenever a web page loads and displays content such as maps, 2D/3D animations, graphics, etc. it is very much evident that JavaScript was involved in building that web page.

JavaScript frameworks and libraries

Frameworks are already established foundations (codes) already developed by a developer or team of developers upon which applications are built to perform specific tasks with less time, effort, and greater efficiency.

Libraries are collections of prewritten codes such as modules, functions, classes, and templates an application can rely on for maximum functionality on a specific task.

Here are some of the most in-demand JavaScript Frameworks:

React.js
Vue.js
Angular.js

Frameworks and libraries enable a developer to save time and write more codes with less stress.

CSS frameworks and libraries

Having a basic knowledge and understanding of CSS is good enough to start working with CSS frameworks and libraries. CSS frameworks was developed to help speed up the building process in a much shorter time.

Here is a list of different frameworks:

Bootstrap
Semantic UI
Bulma
Foundation
Blueprint
Tailwind

There are a lot of CSS of frameworks but it is not important to learn all of them. A good suggestion in picking a framework to learn should be based on the job demand for the technology in your location.

Version Control

As a developer in my early stage, I encountered uncountable problems whenever a line of code was changed or rewritten, it breaks down and stops functioning even after rectifying the problem it still persists. Version control is a way I found to keep track of my codes and manage the changes in my projects and codes

Git is a highly efficient software that is used by developers to keep track and maintain their codes. As an experienced developer now, I make use of Git to track a previous version of my codes easily rather than rewriting the codes again manually.

Collaborating with other developers around the world and making changes to project codes at the same time on Git. Services like Github can be used as a platform to host personal projects.

Command Line

A Command line is a text-based interface to a system computer. The command line receives commands from a user in the form of lines of blank line codes and executes them quickly. As a good front-end developer, It is an encouraged concept to familiarize and understand how to make use of the command line to display files and system navigation.

Testing and Debugging

Testing is an essential skill for a developer. Code testing is a way of ensuring your code is returning the exact output it is supposed to display. When developing websites and applications, errors are bound to occur in your code which will need an immediate fix. Whenever a developer identifies an error (bugs) and fixes them, that process is called debugging.

Some other Skill sets to have in handy in other to be a good front-end developer is:

Ability to think and solve complex problems.
As a good developer, you must learn to work and coexist as a team.
Interpersonal relationship.
Great communication and interactive skills.

Front End Developer Salary

There have been many surveys carried out in recent years to determine the average salaries of front-end developers. According to Glassdoor as of July 2022, a front-end developer earns an average of $87,240 annually. A junior front-end developer earns an average of $40,000 – $55,000 annually. This is quite less than an average mid-level or senior front-end developer. This is so because junior developers are less experienced and are tasked with fewer responsibilities.

Conclusion

This article gives you precise knowledge of how to go about your front-end development journey as a beginner.

Resources

Finding a good learnable material and tutorial to begin your journey as a front-end developer may be quite difficult and overwhelming. Here I will recommend FREE study materials that have helped me in my front-end development journey.

Freecodecamp (Freecodecamp has most courses you would need to begin your Front end developer journey)
MDN Doc

A – Z On Front-end Software Development

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