What is Full Stack Development?

Introduction

Any web application you use has three critical components:

• The front-end: It is the user interface that a user interacts with. Also known as the client side.
• The back-end: It is the behind-the-scenes functionality that is not visible to the user but is responsible for the smooth functioning of the website. Also known as the server side.
• The database: It stores a large amount of information in an efficient and structured way.

Let’s take the example of “Google”. When you visit Google’s website, you are presented with the following screen:

This is part of the front end. You will add your email and password here, and the front end will send it to the backend for validation using the database.

Full stack development refers to the combined end-to-end process of developing a web application or website, including both the front end and the back end.

The reason it's called 'Full Stack' development is that it involves all the components and processes important for a web app's front-end and back-end development.

Did you know that as per global statistics, the job growth of Full Stack Developers will see a jump of 27 percent by next year? This is because agencies are transforming their operation cycles in today's digital age by hiring one Stack Developer to build both the front-end and back-end of a website or web application. This is changing the dynamics of the programming and web development sector.

What is Full-Stack Web Development?

In the world of website development and design, Full Stack Web Development is the process of developing the key software for the client and the server. This means that a Full Stack Web Developer must have detailed knowledge of both HTML and CSS and the skills needed to program a browser or server. Those who want to pursue a career as a Full Stack developer can take a Full-Stack Web Development Course.

Full Stack vs. Front-End vs. Back-End

• During the development of a website or web application, the process where both the front-end (how the website is looking to the consumers, is it appealing enough, is it attractive) and back-end (how fast is it, how is the server working, etc.) are getting developed together, mostly by one Full Stack developer.

• However, in front-end development, the software development team will solely work on the design and look of the website and will have no control over the database or coding.

• Back-end development is all about controlling what the consumers cannot see. For example, all the communication between the database and the browser. It solely focuses on improving the functionality of the site.

Technologies Related to Full Stack Development

If you want to learn Full Stack web development, you will have to be proficient in two main technologies involved in Full Stack development. These technologies are:

• Front-end: The front end of a website or web application is the interface through which customers perform actions. From design to customer story (how they travel through the website), Front-end development deals with everything that customers see or do on the website or web application. This includes making the design more attractive and engaging, making the website more user-friendly, and ensuring that customers find it easy to use. Programming languages and frameworks like Javascript, CSS, HTML, TypeScript, React, NextJS, Angular, and Vue are used for front-end development.

• Back-end: The process of building codes that allow the communication between a database and an application is called back-end development. It's the back-end developers' job to maintain a website's backend and manage servers, apps, and databases. This involves managing the database, server, and website structure and making it easy to access and edit. Back-end development is about controlling what customers cannot see and ensuring they have a good experience on your website or web app. Django, Ruby on Rails, CakePHP, Laravel, Spring Boot, Flask, Koa, Phoenix, and Asp .NET are some of the most common back-end frameworks for web application development.

• Full Stack: A Full Stack developer can manage both these tasks single-handedly by using multiple technologies such as HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), JavaScript, JQuery, AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML), PHP, Ajax, MySQL, Linux, UNIX, and C++/Java/Python. These days, many Full Stack developers also use technologies like Nginx and Apache when creating websites from scratch.

If you want to learn Full Stack web development, you can register for this Full-Stack Development Course offered by Scaler Academy that ensures a thorough curriculum and great skill development.

Popular Technology Stacks for a Full Stack Development Project

A technology stack refers to the underlying tools, frameworks, and libraries used to build and run your application.

Let’s get familiar with a few popular tech stacks used by full-stack developers:

1. MEAN Stack - The mean stack has a simple architecture despite its name. Mean Stack is used in creating web applications through Javascript. MEAN is named after MongoDB, Express, Angular, and NodeJS, the four key technologies that make up the layers of the stack.

   1. MongoDB — a NoSQL document database
   2. Express(.js) — Node.js web framework
   3. Angular(.js) — a client-side JavaScript framework
   4. Node(.js) — the JavaScript web server

2. MERN Stack - It's a variation of MEAN Stack, the difference being that it replaces Angular.js as a front web technology with React.js, making it easy to reuse components without repeatedly writing the same code multiple times.

3. Django Stack - Ever heard of those toys that said: “batteries included”? Remember how much easier it was to play with them? Just plug the batteries in and get going. Django framework is much like that. Thousands of developers have made python scripts, and Django makes it a snappy process to use them in one simple import. Need transcripts done? Great! Django libraries have hundreds of transcription libraries.

4. Rails or Ruby on Rails - Ruby was a programming language released in 2005. Since then, this language has seen such drastic changes that its server-side sister, Ruby on Rails, is considered one of the most sophisticated server-side scripting languages ever. It works on efficient workouts like ‘convention over configuration’ and ‘don’t repeat yourself.

5. LAMP Stack - Lamp stack is an acronym for open-source software that can be used to create websites on the client and server end. It typically consists of Linux OS, the Apache HTTP Server, the MySQL relational database management system, and the PHP programming language.

Skills Needed for a Full Stack Developer - Getting Ready to Pursue Your Dream Career

A Full Stack developer must have a basic understanding of both Front-end and back-end Languages and Frameworks. A Full Stack developer should understand the working of languages and technologies like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, c#, Java, PHP, Perl, and Ruby, among others. Be it Java Full Stack development or Python Full-Stack development. A developer needs to understand the basics of these technologies for a flourishing career as a Full Stack Developer.

A Full Stack developer should also thoroughly understand Database Management Systems, Web Hosting Platforms, and Version Control Systems.

Besides technical skills, an efficient Full Stack developer should also possess soft skills like problem-solving, time management, analytical skills, strategic planning, and creativity.

Advantages of Being a Full Stack Developer

If you are a tech-savvy person who is extremely passionate about technology, then becoming a Full Stack developer can be a very smart decision. A full-stack developer manages the front and back end of a website or web app. Here are the key benefits of becoming a Full Stack Developer:

1. Enhanced productivity: To become a Full Stack developer, you must first learn many technologies like Node.js, HTML & CSS5, JavaScript, PHP, Sass, and NodeJS. This will not only polish your skills as a developer but enhance your productivity as you will become faster, more comprehensive, and more accurate, making it easier for you to make technical decisions. When you start taking control of the project and understand the requirements, you will eventually become more efficient, leading to a better salary package.

2. Market Demand: Be it front-end or back-end development, both parts are extremely important when developing a website or web application. Due to this, companies are now looking to hire professionals who can handle everyone single-handedly, saving time, effort, and manpower. Being a Full Stack developer, you can be assured that you will have a dozen job offers as there is a massive demand for Full Stack developers in the market. Statistics say that Full-Stack developers can manage multiple projects accurately and efficiently, driving the best results on both clients' and servers' sides.

3. Excellent remuneration: Full Stack developers play a vital role in reducing and eliminating operating costs for an organization. This is because they manage the work of 2-3 developers single-handedly, which is extremely profitable for the company.

The average salary of a Full Stack developer in India ranges from 6-10 LPA. Those with experience from reputed companies can get a package as good as 14 LPA.

Full Stack developers can seek jobs across various sectors such as IT, Banking, Finance, etc. There is a high demand for Full Stack developers due to their ability to multitask and work on both front-end and back-end development.

4. Creative freedom: One of the main advantages of becoming a Full Stack developer is that it provides creative freedom and flexibility. Given that you have an in-depth understanding and knowledge of both front-end and back-end development, it makes it easier for you to make creative decisions, be flexible with the client, and give you more control over the website or web app development.

See More

• How to Become a Full Stack Developer?
• Full Stack Developer Roadmap