The front-end is built using a combination of technologies such as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), JavaScript and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). Front-end developers design and construct the user experience elements on the web page or app including buttons, menus, pages, links, graphics and more.
Hypertext Markup Language is the core of a website, providing the overall design and functionality. The most recent version was released in late 2017 and is known as HTML5.2. The updated version includes more tools aimed at web application developers as well as adjustments made to improve interoperability.
Cascading style sheets give developers a flexible, precise way to create attractive, interactive website designs.
This event-based language is useful for creating dynamic elements on static HTML web pages. It allows developers to access elements separate from the main HTML page, as well as respond to server-side events.
Front-end frameworks such as Angular, Ember, Backbone, and React are also popular. These frameworks let developers keep up with the growing demand for enterprise software without sacrificing quality, so they are earning their place as standard development tools.
One of the main challenges of front-end development, which also goes by the name “client-side development”, is the rapid pace of change in the tools, techniques and technologies used to create the user experience for applications and websites. The seemingly simple goal of creating a clear, easy-to-follow user interface is difficult due to sometimes widely different mobile device and computer screen resolutions and sizes. Things get even more complicated when the Internet of Things (IoT) is considered. Screen size and network connection now have a wider variety, so developers have to balance those concerns when working on their user interfaces.
The back-end, also called the server side, consists of the server that provides data on request, the application that channels it, and the database that organizes the information. For example, when a customer browses shoes on a website, they are interacting with the front end. After they select the item they want, put it in the shopping cart, and authorize the purchase, the information is kept inside the database that resides on the server. A few days later when the client checks on the status of their delivery, the server pulls the relevant information, updates it with tracking data, and presents it through the front-end.
The core concern of back-end developers is creating applications that can find and deliver data to the front end. Many of them use reliable enterprise-level databases like Oracle, Teradata, Microsoft SQL Server, IBM DB2, Enterprise DB and SAP Sybase ASE. There is also a number of other popular databases including MySQL, NoSQL and PostgreSQL. There are a wide variety of frameworks and languages used to code the application, such as Ruby on Rails, Java, C++/C/C#, Python and PHP. Over the last several years, Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS) providers have been maturing into a viable alternative. They are especially useful when developing mobile apps and working within a tight schedule.