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The web is full of terms and connotations that can baffle beginners in the tech world. If you’ve ever browsed developer profiles on GitHub and LinkedIn, you may have come across the term “Full-Stack” in their bios.
So, what is a full-stack web developer? What does a full-stack web developer do?
According to LinkedIn’s 2020 Emerging Jobs Report, full-stack developers are in high demand as the role scored fourth place among the list of jobs with high growth potential.
If you’re interested in the field, you might be wondering what does a full-stack web developer do and how to become a full-stack web developer.
There’s more to the role than coding and an attractive job title. In this blog post, we share everything you should know about full-stack web development and the key skills of a full-stack web developer.
What is Full-Stack?
Before we jump into how to be a full-stack web developer, you need to understand what “full-stack” means.
Developing websites and web applications in both front-end and back-end capacities is known as working in a full-stack capacity. So, professionals who work in both these capacities are known as full-stack web developers.
Front-end development refers to the client-side part of the application, featuring the user interface or anything that users see or interact with. The back-end development refers to the server-side part of the application or website, featuring the server, databases, and tools to communicate between them.
Full-stack developers are highly sought-after IT professionals, with the knowledge and tools to work on both backend and frontend development projects. They need to have a comprehensive understanding of essential programming languages for frontend development such as HTML, Javascript, and CSS, as well as programming languages for backend development including Java, Python, and Ruby.
What Does a Full-Stack Web Developer Do?
Your daily responsibilities as a full-stack web developer will vary according to your expertise, the organisation you work for, and the industry you’re in. A quick scan of job portals helps you understand the typical responsibilities of this role.
As a full-stack web developer, you’ll be in charge of:
Creating the overall structure and architecture of new web applications and websites
Deploying web applications on servers or cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, or Heroku
Collaborating with graphic designers to develop aesthetic and functional websites
Collaborating with other IT professionals including DevOps engineers, cybersecurity experts, and other web developers
Supervising the project through each phase of the software development life cycle
Overseeing website optimisation and responsiveness to ensure mobile-friendly websites
Key Skills for Full-Stack Web Developers
There are certain key skills and abilities you’ll need to learn if you’re looking to become a successful full-stack web developer.
Here’s a quick summary of the full-stack web developer tools and skills you need:
Coding in Front-End Languages
As a full-stack developer, you’ll often work on the front-end development of websites. So, mastering front-end development languages such as HTML, CSS, and Javascript is a must.
Front-end Frameworks and Libraries
When developing a front-end project, full-stack developers rely on various tools and frameworks to simplify their work, including Bootstrap, jQuery, React, and Angular.
Coding in Back-End Languages
Full-stack developers also work on the back end of websites and web applications and must be proficient in PHP, Python, Java, and Ruby.
Back-end Frameworks and Libraries
To make the back-end development work as simple and efficient as possible, full-stack developers use frameworks including Spring, Django, and Lavarel.
Database Skills
Some of the core skills for full-stack developers revolve around building and managing databases. You’ll often be working with popular database tools such as MySQL, Oracle, and MongoDB. Learning Structured Query Language (SQL) is recommended when using MySQL and Oracle. But MongoDB is specific for web apps and doesn’t require knowledge of SQL.
Tech Stacks
Tech stacks are a collection of software used to produce websites, web applications, and other projects. As a full-stack developer, you need to familiarise yourself with popular tech stacks such as LAMP stack, MEAN stack, MERN stack, SERN stack, Django stack, and Ruby on Rails stack.
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Understanding of DevOps
You’re likely to work with DevOps engineers in your role as a full-stack developer. So, an understanding of the DevOps framework is essential to take a DevOps approach, which is a modified version of the SDLC cycle. From here, the next step is to master tools like Puppet and Chef, Atlassian Bamboo and Jenkins, Nagios and Raygun, and Docker and Kubernetes.
Understanding of UX Design Principles
Building functional websites and web applications is the key responsibility of full-stack developers. Learning various User Experience (UX) Design principles is recommended to help you design professional, user-friendly websites.
Expertise with Developer Tools
Your role as a full-stack developer encompasses a lot of complex development work, and knowing basic developer tools like Git, GitHub, and BitBucket will put you at a significant advantage. Over time, work on building your portfolio to include experience with web development tools such as DevKinsta, MAMP, XAMPP, Figma, Sketch, and Invision Studio.
Soft Skills
Last but not least, full-stack developers also need good soft skills, as their roles go beyond coding, using tools, and technical knowledge.
You’ll also need to have active listening skills, be capable of working in a team, take constructive feedback, manage your time effectively, and even take on a leadership role to mentor juniors. With these skills, you’ll soon become a well-rounded IT professional.
QualityHive Is A Must-Have Full-Stack Web Developer Tool
If you were keen to know how to become a full-stack web developer and the skills required, we hope our guide has provided a helpful introduction to the role. If you’re keen to simplify the web design process for yourself and your team, you’ll benefit from using QualityHive, a full-stack web developer tool that’s designed to meet your feedback and project management needs.
Our tool helps web developers, website owners, and agencies streamline their tasks. You can use it for a range of purposes, from quickly flagging Javascript errors to tracking a project’s live progress on the Kanban board. Make the most of QualityHive’s cutting-edge features for a smooth and streamlined web development process.
