Fundamentals of Web Development: A Beginner's Guide

by Joshua Dada

Last Updated: May 20th, 2023

5 min read

Web Development

Although learning web programming is difficult, there are many prospects for advancement. You enter a highly competitive employment market with a lot of opportunity to make large incomes as a web developer.

Even if you don't want to work in web development, knowing how it operates gives you the ability to expand your business. You may design and build a company website or an e-commerce site that will provide your customers with excellent experiences if you have extensive knowledge of web development.

We don't want to overwhelm you just yet with the heavy material, though. To help you get started on your web development adventure, we're creating the foundation first.

Fundamentals of Web Development: A Beginner's Guide:

Synopsis

What is web development?

The phrase "web development" refers broadly to anything involved in creating a website. It includes all related development responsibilities, including markup, coding, scripting, network setting, CMS, and eCommerce development. Web development is responsible for everything that is available to you in your browser.

Web Fundamentals

Before you can create a straightforward blog or a company website, you must comprehend how websites function. A website is essentially a collection of files kept on a server that are viewed by clients using browsers like Safari, Chrome, and Firefox. You should be able to distinguish between the two major concepts used here: server and client.

Main Divisions of Web Development

Front end development and back end development are the two main divisions in web development based on the client-server interaction. The user interface, or what you see on the browser when using the Internet, is the focus of front end or client-side development. The focus of back-end or server-side programming is on background operations. The back end of a website seems to non-developers as a random collection of letters, numbers, and symbols, but it really houses the digital infrastructure that keeps a website functioning properly. The front end of your website would be the storefront and product display section if it were a physical business, where customers could see the items and make purchases. The stock room and back office, where goods are transported, kept, and inventoried, would be considered the back end.

Code Editors

Web developers utilize a code editor as a tool to write and edit code. It is a crucial tool for creating websites since it includes specific features that make editing code easier. An integrated development environment (IDE), which integrates many development tools to make coding more easier, is a more sophisticated and reliable tool. These days, Visual Studio, Atom, Sublime Text, and Vim are the most popular code editors. Check out VS Code, a simplified version of Microsoft's primary IDE, Visual Studio, if you're a newbie. Beginners will love VS Code since it is simple to use and offers features that can be customized.

Front end Development

The words front end, client-side, and user-facing are the most frequently used to describe front end development. This kind of web development focuses on a website's layout, navigation, and text and graphic content. The primary objective of a front end developer is to design and create user interfaces that support the objectives of their clients.

Main File Types

Image showing basic file Types

  1. HTML

    HyperText Markup Language (HTML) is the primary file format loaded in browsers and is the basis for all webpages. No matter how basic or sophisticated the website is, it defines the structure. To specify how text, pictures, and other information should be presented, tags are used. A straightforward static website may be produced using only HTML.

  2. CSS

    Developers frequently combine HTML and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to improve a website's aesthetic attractiveness. A computer language called CSS is used to style and modify web pages. You may use it to adjust the layout, add personalized fonts and colors, and enhance the aesthetics of your website.

  3. JavaScript

    Developers frequently combine HTML and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to improve a website's aesthetic attractiveness. A computer language called CSS is used to style and modify web pages. You may use it to adjust the layout, add personalized fonts and colors, and enhance the aesthetics of your website.

Basic Front end Tools

  1. Package Manager

    The usage of software (packages) can be automated with the use of package managers. They assist you with setting up, removing, upgrading, or configuring software for your web development endeavors. In addition, they can get software from repositories. Node Package Manager (NPM), Advanced Packaging Tool (APT), and Red Hat Package Manager (RPM) are three of the most used package managers.

  2. Build tools

    The process of creating and operating software is automated by build tools. They are employed to convert development source code into production code for programs that may be executed. They also perform other helpful tasks such as compiling Sass files, transpiling JavaScript files, and running a local web server. Webpack, Gulp, and Parcel are the build tools that developers most often use. Because it comes pre-configured, Gulp is a good option for beginners.

  3. Version control

    Software code changes are managed and tracked via a system called version control, sometimes known as source control. It keeps track of every change you make to the code so that you can quickly go back to earlier iterations if something goes wrong. Additionally, it improves developer cooperation on the same project. Git is still the most popular version control system in use today. Git repositories are often kept on GitHub by developers.

Additional Front end Tools

  1. Sass

    CSS using Sass is known as Syntactically Awesome Stylesheet (Sass). It is a CSS extension that makes the process of creating style sheets quicker and more understandable. It enables the creation of variables, the usage of nested rules, and the division of styles into several files.

  2. Responsive Design

    Web content will adapt effortlessly to various screen sizes on various devices thanks to responsive design. Without forcing you to maintain distinct versions for each, it leverages adaptive size for elements so your content appears nice whether it is viewed on computers, tablets, or smartphones.

  3. JavaScript Frameworks

    Collections of JavaScript code libraries make up JavaScript frameworks. They enable speedier app development because to their pre-built architecture. Google's Angular and Facebook's React are two of the most popular frameworks. The brand-new, simple-to-use framework Vue is worthwhile a look.

Back end Development

Back end development is the server-side aspect of web development. This involves writing code, building logical parts, managing servers, and other background tasks that make a website function properly.

Image About BAckend Servers

Server

All data, files, and systems are saved, processed, and managed on the server. Centralized operating systems like Windows and Linux power conventional servers. Serverless architectures offer a more decentralized system in which data, programs, and files are divided up and managed by outside parties like Amazon Web Services (AWS). Although traditional servers are still recommended for websites with complicated applications, serverless technologies may be fantastic for basic static websites.

Programming Language

Back end development requires the use of a programming language because the functionality of web applications depends on codes. Here are a few of the easiest languages for beginners to learn that are frequently used in web development.

  • PHP:

    PHP, an acronym for Hypertext Preprocessor, is a server-side scripting language and is one of the most widely used programming languages for backend web development. We can validate this statement by letting you know that platforms like Wikipedia, WordPress, Facebook, and many others are relying on PHP. This particular language is preferred for web development because of various prominent reasons such as cross-platform compatibility, OOPs features, easy integration with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc, huge community support, better flexibility & security, and many more. In addition, the language is quite easy to learn and use. Furthermore, there are various renowned PHP frameworks out there such as Laravel, Symfony, CodeIgniter, etc. that you can consider.

  • Python:

    Another language that is being preferred for backend development, specifically in current times, is Python. It is a high-level, general-purpose programming language that supports multiple programming paradigms such as Object-Oriented, Procedural, and Functional. Instagram, Spotify, Google, etc. are some of the popular platforms that are using Python in their tech stacks. The language provides you with some remarkable features such as rich library support, easy integration with other languages, GUI Programming support, compatibility with trending technologies, etc. Also, Python has a very simple syntax and comes up with better code readability aspects that subsequently make it easy to learn and use. Several popular Python web frameworks to you can take into consideration are Django, Flask, etc.

  • MongoDB:

    MongoDB is a free and open-source document-oriented database that is very much popular among web developers. This NoSQL database uses JSON-like documents with optional schemas for storage & retrieval of data and comes up with much-needed scalability and flexibility. MongoDB provides you with numerous prominent features such as Ad-hoc queries, Indexing, Replication, Load Balancing, File Storage, Aggregation, Transactions, etc. In addition, the security and data recovery aspects of this particular database are quite better compared to various other database management systems. Other than that, MongoDB is compatible with various standard programming languages like C/C++, Java, PHP, Python, Ruby, and several others.

  • Java:

    Java is used in software projects across multiple domains including enterprise systems, portable devices, databases, video games, and web servers. Java is popular for its superior capability to build the back-end systems of most enterprise applications, such as Google, Uber, Amazon, Netflix, Spotify, Facebook, Airbnb, and LinkedIn. Java is also popular for backend development because it’s a platform-independent language (i.e., can run on different operating systems), it has efficient memory management, and it supports high scalability — requirements of most back-end systems

  • MySQL:

    MySQL is another open-source relational database management system that is widely used for web-based applications. It is a fast and high-performance database that provides better scalability, usability, and reliability. Also, MySQL provides cross-platform compatibility, strong indexing support, SSL support for secured connections, powerful data encryption and accuracy, built-in replication support, and various other features. Meanwhile, MySQL can work on various distinct operating systems and is compatible with many popular languages like PHP, Java, etc. Let us tell you this as well that this particular framework, MySQL, is used by various renowned websites like Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, Drupal, Joomla, and many others.

Databases

A database is a specific type of system used to store data, often arranged in tables. It functions on computers running Microsoft SQL Server on Windows and MySQL on Linux. The majority of databases utilize SQL, although some NoSQL databases store data as JSON files as well.

Full Stack Development

Front end and back end development are both parts of full stack web development. It demands knowledge and proficiency in both areas of web development because it entails creating a full website from scratch. You must study programming languages for both website development and backend technologies if you want to become a full stack developer. Additionally, you should be knowledgeable in web architecture, repositories, and database management systems.

Website Development Process

Every development route is unique while creating websites. The answer varies based on the sort of website being developed, the programming languages employed, the resources at hand, and other elements. They do, however, adhere to a broad procedure that begins with planning and concludes with launch.

  1. Planning

    Planning the site's content and design comes first in the web development process. Define the objective you want the website to accomplish. Decide who your target audience is and what content they will probably be looking for on your website. Choose the tools you'll need to develop your site and the best structure for it.

  2. Creating a wireframe

    A website's wireframe serves as its blueprint. It serves more as a visual aid for planning where words, photos, and other items will appear on your website. You may utilize programs like Invision and Mindnode, or you can stick with tradition and use a whiteboard.

  3. Drafting a sitemap

    A website's wireframe serves as its blueprint. It serves more as a visual aid for planning where words, photos, and other items will appear on your website. You may utilize programs like Invision and Mindnode, or you can stick with tradition and use a whiteboard.

  4. Writing the code

    Think about your website's purpose and features before you start writing any code. Select coding languages that may be used to create and maintain the site and that function well together

  5. Building the backend

    Static websites that don't handle data or demand user interaction might not necessarily need the back end. If not, you must create a strong back end that can manage front end function

  6. Building the frontend

    Your audience must be kept in mind while designing the interface of your website if you want it to be really engaging. But keep in mind that because consumers frequently change their behavior, a highly styled front end might quickly become out of date.

  7. Testing and iterating

    You need to check to see if the site is functioning correctly once all the codes have been added. To enhance the functionality of your website, you might need to refine and iterate some of the

  8. Launching the website

    After the website has been tested and evaluated, you may register a domain and make it live. But things don't stop there. To keep them safe and operating properly, websites require periodic maintenance and updates.

Simple Guidelines for Web Development Beginners

  1. Start with HTML and CSS: HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) are the fundamental building blocks of web development. Start by learning and understanding the basics of HTML for creating the structure of web pages and CSS for styling them. This will give you a solid foundation to build upon.
  2. Practice Responsive Design: Responsive web design ensures that your websites look and function well on different devices and screen sizes. Learn how to create responsive layouts using CSS media queries and test your websites on various devices to ensure a consistent experience for users.
  3. Learn JavaScript: JavaScript is a versatile programming language that adds interactivity and dynamic functionality to web pages. Spend time learning JavaScript and its core concepts like variables, functions, loops, and conditionals. Familiarize yourself with JavaScript frameworks and libraries like React and jQuery as well.
  4. Debug and Troubleshoot: Debugging is an essential skill for web developers. Learn how to use browser developer tools to inspect and debug your code. Understanding error messages and effectively troubleshooting issues will help you identify and fix bugs more efficiently.
  5. Build Real Projects: Theory alone is not enough. Apply your knowledge by working on real projects. Start with small projects and gradually take on more complex ones. Building websites or web applications will provide practical experience and allow you to encounter real-world challenges, enhancing your skills along the way.

    6. Remember, web development is a continuous learning process, so don't be afraid to explore new technologies, experiment, and keep up with the latest trends in the industry. Happy coding