The Checklist

Web Application Fundamentals

Front-End Web Fundamentals

  • The primary role of front-end development is to create a visually appealing, responsive, and user-friendly interface for websites and web applications. It involves implementing designs, user interactions, and ensuring compatibility across various devices and browsers.
  • Front-end development relies on three fundamental technologies:
    HTML (Hypertext Markup Language): HTML is used for creating the structure and content of web pages, defining the elements like headings, paragraphs, links, and images.

    CSS (Cascading Style Sheets): CSS is responsible for styling and formatting HTML elements. It controls layout, colors, fonts, and visual design.

    JavaScript: JavaScript is a versatile programming language used for adding interactivity and functionality to web pages. It enables features like forms, animations, and dynamic content.
  • Front-end developers are responsible for ensuring that websites are responsive, adapting to different screen sizes and devices. Responsive web design involves using media queries and flexible layouts to create a consistent user experience across desktops, tablets, and mobile devices.
  • Front-end developers often utilize frameworks and libraries to streamline development. Popular front-end frameworks include React, Angular, and Vue.js. Libraries like jQuery can simplify common tasks.
  • Front-end developers must ensure that websites work consistently across various web browsers (e.g., Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) and versions, which may involve handling browser-specific quirks.
  • Accessibility is a critical aspect of front-end development. Ensuring that websites are accessible to all users, including those with disabilities, is essential. This involves using semantic HTML, providing alternative text for images, and following WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).
  • Front-end developers are responsible for optimizing website performance. This includes reducing page load times, minimizing HTTP requests, and compressing images to enhance the user experience.
  • Front-end developers collaborate with UI/UX designers to implement and refine the visual design and user interactions of web applications.
  • Front-end developers conduct testing to ensure that their code functions as expected. This may include unit testing, integration testing, and browser debugging tools.
  • Back-End Web Fundamentals

    • The primary role of back-end development is to support the front-end by managing data, handling requests, and performing server-side processing. It involves creating the server infrastructure that powers web applications.
    • Back-end development employs various technologies and programming languages. Common choices include:
      Server-Side Languages: Such as Python, Ruby, PHP, Java, and Node.js.
      Databases: SQL (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL) and NoSQL (e.g., MongoDB) databases for storing and retrieving data.
      Server Frameworks: Frameworks like Ruby on Rails, Django, Laravel, and Express.js for simplifying development.
    • Back-end developers are responsible for setting up and maintaining the server infrastructure, including web servers (e.g., Apache, Nginx) and cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud).
    • Back-end development involves designing and managing databases, creating data schemas, and writing queries to retrieve and manipulate data.
    • Implementing user authentication, authorization, and security measures to protect data and prevent unauthorized access or attacks.
    • Monitoring server performance, handling maintenance tasks, and addressing issues such as server downtime and resource optimization.
    • Creating and maintaining clear and comprehensive documentation for APIs, making it easier for front-end developers and third-party developers to integrate with the back end.
    • Implementing middleware to handle various tasks, such as logging, error handling, and request/response processing.
    • Using version control systems like Git for collaboration and deploying code to production servers safely and efficiently.