We’ve already looked at Backend Developers as well as Front End Developers. That only leaves us with Full Stack Developers – the ones who do it all. They are more commonly found in freelance and small business web development teams, but they can be found elsewhere as well.
As one who does it all, a full-stack developer must possess a broad range of skills and is capable of working with both the front-end and back-end of a web application. The term “full stack” refers to the complete technology stack that comprises both the client-side (front-end) and server-side (back-end) development components.
While they may be considered a “Jack of All Trades” this also means they are not specializing in a single aspect, and why on a larger team, you’ll find specialist. Even among Full Stack Developers, you will find people who tend to specialize, or know more about, a certain side – either the front end, or the back end. They may team up with other developers to help fill in their own gaps.
Personally, I’ve worked as a full stack developer, and have been called in to help people who were stronger at front end work, do their part of a back end. And likewise, I’ve asked for help from those who were strong at the front end, to help fill in my own gaps of knowledge and/or skills.
If you’ve not seen the other pages dedicated to front and/or back end developers, here are some things a full stack developer will need to know.
- Front-end Development:
- HTML/CSS/JavaScript: Create and implement the user interface (UI) of the application using HTML for structure, CSS for styling, and JavaScript for interactivity.
- Frameworks/Libraries: Utilize front-end frameworks or libraries like Bootstrap, React, Angular, or Vue.js to enhance the efficiency of UI development.
- Back-end Development:
- Server-Side Programming: Develop server-side logic and functionality using programming languages such as Node.js, Python (Django, Flask), Ruby (Ruby on Rails), Java (Spring), or PHP.
- Database Management: Interact with databases (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB) to store and retrieve data, and ensure data integrity and security.
- Database Management:
- Database Design: Design and implement database structures to efficiently store and retrieve data.
- Querying: Write database queries to interact with the database and perform CRUD operations (Create, Read, Update, Delete).
- APIs (Application Programming Interfaces):
- RESTful Services: Design and implement RESTful APIs that allow communication between the front-end and back-end components.
- Integration: Integrate external services, APIs, or third-party tools as needed.
- Version Control/Git: Use version control systems like Git to collaborate with other developers and manage changes to the codebase.
- Deployment and Hosting:
- Deployment: Deploy applications to web servers or cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, Heroku) to make them accessible to users.
- Infrastructure Management: Set up and manage the infrastructure required for hosting the application.
- Testing:
- Unit Testing: Write and perform unit tests to ensure the reliability and correctness of code.
- Integration Testing: Test the interaction between different components to ensure they work seamlessly together.
- Problem Solving and Troubleshooting:
- Debugging: Identify and fix bugs in the code.
- Optimization: Optimize code and performance bottlenecks for better efficiency.
A full-stack developer is essentially capable of handling every aspect of web application development, from designing the user interface to managing databases and deploying the application. However, it’s worth noting that the term “full stack” is somewhat flexible, and the specific technologies and tools a developer uses can vary based on the project and personal expertise.
As they are doing everything, often the projects they work on are smaller, and not as complex, since they are hired instead of hiring a couple of people part time.
Full Stack Developer was originally found on Access 2 Learn
