Front-End vs Back-End Web Development

David Ugale, Author
Written by David Ugale

Introduction

When it comes to web development, two of the most common terms you’ll hear are “front-end” and “back-end.” They’re often used interchangeably by people who don’t know what they actually mean, but they’re actually very different. In this article, we’ll discuss the difference between front-end and back-end development so that you can make an informed decision about which type of developer is best suited to meet your needs.

Front-End Development

If you want to work on the front end, you’re a front-end developer.

Front-end development is what you see in the browser: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Front-end developers mainly work on user experience (UX). They create interfaces for users and help them navigate through the site. They are responsible for designing how pages look and feeling intuitive to use, as well as making sure that users can find what they need quickly and easily.

Back-End Development

Back-end development is the process of building the server side of an application. It includes all of the programming involved in making a website function on a web server, as well as any database technology that may be used to store and retrieve data.

Back-end developers are responsible for developing and maintaining the server-side code (i.e., languages like Python, PHP, Ruby, and Java). They also need to develop code for interacting with databases such as MySQL or Oracle. The back end generally communicates with both the client (usually through AJAX) through an API that serves JSON files over HTTP(S).

Conclusion

The front-end and back-end development are both important for every website. The front-end is the part that you can see and interact with on a website. The back-end is what makes it work behind the scenes. This article lays out how each of these roles are different from one another, but it’s ultimately up to you which one suits your needs best!

Originally published December 29th, 2022, updated December 29th, 2022