Table of Contents
Introduction
Front end vs backend development are both integral parts of a website or web application. However, as their names already suggest, front-end is different from back-end development.
Simply put, front-end development deals with developing all the things visible to human eyes, which can be any visual element such as a title, text, graphics, buttons, etc. Meanwhile, back-end development is about building the data, infrastructure, and logic underneath that make the website or application work properly.
In this blog, Axalize will help you have a better understanding of what front-end vs back-end is, front-end and back-end example, as well as how they differ from each other.
Let’s explore!
What Is Front-End Development?
Front-end web development is the process of building the parts of a website or web application that users interact with directly, including everything from buttons and links to animations, layouts, etc.
Challenge us with whatever idea you’ve got in mind.
Main Responsibilities of a Front-End Developer
A typical front-end developer would be in charge of:
- Designing and implementing the visual elements of a website or web application, such as layout, colors, fonts, etc.
- Making sure that the website/web app/app is well-responsive across devices.
- Writing code using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
- Working with back-end developers and stakeholders to integrate server-side logic with front-end functionality
- Optimizing the website/application for speed performance
- Testing and debugging issues to ensure the website works well
The Technologies Front-end Developers Use
Focusing on user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design is a crucial part of front-end development. For those of you who are unfamiliar with these two terms:
- UX design involves making the website easy to use and ensuring that users can accomplish their goals efficiently.
- UI design involves the aesthetic aspects of the website, such as the layout, color harmony, typography, and overall visual style of your site/application.
And to ensure that the website follows UI-UX best practices, front-end developers technically use these three front-end technologies:
- HTML (Hypertext Markup Language): The language used to structure web pages’ content.
- CSS (Cascading Style Sheets): Used for styling and layout, controlling the visual presentation of web pages.
- JavaScript: Adds interactivity and dynamic behavior to web pages, enabling features like animations, form validations, and interactive maps.
💡 Hire our front-end developers? Explore Axalize’s front-end development services if you want an intuitive front-end built with industry best practices. |
Popular Front-End Frameworks
To streamline the development process, front-end developers often use frameworks and libraries. Here are some popular front-end frameworks used by front-end developers worldwide:
- React: A JavaScript library built and developed by Facebook for building user interfaces, which is especially helpful for single-page applications.
- Angular: A TypeScript-based framework developed by Google, used for building dynamic web applications.
- Vue.js: A progressive JavaScript framework front-end developers use to develop user interfaces and single-page applications.
How Does Back-End Development Work?
Back-end development simply refers to building and developing the server-side aspect of a website/web application project. It involves managing the database, server, and application logic that make the front-end work correctly.
Unlike front-end developers, back-end developers create and maintain the technology that powers the parts of the website users don’t see.
Back-end development is tough. That’s why we’re here!
Main Responsibilities of a Back-End Developer
On a daily working basis, back-end developers are mainly responsible for:
- Writing and maintaining t
- he server-side code using programming languages like Python, Java, or PHP.
- Managing and interacting with databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB.
- Ensuring the server, application, and database are secure and perform well.
- Creating APIs and services for the front-end to use.
- Implementing data storage solutions and managing cloud services.
- Debugging and troubleshooting to maintain performance and uptime.
The Technologies Back-end Developers Use
Since security and performance are at the heart of back-end development, back-end developers need to ensure their application is protected against threats and can handle high traffic without a hitch.
This involves implementing strong security measures like authentication and data encryption. Performance-wise, back-end developers will have to work on optimizing database queries and managing server resources efficiently.
To achieve this, they rely on various technologies to build robust server-side applications:
- Programming Languages: Some popular back-end programming languages are Python, Java, PHP, Ruby, and Node.js.
- Databases: Back-end developers store and manage data using tools like MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and SQLite.
- Servers: Managing servers, deploying applications, and scaling to meet traffic demands are also part of the scope of back-end developers.
Explore Axalize’s backend development services if you want to own a high-performing website/web that works exactly how you imagine it. |
Hire our back-end developers?Popular Back-End Frameworks
If front-end developers have their own frameworks to make things easier, the same goes true for back-end developers.
To simplify the back-end development process, back-end developers often utilize the following frameworks:
- Django: This Python framework is great for quickly building web applications. It comes with lots of built-in features, which means less setup and more productivity.
- Laravel: If you’re working with PHP, Laravel is your go-to framework. It has an elegant syntax and offers tools for tasks like routing, authentication, and caching.
- Spring: For Java developers, Spring is a powerful framework that supports building large-scale applications with lots of tools and flexibility.
Front End vs. Back End: What Are The Differences
Now that you know front end and back end development difference, let’s wrap things up so you can have a better visualization:
Criteria | Front-end developers | Back-end developers |
Skills required | HTML, CSS, JavaScript, responsive design, debugging, UI/UX design | Server management, database management, API development, security, debugging |
Programming languages | HTML, CSS, JavaScript | Python, Java, PHP, Ruby, Node.js |
Frameworks and libraries | React, Angular, Vue.js, Bootstrap | Django, Laravel, Spring |
Focus | User interface (UI) and user experience (UX), visual elements | Server-side logic, databases, application functionality, security |
Working members | Collaborate with designers, UX/UI experts, and back-end developers | Work with front-end developers, database administrators, system architects |
Average salary | $112,000 per year in the U.S. | $120,000 per year in the U.S. |
Career paths | Front-end Developer, UI/UX Designer, Web Designer | Back-end Developer, DevOps Engineer, Systems Architect |
💡 Want to ‘rent’ our senior web developers to save cost? Hiring full-time front-end and back-end developers can cut deeply into your expenses, especially if you only need them for one project. Therefore, most brands outsource web application development services from specialized agencies like ours instead. |
Conclusion
In order to develop a full-fledged website or application, both front end vs backend development are essential.
Front-end developers handle the visual and interactive elements that users engage with, ensuring a seamless user experience and attractive design.
Meanwhile, back-end developers manage the server-side logic, databases, and application functionality, ensuring the website operates smoothly, securely, and efficiently.
Be it front-end or back-end, Axalize’s got you covered!
Front End vs Backend Development: FAQs
Wondering front end vs back end wich is better? Well, it depends on your interests and career goals.
- If you enjoy working with visual aspects, front-end development would be better
- If you love working with data and server management, back-end development is better
Generally, back-end developers tend to earn slightly more than front-end developers. For instance, in the US, the average annual salary of a front-end developer is $112,000, a bit lower than back-end developer at $120,000.
SQL (Structured Query Language) is used in back-end development to manage and manipulate databases– a core aspect of back-end operations.
Python is primarily used in back-end development for server-side logic, data processing, and integration with various back-end services and databases.
