As a business owner you are probably looking out for avenues to boost your sales. One sure way of enhancing your clientele is to go for website and app development for your business. In a recent survey, it was found that 89% of mobile users spent time using apps. In order to have an immediate reach that helps in expanding your business sales, websites and mobile apps can be great sources.
Businesses often have to come across many decisions in their mobile and website application development journey. For example, should the project be outsourced? What technology should be availed for developing the website and product app? What kind of developer to hire for this purpose?
Web Development discipline can be divided in three commonly used practices as given below.
- Front End Development
- Back End Development
- Full Stack Development
Companies face questions before embarking on web software development process. Should a full stack developer suffice for web application development? Should specialized web developers in front-end and back-end be hired for the project? Unsure about what a full-stack or a specialized front-end or back-end developer means? Let us give you general overview about all 3 types of Web Development specialties. This will help you understand about these domains and what is really needed for your project.
Front End Development
Just as the name suggests, Front End Development is all about developing the user interface of the website. This is working with the face of the website, through which the users interact with the application. It includes dealing with fonts, colors, navigation, drop-downs, and menu. It covers taking care of all that is there on the front of the website.
Front End Developer is a specialized resource
Front end development tools include CSS, HTML and JavaScript programming. So a front end programmer is also familiar with frameworks such as Bootstrap, Foundation, AngularJS etc. These web frameworks ensure that the front-end of the website looks amazing irrespective of however it is accessed.
The front-end developers also know about libraries such as jQuery and LESS that package code in a format that is more time-saving. Some front-end developers also like knowing about Ajax, which is a technique for using JS that allows pages to be dynamically loaded in the background.
Good grip on Web Design is only a start
Front end developers usually work with designers or user experience analysts for mock-ups or wire-frames. It means a lot of close communication and discussion to come up with the perfect design and translating it in a mock-up that best suits the customer needs.
It’s not about following a set of directives or implementing the latest trends in GUIs. A good front-end design requires intuition and input through series of discussions and analysis. With continuous involvement and keenness to put up a good solution, the front-end developer creates a design that best suits the overall requirements for the website.
Back End Development
The back-end of a website is mainly a server, an application and a database. Back End Development is primarily responsible for building and maintaining the connection to a server, managing user connectivity and database operations. It deals with the features that make up the entire experience of the website possible to the end-users.
Back End Developer is Expert of Server side Technologies
The three above mentioned components need to be integrated together. Simply put, it means they have to be able to communicate with each other for smooth flow of data. Back-end developers usually have expertise in server-side languages such as PHP, Ruby, Java, .Net etc. for building the application. Tools such as Oracle, SQL Server etc. help in building the database for the website. All the data is stored and retrieved for the users from the DBMS.
Although back-end developers don’t have to worry about aesthetics but there are guidelines and best practices that they must follow. Good back-end developers always write clean and well-documented code. This is only possible if they have an insight about the needs of business stakeholders.
Much of back-end development takes place after a few sessions of technical requirements gathering. These requirements are refined with continuous discussion among the stakeholders. Once the most effective and efficient solution is decided, it is only then that the back-end development begins.
Full Stack Development
Nowadays, many developers want to be proficient on both dimensions of web application development. Facebook gave the concept of Full Stack Development over 7 years ago. Full Stack Development covers majority of all basic aspects of Front End Development and Back End Development. This means having expertise in following:
- Server, network, and hosting environment
- Relational and non-relational databases
- How to interact with APIs and the external world
- User interface and user experience
- Quality assurance
- Security concerns throughout the program
- Understanding customer and business needs
Full Stack Developer has an overall command on these tools so that they are able to produce a website that is overall workable and clicks with its audience. Having cross-discipline capabilities can be challenging and at times daunting for many developers. Most often such developers are considered the full-package deal as they have expertise working on both server and client side technologies.
Full Stack Developer is Jack of All Trades
Apart from knowing all about the front-end languages that control the website aesthetics, the Full Stack developers know everything about the server side of web programming too. This means a merger of knowledge, making the developer powerful and in full control of the entire development domain. Such developers are able to work on end-to-end applications and have in-depth command over the entire architecture of the website. As a result, the developed website is better suited to match the business requirements of its customers.
Full Stack developers know their way in and out through web intricacies such as setting up of Linux servers, server-side APIs, client-side JavaScript. They also have a keen eye on the web design. Hence they have full command on all aspects of website development.
What to Choose?
In context to your project needs, you can decide whether to hire a full-stack developer or dedicated web developers. Follow these criteria while hiring the web programmer(s).
- Project Scope
- Project Complexity
- Project Budget
- Project Quality
Project Scope
The overall size and scope of a project is a big giveaway in making the decision on who to hire for it. A project with small scope does not require you to hire dedicated web developers especially if a full-stack developer can help you deliver the solution.
Project Complexity
Sometimes the project has complex requirements; where specialized expertise is the need of the day. In delivering a highly complex project, it is prudent to go for a dedicated developer who has high expertise in providing you a customized solution.
Project Budget
The biggest decision making factor is hands down your project budget. At times, your project requirements may not conform to the budget for web application development. In such a situation, a full stack developer is a better choice as they can provide you a complete end-to-end solution.
Project Quality
If quality is something you cannot compromise on, then it’s better to go for dedicated development as it helps you create a flawless solution through resources with high level expertise in their business domain.
Conclusion
You can discuss your choice of hiring for your project with Techliance, a custom IT Services Company from USA. It offers you a wide pool of resources that can help you with your web application development needs. Techliance is listed as leading eCommerce Website Development Company on B2B guide DesignRush. Contact us today for a free consultation about quality and cost effective web development solutions.
