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Brainy Josh
Brainy Josh

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THE JOURNEY TO BECOMING A FULL STACK WEB DEVELOPER

First thing first you should know who a full stack web developer is and what your job is:
As a full stack web developer, you should be able to write both front end and back end codes.
i.e you should be able to design the front end which is the user interface of the web App or website and you should also be able to program the backend.
Front End Development has to do with the user interface design, which includes, creating buttons, layout structures, color management, image placements and so on. This means that you should have frontend design skills which includes:
HTML5
CSS/CSS3
JAVASCRIPT

Each of the above listed technology has several frameworks and libraries designed by experts to aid web designing but your first step to mastering them is by learning the programming language it self, otherwise you can never be good at it.
For HTML/CSS, The most popular framework written in HTML/CSSS is bootstrap 4, which has been improving over the years. Currently now bootstrap 4 is the latest version. It supports CSS3 grid system which allows you to design responsive website that fits into any device it’s been viewed on.
For Javascript, Tech Giants and experts have built several frameworks and libraries which makes it the most on demand programming language right now. Javascript is not used only for front end designing, it can also be used for server side programming through the help of NODE.JS. a javascript library for server side programming.
In these series below are some of the javascript technology we are going to be using:
Jquery,
AJAX,
As we move on we are going to learn these on demand libraries too.
Vue,
React.

BACK END DEVELOPMENT: has to do with the server, which includes writing server side codes to execute commands like making queries to the database, generating dynamic contents on the web page.

Unlike frontend development where you create a button that is labeled “Create Account”, that button remains static and un responsive until you program it to carry out an action by sending a query to the database to create an account for the user and then returns a response to the user, whether it was successful or not. Only until then it’s been considered as backend programming.

To be able to carry out these tasks you should have the necessary backend programming skills which includes: PHP & SQL. As a beginner PHP & SQL is what you need to for backend programming. Adding these skills to your frontend skills it becomes (5), which now makes you a full stack web developer.
Today we have different levels as a full stack web developer. If you have looked around the internet you should have come across some profiles where people say they are senior full stack web developers. Now what makes them your senior in the game is that they have learnt and mastered other libraries and frameworks to speed their development and increase productivity, giving them time to continue learning new immerging technologies in the industry.
Now considering PHP as a backend programming language because it’s widely used and has served many websites owned by top brands and companies, developers have chosen the LARAVEL framework as the best PHP framework because it’s more secured.
Today hundreds of developers are contributing these projects which makes it stable and secured to use for web development.
The Laravel framework has lots of functions built into it, to speed up your development, which means you can write lesser lines of codes but achieve the same thing you should have done with a hundred lines of codes.
But the bad news there Is; to understand and use Laravel, you should have completed your PHP course, which means you should have been familiar with PHP functions and syntax because it’s written purely in PHP.

SQL: is a domain-specific language used in programming and designed for managing data held in a relational database management system, or for stream processing in a relational data stream management system. It is a structured query language which means it queries in rows and collums.
SQL statements are used to perform tasks such as update data on a database, or retrieve data from a database. Some common relational database management systems that use SQL are: Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, Phpmyadmin, etc.
In these series we will be using Phpmyadmin, Why? Because it’s open source, free and simple to learn and it also runs on your web server.

Some frequently asked Questions:

  1. What is meant by full stack development?
    a. Full stack development refers to the development of both front end and back end portions of an application. ... Companies are demanding full stack developers who are proficient in working across multiple stacks.

  2. What is a stack in web development?
    a. A Web stack is the collection of software required for Web development. At a minimum, a Web stack contains an operating system (OS), a programming language, database software and a Web server. LAMP is one commonly used Web stack.

  3. How much do full stack web developers make?
    a. The average full-stack developer salary nationwide is $110,500. Again, depending on region and skills, that figure can be substantially higher. Some companies will pay $150,000 per year or more for developers with specific expertise.

  4. How do I become a full stack web developer?
    a. Learn the necessary programming languages
    b. Refine the knowledge
    c. Become familiar with all technologies but a master of one
    d. Take a course.
    e. Get practical exposure.
    f. Take up additional assignments

  5. Is SQL back end?
    a. A back-end database is a database that is accessed by users indirectly through an external application rather than by application programming stored within the database itself or by low level manipulation of the data (e.g. through SQL commands). ... The back-end database concept was invented by Microsoft in 1989.

  6. Is frontend easier than backend?
    a. There's a common meme in web software development circles: Frontend developers are perceived to have less status than backend developers. ... Good front end development today, though, can actually be harder than back end development. At the extreme end of the spectrum, it can require a much stronger developer.

  7. How long does it take to learn full stack development?
    a. You can become proficient enough to find work in that skill relatively quickly, but it takes many years to become a true master. At the online coding school I work for, Thinkful, students learn a full stack web development skill set in 4 months, through the Full Time Web Development Bootcamp.

  8. Is HTML front end?
    a. Frontend is the part of the website users can see and interact with such as the graphical user interface (GUI) and the command line including the design, navigating menus, texts, images, videos, etc. ... Languages used for front end are HTML, CSS, Javascript while those used for backend include Java, Ruby, Python, PHP.

  9. What skills are required for full stack developer?
    a. Skill sets required to become a Full Stack Developer are Front-end technology, Development Languages, Database, Basic design ability, Server, Working with API and version control systems. Software stack is a collection of the programs which are used together to produce a specific result.

  10. Why is Web development so hard?
    a. Web development is simple, PEOPLE make it hard. They do so by using JavaScript to do HTML and CSS job. By failing to grasp the entire point of HTML and using presentational markup. By failing to take into account accessibility minimums.

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