After Html And Css What's Next? | Roadmap To Web Development In 2021

Darphiz — Tue, 18 May 2021 00:36:45 +0000

I could remember vividly that I spent 6 months perambulating in 2016, from HTML to C++ just to get my hands on web development. The learning curve wasn't easy because I made a lot of mistakes while trying to get started with web development. I studied if not all free courses available on Sololearn before I decided to research the actual language I needed for web development. This article aims to enlighten anyone who wants to be a web developer in 2021 on the steps to take to avoid the mistake I made in 2016.

After HTML and CSS What should you do next?

I would say decision-making comes next. It high time you decide on which end of web development you want to stay.

Although, sitting on the fence is allowed. When I say "which end", I mean you are to choose whether you are going Frontend or Backend.

If you are finding it hard to decipher the meaning of Frontend and backend, I wrote an article about those terms. In the article, I explained the terms frontend, backend, and API in such a way a four-year-old would understand. You might want to check it out.

While you are learning HTML and CSS, I assume you have an insight into the 'end' which suits you. Do you enjoy coding beautiful web pages or you prefer writing the logic behind those pretty pages? Whichever you choose would determine the 'end' that suits you. If you love the former, you should choose the frontend learning path, later? then stick to the backend.

Learn JavaScript

What do facebook.com, twitter.com, youtube.com, and other prominent websites have in common? its JavaScript!

Learn JavaScript First

Irrespective of the 'end' you choose, I would recommend you learn JavaScript. JavaScript is an essential programing language for adding dynamic features to your website. Javascript is powerful to run at the frontend (Vue, React, Angular) and the backend(Node.js).

Sololearn and W3CSS have great beginner-friendly tutorials to get you on track.

Do you prefer the front End?

You should get your thumbs busy with any of the frontend frameworks. Having a profound knowledge of the underlying technology stack of these frameworks is a prerequisite(JavaScript). Examples of front-end frameworks are Vue, React, and Angular.

Do you prefer the Back End?

Backend frameworks are built on different programming languages. To stay on track, you must have a good knowledge of the underlying technology of the framework. There are lots of backend frameworks which include Django, Laravel, Node, Ruby On Rail. Django uses Python, Laravel uses PHP, Node uses JS and Rail uses Ruby programming language. Whichever you use, it's important to understand the prerequisites.

Version Control

Also known as Source Control, is a practice of monitoring and managing the changes that happen to source codes. I would recommend Git for tracking and managing your source codes once you get started with the framework of your choice.

Learn version control like Git

You can learn git commands on Sololearn, they have a comprehensive and beginner-friendly tutorial on it.

This Is How I Would Explain The Front-End, Back-End, And Apis To A Four-Year-Old Child

Darphiz — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 11:38:09 +0000

Recently, I told a friend of mine that I am a back-end developer. He asked me what the meaning of “back-end” web development was. It took me lots of explanation and illustration to explain what back-end means in web development. I understand, he is not a techy guy. I noticed that not just non-techy are finding it hard to understand the terms, a lot of coding newbies can’t decipher the meaning. While some who think they “understand” probably misunderstood.

Just like I explained to my friend, this article is aimed at explaining various aspects (“ends”) of web development to newbies as I would explain to a 4-year-old. Don’t be offended when I say ‘like a four-year-old’, the phrase is to tell how simple and explicit the explanation would be.

I would represent the world of web development with a medium-sized restaurant. In a restaurant, you enter and give your order, the waiter brings the order to your table.

Basically, you are the user of the restaurant(website). You are less concerned with the processes of making the food. You just want your food and make payment.

The Front-end Aspect Of The Restaurant.
The front end is everything you can see in the restaurant. The HTML is synonymous with the structure of the restaurant, the tables, chairs, and other things. The CSS is the arrangement of things, the restaurant’s painting, the styles and every other thing put in place. The JavaScript handles how you are attended to. When you walk into the restaurant, the waiter gives you the menu, you check your favourite and make a request.

Then the waiter knows what to do with your request. The waiter can also help you with other things in the restaurant.

Therefore, everything happening right there is the front-end aspect of the restaurant.

The Back-end Aspect Of The Restaurants.
After making your request, you are less concerned with the cook or the ingredients the restaurant’s cook is using. You are there enjoying the serene environment and expecting the waiter to deliver your food.

You can think of the back-end as the cooks working tirelessly to prepare the food you ordered. The waiter hands over the menu, then the cook prepares the food and give it to the waiter.

You can think of everything happening in the kitchen as the back-end. The management of the restaurant, which includes decisions on pricing, payment of staff salaries, is done behind. This is the back-end!

The APIs Aspect Of The Restaurant.

You can think of the APIs as the waiters. They serve as a medium between the user and the cook/management.

Just like the way mini restaurants can do without waiters (case of a user requesting the cooks directly), websites can also do without APIs.

The API makes it possible to communicate with other mediums.

For example, if you own a blog app, you can get data across to a mobile app via the API.

APIs also makes it possible to deliver foods outside the restaurant. You can think of the delivery men as the APIS.

DEV Community: Darphiz