Top 11 Key Skills for Front-End Web Developers

So, let us not waste time and look at the top 11 critical skills for front-end developers right now.

1. HTML

HTML is considered the first thing that one should learn if he is serious regarding web development. Despite being possibly the oldest web technology, it is nevertheless relevant, and it will be impossible to become an efficient web developer without understanding HTML.

At present, individuals rarely make use of HTML for creating webpages. Instead, the majority of the webpages are produced by advanced frameworks such as React and Angular. However, if you’d like to comprehend, debug, and solve problems, it is important to know essential HTML tags such as span, div, headers, title, and so on.

1. Advanced CSS (Grid and Flexbox)

Besides HTML, CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets is one more web technology that one ought to learn. The primary purpose of CSS is to make your webpage appear more attractive. Like HTML, it is now rare to use CSS for styling your web pages manually, and instead, individuals use frameworks such as Tailwind CSS, Bootstrap, and Materialize.

CSS, like HTML, is evolving and consists of stuff like Grid and Flexbox at present. In case you happen to be a beginner, you are advised to begin with barebone CSS and follow this move to new developments such as Grid and Flexbox.
Must Read: Bootstrap 5 (alpha) – What’s new?

1. Advanced JavaScript

Advanced JavaScript is the next most crucial thing which should be learned by any web developer. It would not have been possible for the web to be where it is at present without JavaScript. JavaScript has the potential to make any webpage interactive. For example, one can change the animations, the web page’s appearance once the user moves the mouse, and so on. Apart from all these, JavaScript can offer much more. It is also possible to create a full web application by making use of JavaScript.

It has gradually evolved into a full-stack language from a front-end programming language, enabling you to create backend code. It is Nodejs, another essential framework for the front-end web developers, which is responsible for this.

1. React.js

As mentioned earlier, front-end web development has become quite advanced in the last few years. At present, there is no need to use HTML and CSS for creating webpages. At present, there are frameworks such as React, which will generate web pages dynamically for you. Because of this, any front-end web developer needs to learn to React.

However, like React, there are many front-end frameworks such as Angular, Svelete.js, and Vuejs, which are equally powerful. But React will be recommended since many companies have adopted it at present.

1. Node Package Manager (NPM)

This one is one of the most essential tools for web development out there. Now it will not be required for you to write code for developing web pages if you don’t know how to do that.

For instance, there is no need to write any framework if you’d like to create dynamic web pages since this has already been written by somebody else, and you can simply import them into your project. It is NPM that has made this possible. It happens to be the largest software registry on the planet and hosts above 800,000 code packages.

Technically speaking, NPM happens to be JavaScript’s package manager. It is likewise Node.js’ default package manager. It comprises a command-line client referred to as NPM for downloading the modules plus hosts private and public packages online.

1. VSCode

The IDE happens to be the essential tool for writing code, and fortunately, we have got as many as three top-quality IDE – NetBeans, Eclipse, and IntelliJIDEA. Undoubtedly, they can be used for web development as well; however, it is more sensible for a front-end web developer to use Java in the backend. Microsoft VSCode has changed that thing, and it has turned out to be the most powerful IDE out there. Unlike those heavy IDEs, it is exceptionally lightweight as well as highly configurable.

In case you like to become a top-notch web developer, it would be advisable for you to learn VSCode. Try to know everything, including new extensions, shortcuts, and so forth.

1. Chrome Developer Tools

This one is one more important tool for front-end web developers. Although we used to depend on Internet Explorer’s View Page Source option for figuring out what is happening on a webpage, it has become a thing of the past. Things have drastically changed after the introduction of Chrome on the market.

At present, Chrome is used for browsing approximately 70% of the webpages. It is not known to many web developers that there is an inbuilt debugging tool in Chrome, which is referred to as Chrome Developer Tool. This can be accessed by merely right-clicking and then clicking “Inspect.”

Apart from allowing you to see HTML, this tool likewise enables you to see JavaScript libraries, CSS, and more. The CSS classes can also be changed on the fly.

1. Postman

It is another tool that every front end web developer must know. You require a tool for exploring APIs, and Postman will be the best tool for you to interact with APIs. You can use it for accessing APIs, sending HTTP requests, and so forth.

It doesn’t matter whether you connect to external APIs or internal APIs offered by Facebook, Google, Amazon, and other payment gateways; Postman is imperative for comprehending them. It is, likewise, an appropriate tool for testing your APIs. Postman can be obtained as a desktop client or Chrome extension.

1. Responsive Web Design

This is another tool that every web developer must learn. Responsive Web design enables you to present your website in the best possible way, depending on the size of the tools used by your users. A framework for you will probably handle it, but understanding its function is essential for maintaining and troubleshooting your web project.

1. GraphQL

It might be known to you that APIs drive the majority of the web. It is an essential task for any web developer to develop APIs in a back-end developer. For this, it is imperative to know the ways to interact with them. Although REST happens to be an easy way to create APIs, it comes with several deficiencies for a web application, such as maintaining an excessive number of endpoints.

This problem can be addressed by GraphQL, which is already powering the subsequent development of APIs. It is recommended that you learn this tool in case you like to stay ahead in the competition.

1. Problem-solving skills

Problem-solving skill is one attribute which every front-end web developer must-have. From understanding how to implement a design in the best possible way to fixing bugs that might arise, a web developer must know how to solve problems in the best possible way.

For example, suppose your front-end has created a correctly functioning website. You like to give it to the back end developers to integrate it with the content management system. However, the features implemented by you stop working all of a sudden. An efficient front-end developer will see it as something that has to be fixed instead of a disaster.

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