Introduction:
We see a lot of websites all around the web wondering how are they created and who creates them? Well the simple and beautiful websites we encounter with holds a whole complex art at the backend which is called web development. Web development is the process of creating, building, designing and maintaining websites or web applications that run online on a browser. Web development is basically the actual construction and programming of websites and apps. But it does not restrain to just developing a product rather it is as necessary to develop an effective product to meet the challenges of the competitive world. To make it more understandable, the CTO of Rev9Solutions Syed Aqeel Kazmi puts it in this way:
“Web development isn’t merely about writing code for interactive pages; it’s about addressing real-world challenges, streamlining processes, enabling data sharing, facilitating global collaboration, and automating manual tasks in both business and personal contexts.” Syed Aqeel Kazmi
Languages used in Web development
There are multiple languages used in web development but the main web development languages are
- HTML (Hyper text markup language)
- CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
- JavaScript
HTML is a markup language that is primarily used for page creation on a website. For instance a home page, about page and contact page have HTML files. All the HTML pages have a series of HTML elements. These elements include HTML tags and attributes. Tags tell the web browser where an element begins and where it ends. Attributes describe the characteristics of an element. HTML is a beginner-friendly language and is primarily used for static pages.
CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets. CSS works with HTML and it describes how the HTML elements will be displayed on screen. It is used for styling of a website and therefore controls the layout of web pages all at once. Earlier the color and design attributes were added to the HTML 3.2 but it was a lengthy and costly procedure for designing purposes. Therefore, CSS was created by World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). CSS saves a lot of time by changing the look of entire website by just changing one file.
JavaScript is a programming language that is used to implement some complex features on the website. It is the third layer of technologies that are used in web development. It allows to create dynamically updating content, control multimedia, animated images and much more. Whenever a website is doing more than just showing static information, you can guess that JavaScript has been used in it along with HTML and CSS.
Basic components of Web Development
As we have looked into the languages that are used in web development, let’s explore it more by understanding some basic components of web development that are very crucial to the development of a successful product.
Front - End development
Front end is also called as client side development. Putting it in simple words, it basically deals with the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX). It usually refers to the side of the digital product that user see and interacts with. Front end developers use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript languages to create the layout, design and interactivity of a website.The responsibilities of front end developerns include creating responsive websites that appear and function well on all type of devices. Well versed front end developers also ensure that the structure of the website follows the best SEO practices.
Back end development
If front end focuses on how a digital product looks, back end is focused about how it works. Back end is a server side of the development that deals with the behind the scenes aspects of a website. Back end developers work with data bases, server configurations, and application logic to ensure the functionality, performance and security of the website. Backend developers are more concerned about the structures and systems that allow computer applications to perform as desired. Typically, backend developers use server side languages such as PHP, Ruby and Python.
Full stack development
Full stack development as demonstrated by its name is the combination of both the front end and back end development. Full stack developers are those who are familiar with both the front end and backend development. Undoubtedly, full stack developers are much coveted persons right now in the tech industry but it is important to understand that web development has become much more complex in the present era than it used to be. Therefore, it is quite hard to be best at both the sides of web development. That is the reason that usually full stack developers are assigned with some managerial tasks rather than development roles.
Web design
Web design is somewhat that focuses on the visual asthetics of the website. It works closely with the front end development to create visually appealing and user-friendly designs. Graphic designers also come along the front end developers to create mockups and prototypes by using figma, Adobe photoshop, and Sketch. The design of the website plays crucial role in making it more productive in the competitive world because after all this is what user is going to see initially.
Database management
The functional website usually hold a large amount of data. To manage the massive amount of data, it is important to have some solid data stores. These data stores are called databases. The primary purpose of databases is to store and manage data on websites. Web developers use database management systems like My SQL, Postgre SQL, and Mongo DB to store, retrieve, and manipulate data. These database management systems handles the huge amount of data effectively.
Web security
Web security refers to the protective measures and protocols the organizations adopt to protect their own and their clients’ data from cyber criminals. Security is indisputably the biggest concern in web development. Therefore, it is imperative for developers to be knowledgeable about common security threats such as SQL, Injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and data breaches to protect websites and user data.
Web hosting and deployment
The process of moving the code from your local server to a public host is called deployment. Web hosting is a service provided by web hosts. This step means to put up your project open to the world so that it can be seen all over the web. Deploying a website to a web server and managing hosting configurations are the most essential skills for web developers. Developers must be aware of hosting environments, server setups, and domain management.
Why is web development important
No one knows the future but one thing is for sure and that is the fact that internet is not going anywhere. As of now, more than half of the population of the world is internet user and this section of users is expected to grow further in upcoming years. Given such a huge number of internet users, it is no surprise that web development is a rapidly expanding industry. Because after all, the websites and apps are the things that show up on web. Therefore in this web and internet based era, web development is a powerful source to present your professional identity on internet. Websites and web apps plays very important role in all the fields of life but the domain that is getting most out of it is business sector. In other words, it brings businesses into life. It helps you to present your business in the most effective way to your potential customers. It helps them to know about your business in more clear way. This results in building a strong relationship with your customers, creating a brand’s identity, and develop loyalty among the existing customers. Not only that, but a well crafted websites created by professionals provide you with some other advanced benefits such as, differentiating your business from your competitors, creating more leads and increase the conversion rates to the optimal level.
Tools to streamline process
As web development is a complex system therefore there are some of the tools that are used to streamline the process of web development in more effective way.
- Text editors and integrated development environments (Visual Studio Code, sublime text)
- Version control systems (Git)
- Web browsers (Google chrome dev tools, Safari web inspector)
- Content management systems (WordPress, Joomla and Drupal)
- Data base management (phpMyAdmin, MongoDB Compass)
- Code collaboration and communication systems (Slack, Github)
Rev9Solutions also make use of these and many other tools and best practices that are either necessary or that makes the whole product development process more smooth and effective to bring in all the benefits to a business that create the difference in the market for them.
Conclusion
Web development is an ever evolving field that is playing a huge role in reshaping the current digital landscape. Web development is a process that includes multiple dimensions in it such as designing, creation and maintenance of websites and web applications. Web developers use a range of technologies and languages to create a functional and visually appealing product. Web development serves as a foundation for multiple purposes such as for personal purpose, Ecommerce ventures or informational resources.