Are you curious to know what front-end programming is? Maybe you are among the people who have heard the terms front-end and back-end many times, but you didn’t know their meaning. Most programmers who work in the web field ask each other this question: are you a back-end programmer or a front-end programmer?
To know what front-end programming is and who is a front-end programmer, you must first know what front-end is. The “What is Front End” article explains front-end programming, what is required to learn it, and the differences between front-end programming and other fields.
What is the front end?
Front End is the visible part of a website or software to users. The front end displays incomprehensible codes to users in a graphical and visual format so that they can easily use different parts of a site. Input forms, sounds, images, videos, and generally anything else that can be understood by the user are placed in this section.
Front-end is divided into two main parts: user interface design and development. In the design part, designers use graphic software such as Photoshop, Adobe XD, Figma, etc. to design the appearance of the website. However, the development part of the user interface is related to the implementation of the appearance of the website in the form of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript codes. The visible part of the website is called the client side. Therefore, the codes written on the front-end side are processed and executed in the user’s browser. This means that the user has direct access to these codes and can view them. The front end is directly related to the back end and greatly impacts the user experience when using the product.
What are Front end programming languages?
Nowadays, you can code with many programming languages in the field of front-end, but the three important and main languages that are mandatory for every front-end programmer are HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. With the passage of time, each of these three items included different versions in the form of new languages. For example, TypeScript was created as an improved version of JavaScript and is used when coding with some frameworks such as Angular. In the following, we will review these front-end programming languages.
HTML
HTML language is not a programming language but a markup language that is considered the core and main body of web pages. The meaning of the markup language is that the code written in HTML is like a text file whose various components are separated by tags. This language is used to create the structure of web pages.
CSS
The CSS language (Cascading Style Sheets) is designed to style various components of website pages such as text, images, boxes, etc. In fact, you put the components and elements of a website or program on your page with HTML and use CSS to customize the shape and appearance of those elements. So, CSS enables website designers to implement their creativity in the design of website pages without limits.
Javascript
This programming language is processed on the user side. The front-end programmer can use Javascript to animate the pages he designed with HTML and CSS. In fact, you can bring life to designed pages with the help of JavaScript. For example, if you click a submit button, this is JavaScript that submits the form to the server. It is necessary to master some HTML and CSS concepts before starting to learn JavaScript.
What skills do we need for front-end programming?
Now that you understand what front-end programming is, we want to examine the skills required for front-end development. The front end is one of the most important aspects of a business because it is the first port through which an employer can communicate with its customers, and if it does not have the right appearance for this port, it will lose its opportunity. So those who intend to become front-end designers and developers must have different characteristics and skills. In the following, we mention some of the most important skills of a front-end programmer.
Learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript programming languages
If you want to become a front-end developer, you must first be able to code professionally with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Front-end coding is easier than other areas of programming, and there are plenty of resources on the Internet to speed up the learning process. In addition, for every problem you encounter, a solution can be found in the Q&A forums.
Familiarity with Javascript front-end libraries and frameworks
Due to the JavaScript programming language standards, various implementations can be done with it. For this reason, a new and custom framework is added to the collection of JavaScript frameworks from time to time. JavaScript frameworks provide many advanced features to front-end designers. Among these frameworks, Vu.js, Angular, etc. can be mentioned.
Getting to know the principles of responsive design
A standard user interface should be in such a way that it does not disturb the performance of the application on different devices and platforms. So it should be able to react appropriately according to the type of device it is running on. If the user interface is not designed properly, it destroys the site’s or application’s value and the user does not work with your product.
Learning graphic software such as Photoshop
Imagine you want to implement a web page with a high complexity of elements. In this case, drawing the design with Photoshop before starting the coding and implementing it after the team members’ agreement is better. Graphical software such as Adobe XD, Figma, etc. are used by front-end designers in most stages of designing a user interface. So learning at least one of them is mandatory for the front-end programmer.
Having taste and creativity
The front-end design must use creative, user-friendly, and eye-catching designs for the appearance of an application. A successful designer is someone who can create a beautiful user interface based on the standards of appearance and user experience. Creating these differences in appearance and attractive designs is what separates your work from other competitors.
Getting to know the principles of user experience
The front-end developer must know the needs of the users well. He should be able to design the user interface of an application in such a way that users get the best experience while using it. In fact, the key to the success of a front-end developer is to know the user and their needs in the first step and to be able to design and implement a page based on that need in the next step.
An example of a front in the real world
To better understand the concept of the front end, consider a movie. The appearance of the website is like a movie that you are watching. Actors and scenes are the components that make up the front end, and they are placed in their desired location and act based on the director’s instructions. Director commands are the same HTML, CSS, and JavaScript codes that create the user interface.
Of course, in order for this film to be made and released, there were many behind-the-scenes agents such as cinematographers, sound operators, directors, etc. that you will not see in the film. The codes running in the site’s background are like the movie’s behind-the-scenes agents that are related to the backend.
What is the income and salary of a front-end programmer?
The income of a front-end developer in the world is between 65 and 110 thousand dollars. There are many titles for people who work in the front-end field. These jobs differ in the amount of salary received depending on their duties. Some of the important front-end jobs are:
- Front-End Developer
- Front-End Engineer (aka JavaScript Developer or Full Stack JavaScript Developer)
- CSS / HTML Developer
- Front-End Designer Web
- UI (User Interface) developer/engineer
- Mobile / Tablet Front-End Developer
- Front-End Expert SEO
- Front-End DevOps
- Test-End Testing /Q
Note: If you find the terms “Full Stack” or the generic term “Web Developer” in job titles, these words may be used by an employer to describe a role that includes responsibility for all aspects of web/application development, i.e. both Backend and Front-End section. So, try to define the responsibilities and duties that you are committed to with your employer before starting work.
What is the difference between front-end and back-end?
Most sites require a backend developer to implement the site’s logic using programming languages. The back end is a part of a website or software that is not visible to users. In other words, it is the core and brain of a site, which is responsible for controlling its logic. Users do not have access to the codes written in the backend section and cannot see them. The backend part deals with the main server (on which the site is located) and the database.
When the user clicks on a button, he has actually clicked on one of the front-end elements. The front-end detects this click and, based on the code written by the front-end programmer, refers its request to the back-end section. Using the logic that the back-end programmer has implemented, that request is executed. In this section, information may be taken from the database or processing may be done in the backend codes, and there is no need to communicate with the database. Finally, the answer is again sent by the backend to the frontend, and the frontend shows it to the user in the form of graphic elements such as text messages, images, etc.
The difference between a front-end developer and a UI designer?
As we said in the previous sections, the front end consists of two parts: design and development of the user interface. The design part of user experience is called UX. UX defines how user interaction with software or a website should be. The user interface development section is also called UI. UI and focuses on how this communication or user interface is displayed.
So UX designers determine what elements the page design should include (for example, whether the page in question needs buttons or not) while the UI team works on the appearance and implementation of these elements. Together, these two form the front-end section. In many jobs, when you are hired as a front-end developer, the employer expects you to have a high skill in implementing the user interface, and besides, after assessing the system requirements with other members of the company, Can you suggest a suitable design? But if you work as a user interface designer, you are not obligated to design elements. However, a little familiarity with UX will always speed up your work as a developer and avoid overtime.
What is the front-end learning path?
In recent years, various frameworks have been created for web programming, especially the front-end part, and their number is increasing day by day. Frameworks such as Blazor, and Angular (React, Vue, Angular) are among the popular JavaScript frameworks. For this reason, there are many areas in which you can learn and engage in front-end programming.
These diverse areas are confusing and even a little intimidating for many new programmers. The diversity and complexity of learning and not having a proper road map makes the process of becoming a front-end programmer difficult.
Why should we become a front-end developer?
Today every business needs a platform to communicate with customers. The task of a front-end developer is to design and develop this platform. For this reason, front-end is considered a highly demanded field among programming jobs. After mastering the topics in this article and becoming a Front-End Developer, you can start other web-related topics like Backend and eventually become a Full Stack Developer. Our advice to you is that you must acquire a complete and high skill in one field and then move on to the next topic and not have a superficial view of the issues. If you have any questions about the front end or need advice, be sure to share them with us and W3camps‘s users.
