What is a Front-End Developer?
The front end of a website is the part that users interact with. Everything that you see when you’re navigating around the Internet, from fonts and colors to dropdown menus and sliders, is a combo of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript being controlled by your computer’s browser.
The world of Front-End Development can be defined as anything related to building client-side applications that are viewed in the web browser. You’ll be working on everything a User encounters. The front end is going to be the first thing that a user will see and interact with, so performance is paramount.
As a Front-End Developer, you’ll ensure that this crucial component is built with maintainability, scalability, and performance in mind.
Front-end design connects two worlds—the world of UI design with pixel-polished interfaces and the world of application-level development with business logic. Front-end developers turn designs into reality.
Front end languages
Web development is rooted in three core languages which account for nearly everything that you see and use on the internet.
JAVASCRIPT: When it comes to front end development, it is near impossible to work on a site that does not run without using JavaScript. One of the most popular languages, the benefits of this software is due to its ability to create dynamic and responsive web pages.
HTML: As a markup language, HTML is responsible for the flow and structure of the text on a webpage and provides a system for tagging that text for further enhancement using CSS.
CSS: Another popular programming language and staple addition to the front development of your website is CSS. Short for Cascading Style Sheets, when programmed into the running of your site, CSS can describe how the HTML elements on the site are displayed and presented onto the screen.
Front end frameworks
- Bootstrap: It’s very popular with designers of all skill levels. In fact, it’s the most-used open source framework available. Continuous updates mean you’ll always have the latest tools. This framework supports the most common languages and pre-processors, and it adheres to the latest standards for responsive app design.
- jQuery: It is a JavaScript library: a collection of plugins and extensions that makes developing with JavaScript faster and easier. Rather than having to code everything from scratch, jQuery lets a front end web developer add ready-made elements to projects, then customize as necessary (one reason why knowing JavaScript is so important).
- Foundation: Offers a lot of flexibility and customizability. Good for those who are experienced with front-end development and like to cover the basics while retaining a lot of creative control.
- Stylus: Expressive and stylish CSS language. This framework can only be used on Node.js applications.
- Semantic UI: Concise, intuitive, and makes debugging your code nice and simple. It gives you a lot of design freedom and adapts to your needs.
- UI Kit: The framework to use if you’re interested in developing iOS apps. It has a basic style that makes it easy to develop your own site look.
- AngularJS: Another front end development language. Offering a practical and scalable application, AngularJS combines functionality and the ability to create visually attractive web designs. This scalability that the Angular offers its web developers is one of its most popular features and one that has seen it rise in popularity.
Conclusion
Learning about the design aspect is the next logical progression for everyone from graphic artists looking to expand or update their credentials to business owners working to build brand awareness.
Choosing state-of-the-art tools and frameworks makes the job more efficient and rewarding. The result will be an appealing, hassle-free interface for users without requiring a lot of technological skill from the designer.
