Do you want to become a Full Stack developer? A Full stack developer is capable of developing both the front-end and backend. In order to become a full stack developer, there are different stacks which include the different combination of tools and technologies that helps to build web applications.

Developers can create their own stacks based on their requirements but some of them have become so popular that they've become standards in the web development industry. One of them is the MERN stack.

In this article, we are going to discuss how you can become a MERN stack developer and What technologies you need to be a Full Stack Developer. Let's first get to know What is the MERN stack?

What is the MERN stack?

MERN stands for MongoDB, Express.js, React, and Node.js. In this stack, Nodejs and Express are used to develop the backend, React is used for the frontend, and MongoDB is for the database. There are other stacks too that are popular too like MEAN and MEVN stacks but MERN is still the most popular and developer-friendly tech stack because of React.

React is used to build the frontend of an application and it is the most popular library in web development. It improves the site's performance by simplifying the development of the user interface.

When you use React with MongoDB, Express.js, and Node.js, the stack becomes a highly customizable and open source JavaScript-based tech stack. Many renowned companies like Netflix and Uber have used the MERN stack.

5 Steps to become a MERN Stack Developer

1). Learn the Fundamental Languages of Frontend development

If you are in Web Development or want a career in Web development, you'll need to learn the three basic languages HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Learning these languages will help you to learn the fundamentals of Web development and how these languages work. You can learn these languages on the Internet for Free as there are lots of tutorials and courses available. Let's see why we use these languages.

• HTML: HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language which is a standard markup language that is used to create the structure of the Web page. You can think of it as a Human Skeleton without any muscles or body parts. It is used to instruct the browser that how to display the content on a web page. We can add headings, paragraphs, images, lists, etc using HTML.

• CSS: CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheet that is Used to style the web page. We can style the text, images, and buttons we have added in HTML using CSS. CSS is also responsible for making the Web Page more interactive and responsive.

• JavaScript: JavaScript is a scripting language that is used to make web pages more dynamic and interactive. It can be used to play Audio or video, change the colors of elements, change the behavior of the web page, etc.

Things to keep in Mind

• Start by learning the basics of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

• CSS can be a little complex but don't start using Bootstrap or Tailwind.

• Build projects with HTML and CSS only.

• take time to learn JavaScript as it is huge and takes time.

2). Learn Front End Tools

After learning the basic three languages, now you can learn the tools that will help you build the front end faster. here are the few tools that you will need to develop applications.

• Visual Studio Code(VS Code): Microsoft created it in 2015, it is an open-source code editor that can be used to develop applications efficiently. According to Stack Overflow's 2021 annual survey, 70% of professional Web developers use VS code as their code editor.

• Git: Git helps developers to store their code and manage the changes made to the code. You can return to the previous state of the code if you made any errors.

• SASS: SASS is a preprocessor of CSS that stands for Syntactically Awesome Stylesheet. SASS is used to simplify the process of styling and reduce the repetition of code.

• Bootstrap: Bootstrap is an open-source framework that is a CSS-based framework. It was created by Twitter in 2011 to allow programmers to customize responsive websites.

Things to keep in Mind

• Learning these tools is not so difficult, focus on practicing in Visual Studio Code.

• Practice building projects using SASS.

• Try to manage these projects using Git.

3). Learn React

After you have learned all of this, now's time to learn the most popular and powerful library React. It is an open-source library created by Facebook. You can learn React by taking some courses to learn the basics of React and then you can build projects.

You can start with the official documentation of React which has simple and easy-to-understand tutorials. There are lots of tutorials and projects on YouTube too..

Things to Keep In Mind

• Find informative courses or tutorials on React on following them.

• Learn the basics by watching tutorials and then start building your own small projects.

• You can create clones of Social Media Websites or applications as a React project.

• It will help you build your portfolio too.

4). Learn the Backend part of MERN Stack

Now, you've mastered the Front End of the MERN stack. It's time to learn the Back End which includes Express.js, Node.js, and MongoDB.

• Express.js: Express.js is a framework that is used to design the backend of an application. It works inside Node.js and helps to build single-page and hybrid web applications. Express.js only requires JavaScript, it makes it possible to build web applications and APIs very easily.

• Node.js: Node.js is a JavaScript runtime environment that is built on Chrome's V8 engine. It is open-source and free to use. It allows you to run JavaScript program to run outside of a web browser and easily create highly scalable server-side applications.

• MongoDB: NoSQL is used as an alternative to traditional relational databases and MongoDB is a NoSQL database. It allows you to store large-scale data and work with it efficiently.

Things to keep in Mind

• Learn these Nodes.js, Express.js, and MongoDB step-by-step by enrolling in courses.

• Try to build your own projects with the front end.

• Don't try to learn everything at once.

5). Practice Practice and Practice

Alright, now you can build your own applications to practice what you have learned. You have all the skills required to be a MERN stack developer.

Create simple projects first and then start building large web applications. It won't happen overnight. Take your time and implement what you have learned. It will help you to showcase your skills on your resume too. it will increase your chances of getting a High-Paid Job.

Conclusion

Learning all these technologies might be difficult so go slow at your own pace and try to learn the basics first. Don't try to learn React and Node.js; you'll need to learn HTML, CSS, and JavaScript if you intend to understand these libraries and frameworks easily.

Enjoy building web applications. All the Best Full stack developers!!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are some popular frameworks for building web applications besides the MERN stack?

Some popular frameworks for building web applications besides the MERN stack are MEAN Stack, LAMP Stack, Ruby on Rails, Django, and Flask.

2. How can I become a MERN stack developer?

To become a MERN stack developer you can follow the steps mentioned in the article above, Which are

• Learn the fundamental languages of frontend development: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• Learn front-end tools like Visual Studio Code, Git, SASS, and Bootstrap.
• Learn React, the most popular and powerful library used to build the frontend of applications.
• Learn the backend part of the MERN stack, including Express.js, Node.js, and MongoDB.

3. What are the basic languages of frontend development?

The basic languages of frontend development are HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. HTML is used to create the structure of the webpage, CSS is used to style the webpage, and JavaScript is used to make web pages more dynamic and interactive.

4. What tools do I need to learn to become a MERN stack developer?

To become a MERN stack developer, you need to learn front-end tools like Visual Studio Code, Git, SASS, and Bootstrap. Also, you need to learn React, Express.js, Node.js, and MongoDB to become proficient in the backend part of the MERN stack.