Web development, often known as website development, refers to the duties connected with designing, managing, and maintaining websites and web applications that operate online on a browser. It may, however, also comprise web design, web development, and database administration.
Web development is closely tied to the work of creating the features and functioning of applications (web design). The word development is typically reserved for the actual building of these things (that is to say, the programming of sites). The main tools used are computer languages named HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), and JavaScript.
There are, however, a number of different applications used to "manage" or assist the development of sites that would otherwise have to be done "from scratch" by writing code. A variety of content management systems (CMS) fit under this category, including WordPress, Joomla!, Drupal, TYPO3, and Adobe Experience Manager, among others.
What Exactly is Web Development?
Web development is closely connected to the work of creating the features and functioning of websites and apps (commonly termed “web design”), but the “web development” word is typically reserved for the actual creation and programming of websites and applications.
Think about all the websites you have used over the years — Web Developers constructed those sites, ensuring sure they functioned correctly and performed in ways that provided for a fantastic user experience. Web Developers achieve this by creating lines of code, utilizing a number of programming languages, which vary based on the jobs they are doing and the platforms they are working on.
What Are the Most Common Programming Languages?
The following programming languages are the fundamental tools used in web development:
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
A Hypertext Markup Language is the most basic web design language out there. It is typically the first language taught to a web designer, essentially making it one of the most critical tools for any designer to have in their toolset. This is one of the fundamental languages of web design and assists designers to establish a framework for the complete website. Enabling the designers to define the basic wireframe for the whole website and the layout for the entire project.
Even though it is relatively ancient compared to the current standards, the language has never lost its importance in the coding world since it is always evolving and updating. Making it one of the greatest coding languages to work with to design gorgeous and spectacular websites. Although supplanted by other newer languages for website creation, HTML is still the language used to assist create a knowledge of how website development works. Probably for this reason every competent website developer knows this language even if they don’t use it very frequently.
All it takes is for you to write it in any simple text editing tool such as notepad and save it with .html or .htm extension. You have hence created a webpage.
Whatever you write in an HTML file is rendered as it is in the browser.
Every HTML file starts and ends with opening and closing the HTML tag. HTML tags are keywords (tag names) surrounded by angle brackets. An opening tag is written as <TAGNAME>, where TAGNAME is the name of the Tag and the closing tag is </TAGNAME> .HTML Tags come in pairs usually(with a few exceptions), the opening tag first and then the closing tag. We also have covered all the HTML tags alphabetically with multiple code examples and live code samples which you can run and see the output.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Page Title</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Welcome to Study Tonighth</h1>
<p>Learn Web Development.</p>
</body>
</html>
Welcome to Study Tonighth
Learn Web Development.
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
We cannot chat about HTML, without discussing Cascading Style Sheets(CSS). If you have HTML on the roster you will have to put CSS onto independent of what the roster is about. These two languages go side by side. If HTML is the body, CSS is the soul. HTML aids in constructing the layout and structure of the website and CSS helps produce the visual aspect of the website.
CSS is a platform that gives a number of possibilities for web building and creativity. When combined with HTML it enables the designer to add details to the web page and add several web pages to the site with ease. The website is not only impacted by its design but by minute features like coloring, text style, and formatting CSS assists with all these capabilities. In this scenario, the code is not stored with the main code but kept in a separate file and afterward imported to the main code.
They supply the functional posture and style data for preparing static website page-page should be the same and readily similar for the visitor. Nowadays there are numerous sites that alter page layout, which is more perplexing for new visitors. In order to build more of these pages, more propelled customer side and server scripts need to be incorporated.
Cascading Style Sheet offers what web designers have been clamoring for over the years: more control over the layout of your website. As you might already know, HTML can also be used for formatting content on a webpage. For example, many of the HTML tags support the align attribute, which provides simple support for text alignment.
<h1 align = "center">BIG CENTERED TEXT!</h1>
Now for those who come solely from an HTML background, knowing what a tag does, the align attribute is somewhat of a win-win situation. However, most HTML tags also contain attributes like size, color, etc., which are purely presentational.
Consider the <blink> tag. The following markup will cause the text to blink on Mozilla Firefox:
<blink>Firefox is the King of Internet Browsers!</blink>
JavaScript
JavaScript is a client-side, object-based scripting language that is used to handle and validate client-side data. JavaScript is also used for making the user interface of the web pages more dynamic making it responsive to events like the movement of the mouse, mouse click on a certain HTML element, a button click, etc, using which we can improve the user experience.
JavaScript is a lightweight scripting language based on ECMAScript standards. It executes on the browser and therefore reduces the load on the server. JavaScript can also be used to create cross-platform applications or SaaS applications or to create a Back-end server-side application by using NodeJS.JavaScript is Platform Independent, which means you need to write the script once and can run it on any platform or browser without affecting the output of the Script.
The code given below shows how to use the <script> tag inside the <head> element of an HTML document to add some JavaScript code.
<html>
<head>
<title>my first JavaScript</title>
<script>
function text()
{
document.getElementById("script").innerHTML= "This text has been written inside the JavaScript.";
}
</script>
</head>
<body>
<p id="script">this is the old text</p>
<button type="button" onclick=" text() ">click this button to use JavaScript.</button>
</body>
</html>
JavaScript makes the webpage more interactive and dynamic. By using JavaScript you can make your webpage give immediate feedback to the user so that they would not have to reload the page. You can use JavaScript to perform actions based on how the user interacts with your webpage using the events generated like a mouse click, form submit, button click, and a lot more.
Classification Of Web Development
Web development can be classified into two ways:
Front-End
The front-end of a website refers to a component of the site that your user interacts with directly. Coding languages like HTML and CSS are sections of the site that cover the front-end since they’re the coding languages that your user’s browser reads. If you reckon of your website as a restaurant, the front-end is your waiter, the menus, and the décor, essentially whatever you, the consumer, can see and engage with. These are several languages utilized in frontend development. Some of them are:
- HTML: HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. It is used to create the front-end part of web pages using a markup language. It functions as a skeleton for a website as it is utilized to construct the structure of a website.
- CSS: Cascading Style Sheets often referred to as CSS is a simply constructed language meant to ease the process of making web pages presentable. It is used to style our website.
- JavaScript: JavaScript is a programming language used to add dynamic behavior to our website.
- Bootstrap: Bootstrap is a free and open-source toolset for designing responsive websites and online apps. It is the most popular CSS framework for designing responsive, mobile-first websites. Nowadays, the websites are excellent for all the browsers (IE, Firefox, and Chrome) and for all sizes of displays (Desktop, Tablets, Phablets, and Phones) (Desktop, Tablets, Phablets, and Phones).
Back-End
The back-end of a web page or website is everything that the user can't see and engage with. Typically back-end programming languages like PHP or .NET are executed on a server. For this reason, the back-end code is sometimes referred to as server-side code. So if we're keeping with the restaurant example from above, the back-end is the kitchen and chefs. The kitchen and chefs are out of your view, yet they're still there creating the food and are definitely crucial to the operation of the restaurant. Similarly, a functioning website requires a robust back-end to interact with the front-end in order to be effective. These are several languages utilized in backend development. Some of them are:
- PHP: PHP is a server-side programming language built primarily for web development.
- Java: Java is one of the most popular and frequently used programming languages. It is extremely scalable.
- Python: Python is a programming language that enables you to work rapidly and integrate systems more effectively.
- Node.js: Node.js is an open-source and cross-platform runtime environment for running JavaScript code outside a browser.
- Back End Frameworks: The list of back end frameworks are: Express, Django, Rails, Laravel, Spring, etc.
Important Web Development Terms
Are you fresh to the world of web design and development? If so, there's a mind-boggling quantity of terminology and abbreviations that you'll be required to know. To assist avoid any misunderstanding and offer you a fast start into the online world, we've listed some of the most prevalent web design words.
User
As the name says, the word "user" simply refers to anybody who will be utilizing the site you're developing. Some other sectors may call it a "customer" or "client" but it's a good idea to start being consistent and just using the word "user" when referring to the, well, users on your site.
Usability
If a website is hard to use, users will quit it. You want your site to retain people, of course, therefore the word "usability" relates to how simple it is to use and navigate for an ordinary person.
User Interface (UI)
The user interface is essentially how a person interacts with the design of a website. For example, the battery indicator on your smartphone is an element of the user interface. Sometimes UI is bundled with UX, which encompasses how nice the site looks, the site's reaction speed, and the content of the website.
User Experience
User Experience, or User Experience Design, as it is commonly known, focuses on the human interface with the computer or device. For example, the action that occurs if you were to touch the battery indicator on your phone is an element of the user experience. So although the UI is the design somewhat that your users will engage with, the UX is what will happen when the engagement actually takes place.
Responsive Design
The phrase responsive design refers to a certain design style in which your site will move around by employing grids and flexible pictures. The idea is so it'll reorganize itself based on the screen size the user is utilizing while still preserving a pleasant user experience across all devices. This is typically how a site will seem different on your phone than on your PC.
Importance Of Web Development
Increased Revenues
The amount of sales determines the success of every firm. Web design and development may help a business attract more customers, which leads to higher profitability. These days, the number of internet business transactions is increasing by the hour. The vast majority of businesses have leaped at the opportunity to benefit from online sales. An excellent website can demonstrate to its users that it is committed to providing the finest services and information possible.
Consistent Performance
Getting fresh leads for your company is a complicated process. You must collect high-quality data that will eventually translate into visitors, audiences, and customers. This procedure, however, allows you to build your brand, and it might be daunting at times. You want to familiarize the audience with the brand to select you when they decide to convert. Web design allows you to establish and maintain uniformity across all pages of your website. Layout, fonts, style, and design must be consistent across all of your pages. It seems unprofessional and unpleasant to have several web designs on your sites.
Cost-effective
Many startups and businesses fail due to losses or low revenues in their various operations. Poor business practices, such as neglecting internet web services, are part of the failure. Web design and development are both inexpensive. The appropriate organization of information during web construction saves a lot of money. These expenses are in addition to the potential profits generated by the website. Running a business without a website in today's environment is almost like inviting failure to your door. Thanks to technological developments, most people now use the internet and websites to look for items and services.
Simpler Navigation
A good online presence for a company requires a user-friendly and responsive website. All of the content on the website should be simple to read and understand. Online pages should load their content exceptionally quickly, as specified by the web development process. A good website gives extra options to a visitor, which assists in navigation. It includes a search box where customers can type the information they are looking for. It will help to simplify and improve your website's navigation. It is essential that when the website developer has created the website, they test the web pages regularly to ensure that the ease of navigation is there at all times. This process contributes to the resolution or elimination of issues that limit the loading of online pages.
Importance Of Web Development From Career Point Of View
Maybe you have your doubts about establishing a profession in web development. Or, maybe it's a swap you haven't thought of yet. Either way, we've compiled seven reasons why you should study programming to assist you to determine whether web development should be your next professional step. Heard about web development boot camps?
1. Now Hiring! There Are Web Dev Jobs Available
Given that there will be around 1.4 million computing positions available in 2020, with only 400,000 competent developers to fill them, people interested in obtaining in-demand skills will undoubtedly profit from having web development and coding in their CV. It's reasonable to assume there is and will continue to be, strong demand for web developers. You won't have to worry about finding work for web developers any time soon.
2. A Great Income
According to U.S. News & World Report, qualified professional web developers make an average income of $64,970 countrywide. Salary shouldn't be the sole aspect while determining whether or not to study web development, but it should be taken into account. With the average household income in the United States being $56,516 in 2017, the typical pay for web developers seems very decent.
3. No Wasted Time in Learning How to Code
If you're serious about learning how to code, there are various possibilities for web dev courses. You may get a CS degree, train yourself online, or take a boot camp. All are fantastic alternatives; it really depends on how fast you want to go out into the job. The upside of boot camp is that you can know how to code, and code effectively, in 13 weeks. 13 weeks! It's a tough 13 weeks, but you will have individuals devoted to your success in studying and obtaining a job during your boot camp experience. Before you know it, you'll be in a profession you're finally enthusiastic about!
4. You Can Work From Anywhere
Have the flexibility to work whenever you want from wherever—imagine that. All you need for web development is the internet and a laptop. Not all employment is remote, but if that is your option, there are remote jobs out there for you.
5. You Can Work at an Awesome Tech Company
Tech is the place to be right now. Because there is such a strong demand for web developers and so few skilled developers to fill those roles, tech businesses are doing a fantastic job at making work extremely pleasant, if not joyful. If you opt to work for a tech firm as a web developer, you'll enjoy free meals, ping pong, and rad teammates.
6. There Are Always Freelance Opportunities
If you're the sort who prefers to work project to project on your own terms, then becoming a freelance web developer is for you. Once you join the web dev community, you will discover that there are lots of options for you to freelance. Coming directly out of boot camp, you may charge $50 an hour—depending on where you live—for your job. And, it will only rise as you get more competent.
7. It's Creative and Fun
Web development allows you the possibility to express yourself artistically on the internet. If you have a concept you would want to attempt while you learn your web dev talents, check it out. Web dev is a joyful, creative activity.
Deciding on a job will always be a tough choice, particularly when you're unclear of what the conclusion will be after you've put time and money into learning a new craft. Fortunately, the high-demand, easy-to-learn, fun-to-experience life of a web developer is always a terrific option for someone willing to have an exciting career in coding.
Dive Into Web Development
The internet is here to stay. It’s growing better every day, and web developers are on the front lines of these breakthroughs and advancements. From this blog to your preferred social network to the applications you use on your phone, web development influences practically every element of your day — and your company.
Take the effort to study coding and programming to better not just your life but the lives of your customers, too.
