Everything You Need to Know in 2022 to Become a Web Developer Pt.2
From the most basic apps to the most revolutionary inventions, technology plays a significant role in our daily lives. Every website or piece of software we see was built by a developer. But what exactly is web development, and what do they do? All of these questions will be addressed in this guide on how to become a web developer.
To the untrained eye, it may appear to be a complicated, perplexing, and somewhat inaccessible field. So, in order to shed some light on this fascinating industry, we've compiled the ultimate guide to web development and what it takes to become a full-fledged web developer.
We'll go over the fundamentals of web development in detail in this guide, and then show you the essential skills and tools you'll need to break into the industry. If you decide that web development is for you, the next step is to begin learning the necessary skills, which you can do in this free coding short course for beginners.
But first, we'll look at the web development industry in 2022 and consider whether it's a good career move—with a particular focus on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Here's what we'll talk about:
- Languages, libraries, and frameworks for programming
- What exactly are languages?
- What is the difference between libraries and frameworks?
- Other web development software
- What is the best way to become a web developer?
- A lucrative job market
- Choose a learning path.
5. Languages, libraries, and frameworks for programming
Web developers use languages, libraries, and frameworks to create websites and apps. Let's take a closer look at each of these, as well as some other tools that web developers use on a daily basis.
What exactly are languages?
Languages are the building blocks that programmers use to create websites, apps, and software in the world of web development. Programming languages, markup languages, style sheet languages, and database languages are all examples of languages.
Languages for programming
A programming language is essentially a set of instructions and commands that tell the computer what to do. To write source code, programmers use so-called "high-level" programming languages. High-level languages use logical words and symbols, making them simple to read and understand for humans. High-level languages can be categorised as either compiled or interpreted.
C++ and Java are two examples of compiled high-level languages. They are first saved in a text-based format that human programmers can understand but computers cannot. The source code must be converted to a low-level language, i.e. machine code, before it can be executed by the computer. Compiled languages are commonly used to develop software applications.
Languages that are interpreted, such as Perl and PHP, do not need to be compiled. Source code written in these languages, on the other hand, can be run through an interpreter—a programme that reads and executes code. In general, interpretable languages are used to run scripts, such as those used to generate content for dynamic websites.
Low-level languages are those that can be directly recognised and executed by computer hardware without the need for interpretation or translation. Low-level languages include machine language and assembly language, to name a few.
Python, Java, C, JavaScript, C++, C#, PHP, R, and Swift are among the most popular programming languages in 2022.
Languages of markup
Markup languages are used to specify how a text file should be formatted. In other words, a markup language instructs the software that displays the text on how to format the text. Although markup languages are completely legible to the human eye (they contain standard words), the markup tags are not visible in the final output.
HTML and XML are the two most popular markup languages. HTML is an abbreviation for HyperText Markup Language, which is used to create websites. HTML tags, when added to a plain text document, describe how the document should be displayed by a web browser. Let's look at bold tags as an example of how HTML works. The HTML version would look like this:
<b>
Make this sentence stand out!
</b>
When the browser reads this, it knows to highlight that sentence. The following is what the user sees:
Make this sentence stand out!
XML is an abbreviation for eXtensible Markup Language. It's a markup language that looks a lot like HTML. XML, on the other hand, was designed purely to store and transport data, whereas HTML was designed to display data with a focus on how it looks. Unlike HTML, XML tags are not predefined; instead, they are created by the document's author.
Because it provides a software and hardware-independent means of storing, transporting, and sharing data, the goal of XML is to simplify data sharing and transport, platform changes, and data availability.
Languages for style sheets
A style sheet is essentially a set of stylistic guidelines. Style sheet languages are used to style documents written in markup languages, quite literally.
Consider an HTML document that has been styled with CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), a style sheet language. HTML is in charge of the web page's content and structure, while CSS determines how that content should be presented visually. CSS can be used to style forms, add colours, change fonts, insert backgrounds and borders, and insert backgrounds and borders. CSS is also used to optimise web pages for responsive design, ensuring that their layout adapts to the device the user is using.
Database programming languages
Languages are used not only to create websites, software, and apps, but also to create and manage databases.
Databases are used to store massive amounts of data. The Spotify music app, for example, stores music files as well as information about the user's listening preferences in databases. Similarly, social media apps like Instagram use databases to store user profile information; whenever a user updates their profile in any way, the app's database is updated as well.
Databases are not designed to understand the same languages that apps are, so having a language that they do understand—such as SQL, the standard language for accessing and manipulating relational databases—is critical. SQL is an abbreviation for Structured Query Language. It has its own markup and allows programmers to work with data stored in a database system.
What is the difference between libraries and frameworks?
Libraries and frameworks are also used by web developers. Despite widespread confusion, they are not the same thing—despite the fact that they are both designed to make the developer's job easier.
Libraries and frameworks are both essentially collections of prewritten code, but libraries are typically smaller and used for more specific use-cases. A library is a collection of useful code that has been grouped together for later reuse. A library's purpose is to allow developers to achieve the same end result while writing less code.
Let's look at JavaScript as a language and jQuery as a JavaScript library. Rather than writing ten lines of code in JavaScript, the developer can use the jQuery library's condensed, prewritten version, saving time and effort.
A framework contains pre-built components and tools that allow the developer to write code more quickly, and many frameworks also include libraries. It provides a structure for the developer to work from, and the framework you choose to work with will largely dictate how you build your website or app, so selecting a framework is an important decision. Bootstrap, Rails, and Angular are some popular frameworks.
Imagine you're building a house to better understand libraries and frameworks. The framework provides the foundation and structure, as well as instructions or guidelines for carrying out specific tasks.
If you want to install an oven in your new home, you have two options: buy the individual components and build the oven from scratch, or buy a ready-made oven from a store. You can write the code from scratch, just like you would when building a website, or you can take pre-written code from a library and simply insert it.
Other web development software
Web developers will also use a text editor to write their code, such as Atom, Sublime, or Visual Studio Code; a web browser, such as Chrome or Firefox; and an extremely important tool: Git!
Git is a version control system (VCS) that allows developers to store and manage their code. As a web developer, you'll undoubtedly make changes to your code on a regular basis, so a tool like Git that allows you to track these changes and, if necessary, reverse them is extremely useful. Git also makes it easier to collaborate with other teams and manage multiple projects at the same time. Git has become such a standard in the world of web development that not using it is now considered bad practise.
GitHub, a cloud interface for Git, is another extremely popular tool. While we go into greater detail about what it is and how to use it in our GitHub guide, essentially this tool provides all of Git's version control functionality as well as its own features such as bug tracking, task management, and project wikis. If you want to learn more about the differences between Git and GitHub, you can read our guide.
GitHub does more than just host repositories; it also provides developers with a comprehensive toolkit, making it easier to adhere to best coding practises. It is regarded as the go-to place for open-source projects and also serves as a platform for web developers to showcase their abilities.
- Steps to Becoming a Web Developer
A lucrative job market
A career in web development is challenging, financially rewarding, and offers excellent job security. The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts 13 percent job growth for web developers and 22 percent for software developers between 2020 and 2030, which is much faster than the national average. Furthermore, web developer was ranked as the sixth best job title in tech in terms of salary and employment rates, with software developer coming in second!
The average base salary for a web developer in the United States is $70,863 per year at the time of writing. Of course, salary varies according to location, years of experience, and the specific skills you bring to the table; check out our guide on how much you could earn as a web developer for more information.
When you've decided what kind of programmer you want to be, it's a good idea to look into average salaries. Our salary guides for JavaScript developers, Python developers, and full-stack developers are excellent resources for this.
Choose a learning path.
Learning the necessary languages, libraries, and frameworks is the first step toward a career in web development. You'll also need to become acquainted with some of the tools mentioned above, as well as some common terminology. Start with these 50 web development buzzwords that every aspiring coder should know for a beginner-friendly introduction.
The languages you learn will be determined by whether you want to specialise in frontend, backend, or full-stack development. Regardless, all web developers should be familiar with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, which is why most web development or software engineering programmes include them as part of their curriculum.
