blogs The Difference Between Front and Back-End Development

• 15 min read
• May 2022

The Difference Between Front and Back-End Development

If you are new to the world of coding and software engineering, you may be confused by terms like front-end, back-end, and full-stack development. This is not an uncommon misconception for companies to get confused about the “front-end versus back-end” divide when trying to develop new software.

After all, there are more and more tools on the market aimed at helping developers become more “full-stack” oriented, so it’s easy for non-techies to assume that there isn’t a big difference between front-end and back-end specialists.

Front-end and back-end developers work together to create the systems necessary for an application or website to function properly. However, their concerns are opposite of each other. The term “front-end” refers to the user interface, while “back-end” means the server, application and database that work behind the scenes to deliver information to the user. Both are essential for a high-functioning application or website.

Here’s a closer look at the difference between front-end and back-end development.

Front-End Development

Front-end developers work to design interfaces that are easy to use and meet the needs of their users. In other words, they build with the user in mind. Additionally, front-end development is a style of programming that concentrates on the creation of code and features that will be seen by the user. Making sure the look and feel of a website is functional is important. You can also view the front-end as the, “consumer side” of an application. For example, let’s say that you are a front-end developer, meaning your job is to code and leverage the visual elements of a website. You will want to focus more on what the user sees when they visit a website or app, rather than how the website is designed, and you would also want to make sure your site is user-friendly and at the same time runs smoothly.

These developers work together with UX and UI designers to create a website that is easy to use and looks great. One way you could use your front-end skills is to create a static website, which is a website with fixed content that’s delivered to a user’s browser exactly as it’s stored. If you visit a simple landing page, or a small business website without any interactive features, you might experience static pages.

An example of what elements a front-end developer could build includes the following:

• Buttons
• Layouts
• Navigation
• Graphics
• Images
• Animations
• Content organization

Back-End Development

Backend development focuses on one side of the site that is not visible to users. Interactivity is what makes a site interesting and engaging. You can also refer to the backend as the “server page” of a website. Let’s assume, for example, that you’re running a social media site. It requires an accessible place to save all user information. This storage center is called databases, and some commonly used examples include Oracle, SQL server and MySQL. A database is run from a server, which is a remote computer. A back-end developer will help manage this database, as well as store the website content on it. This ensures that the front-end elements on the social media website can continue to function properly as users browsing uploaded content and other user profiles.

Website users don’t directly interact with the back end of the site, but they indirectly interact with the elements developers work on through a front-end application. The development of the rear interface deals with storing and arranging data, and ensuring that the front interface works well.

Back-end developers work on tasks that can include the following:

• Building code
• Troubleshooting and debugging web applications
• Database management
• Framework utilization

Full Stack Development

Developers have become so specialized that it is most common for them to specialize in only one area of development. As a general rule of thumb, full-stack development by one programmer is not a practical solution. At times, a custom software development company will have developers who are proficient with both sides of the development process, known as a full stack developer. They are powerful team players because they have a broad understanding of the system, which allows them to suggest ways to improve the process or remove roadblocks that might be slowing it down.