START YOUR FRONT-END DEVELOPMENT JOURNEY
Category: Programming | Posted date: 2021-08-04 01:48:19 | Updated date: 2021-08-04 02:08:57 | Posted by: Admin
Web Development is obviously on the peak of in-demand careers. There’s two ends that you may already know: Front-End and Back-End Development. Back-end is responsible for the data, servers and is required to have knowledge in programming languages such as PHP, Java, Python, Ruby on Rails, etc. Meanwhile, Front-end mainly focuses on the user-interface or the visual element of the website. Languages that are used are HTML and CSS, and you are good to go, oftentimes, JavaScript is a plus.
But for now, we will focus on Front-End Development. How you can start your journey and what are the essentials.
Learn the Basics
As I said before, there are basics that you should know first, which every web developer beginners; front-end or back-end, are familiar with: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
- HTML or HyperText Markup Language is a building block and probably the most basic one. It is the foundation of all web pages.
- CSS or Cascading Style Sheets is a stylesheet language used to describe the presentation written in a markup language.
- JavaScript is probably one of the best programming languages for the web. It is a scripting language that powers the dynamic behavior on websites.
Learn to build a website using these languages, do it on your own to get familiar with.
Learn a CSS Framework
There are lots of frameworks to choose from under CSS. But learning and using at least one is a huge advantage for you. It makes your job easier as they contain code libraries for common web designs.
Here are few of the CSS frameworks:
- Bootstrap is one of the best choices for a responsive design, especially for “mobile-first” designs.
- Foundation as they say is the “The most advanced responsive front-end framework in the world.”, although not as popular as Bootstrap, it is still used by experts.
- Bulma lies in a strict, CSS only approach. It has unique elegant designs that Bootstrap and Foundation can’t seem to offer, whereas most developers prefer.
- Materialize is based on Google’s Material Design, learning its components and classes can get you productive.
- Tailwind is a utility-first CSS framework. It is highly customizable with building blocks for most common web designs.
There’s more to mention and feel free to explore more of them! There are still more coming, that is for sure.
Learn JS Framework
These JS Frameworks can depend on your needs. But mastering at least one will get you more opportunities. You can learn your first JS framework depending on the project you are mostly comfortable to work with:
- React is a simple, free and open-source to create interactive UIs.
- Angular is a framework for developing single-page application projects, where each component is designed to work with every other component.
- Vue has an intuitive API, and it can be applied to any type of application.
Learn Restful APIs
REST is the most popular API out there or what is called RESTful API. It can be used and designed for the majority of existing protocols. If you are a developer who gets annoyed at installing side softwares or libraries, this is a great choice for you. It offers a wide array of flexibility!
Learn to Prioritize Responsiveness
What’s the use of a sophisticated or colorful design if they can’t respond to different screen devices? The most crucial part of being a front-end developer is to make sure everything you want to display doesn’t just display on limited devices. You want the world to experience and see your work whatever device they are using, right? There are a lot of tools out there which can get you ahead! Explore and be more creative about it.
Learn to Use Git
Git is probably one of the best friends of every programmer aside from StackOverflow. Git is a version-control system, used to track changes in any projects and is used collaboratively to develop source codes. With it supporting and handling projects from speed to integrity, Git should be on your top list to explore and to be used often.
There’s a lot to learn, really. The list above is not limited to what it should take to your journey as a Front-end developer. But the good thing is that learning isn’t limited. Everytime you work, you learn, even if you didn’t intend to. Front-end development is sometimes seen as lower than Bank-end development in terms of their complexities. But remember, first impressions are always what gets people to turn their heads.
