Introduction
If you want to learn web development, where do you even start? It's hard to find the right advice without suffering from lots of information out there. That's why I've created this beginner's roadmap! It covers all the basics you need to start your web development journey. We're going to go through each step so by the end of this guide you'll have an understanding of the basics of web development. It's a good idea for front-end developers to learn at least a little bit of back-end and vice-versa.
Web development is the process of building and maintaining websites and web applications. It's essential in today's digital world because it enables businesses and individuals to establish an online presence, reach a global audience, conduct e-commerce, communicate, collaborate, and provide accessible services, driving innovation and enhancing user experiences across the internet.
1. What is Web Development
Web development is like constructing a digital building. It involves creating websites and web applications that people use on the internet. Just as architects design and build physical structures, web developers design and build virtual spaces for businesses, information sharing, shopping, and more. It's the foundation of our online world, connecting us, providing services, and making our digital lives possible.
Now before jumping to the actual coding, let's first take a look at some basic web development information like how it works, the role of browsers and what code editor should you use.
How Websites Work:
In this section, we're going to learn exactly how websites actually work and understand the role of the browser and the different files that it uses to render your favorite web pages.
As we already know that the Internet consists of a wire that connects client(which is your browser in this case) computers with server computers, and you know that there are special kinds of server computers called domain name service servers, which acts as a big old Yellow Pages phonebook and can look up the IP address of any website you want to access.
And when you find out that IP address, you can directly hit up the server computer for the website that you want to view and they'll send you all the files and data for your browser to be able to render it on screen. Now, the data that you receive from that server usually consists of three types of files HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Anything that you can access in your browser is something that a web developer built. Some examples are small business websites and blogs on the simpler side, all the way up to very complex web apps like Airbnb, Facebook, and Twitter.
Want to learn more :
How does the Internet work
Front-End And Back-End:
The terms “front-end,” “back-end,” and “full stack” web developer describe what part of the client/server relationship you’re working with.
"Front-end" means that you are dealing mainly with the client side (which is the browser ), which is the part of the application that users directly interact with. Frontend developers work on this layer to create a visually appealing and user-friendly interface, enabling users to interact with the application easily.
"Back-end" is the part of the website that you can’t really see, but it handles a lot of the logic and functionality that is necessary for everything to work.
One another way you can think about this is that front-end web development is like the house's exterior and interior design – what you see and interact with directly. The front-end is what you interact with, like opening doors and windows in the house.
On the other hand, back-end web development is like the hidden structure and wiring of the house. It's where all the behind-the-scenes work happens. It's like the engine and electrical system of the house, making sure everything runs efficiently.
Code Editor:
When you build a website, the most essential tool that you will use is your code editor or IDE (Integrated Development Environment). This tool allows you to write the markup and code that will make up the website.
A code editor is a software tool that you use to write and edit your source code for various programming languages. In this case, we are talking about web development. It provides a specialized environment(IDE) that makes coding easier and more efficient.
My personal or like most of the developers recommend writing your code in Visual Studio Code. But vs code is not the only one because there are lots of code editors out there you can prefer them also if you want.
2. Basic Front-End
I hope you have understood what is front-end web development as we already discussed above. So now let's explore, what tech stacks are required for frontend development.
HTML:
HTML, short for "Hypertext Markup Language," is the backbone of web pages. It uses tags (special codes enclosed in angle brackets) to structure content like headings, paragraphs, images, and links. With HTML, developers create the basic layout and elements of websites, making it possible to share information and interact with web pages on the internet.
Here I'm giving you an example of HTML, in this example you can see "<!DOCTYPE html>" which tells the web browser which version of HTML the document is using. And there are a lot of tags you can see in the code example.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>My First Web Page</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Hello, Forks let's explore web development together!</h1>
<p>This is my first web page using HTML.</p>
<img src="https://via.placeholder.com/150" alt="Sample Image">
<a href="https://www.example.com">Visit Example Website</a>
</body>
</html>
Output:
Hello, Forks let's explore web development together!
This is my first web page using HTML.
HTML Tutorial
CSS:
CSS stands for "Cascading Style Sheets." It is a stylesheet language used to style and design the appearance of web pages written in HTML. CSS allows developers to control the layout, colors, fonts, and other visual aspects of a website, making it look attractive and user-friendly.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>My First Web Page</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css">
</head>
<body>
<h1>Hello, World!</h1>
<p>This is my first web page using HTML.</p>
<img src="https://via.placeholder.com/150" alt="Sample Image">
<a href="https://www.example.com">Visit Example Website</a>
</body>
</html>
body {
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
background-color: #f0f0f0;
color: #333;
text-align: center;
}
h1 {
color: #007bff;
}
p {
font-size: 18px;
}
img {
display: block;
margin: 0 auto;
border: 1px solid #ddd;
border-radius: 5px;
}
a {
color: #ff5733;
text-decoration: none;
}
So, above you can see I used CSS properties and then applied some styling to the selected element.
CSS Tutorials
So, here I'm providing you to practice CSS with a simple FLEXBOX FROGGY GAME
JAVASCRIPT:
JavaScript is a programming language that makes websites interactive and responsive. It adds cool effects and makes web pages more engaging for users. It's like the magic that brings websites to life!
Understanding JavaScript( Personal Recommendation )
Example of JavaScript :
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Simple JavaScript Example</title>
</head>
<body>
<p id="demo">Click the button to change this text.</p>
<button onclick="changeText()">Click Me!</button>
<script>
function changeText() {
document.getElementById("demo").innerText = "Text changed!";
}
</script>
</body>
</html>
- Before clicking the button:
------------------------------------------
| Simple JavaScript Example |
| |
| Click the button to change this text. |
| [Click Me!] |
| |
------------------------------------------
- After clicking the button:
------------------------------------------
| Simple JavaScript Example |
| |
| Text changed! |
| [Click Me!] |
| |
------------------------------------------
Frontend Projects
3. TOOLS
Package Managers:
Package managers are online collections of software, much of it open source. Each piece of software called a package, is available for you to install and use in your projects.
You can think about them like plugins– instead of writing everything from scratch, you can use helpful utilities that other people have written already.
The most popular package manager is called npm, or Node Package Manager, but you can also use another manager called Yarn. Both are good options to know and use, although it’s probably best to start with npm.
If you’re curious to learn more, you can read this article on the basics of using npm.
Understanding Package Managers
Build Tools:
Build tools are like helpers for developers that automate repetitive tasks in the software development process. They handle things like converting code to a format the computer can understand, managing external libraries, testing the code for errors, and putting everything together for the final product. Using build tools makes development faster, and more organized, and ensures the software works well. It's like having a personal assistant to take care of the boring stuff so developers can focus on creating great software!
Here are some popular build tools in the web development world include:
Webpack: A versatile module bundler commonly used for JavaScript applications.
Parcel: A zero-configuration bundler that simplifies the development process.
Gulp: A task runner that automates repetitive tasks and helps with build processes.
npm and Yarn: Package managers that handle project dependencies and scripts defined in the "package.json" file.
Learn Build Tools
Version Control:
Version control is like a time machine for your software projects. It helps you keep track of all the changes made to your code over time. With version control, you can save different versions of your project, see what changes were made, and go back to any previous version if needed.
In software development, version control works similarly. It lets you collaborate with others on the same project, manage changes, and resolve conflicts when multiple people are editing the same code. It keeps your work safe and organized, making it easier to develop software as a team and maintain a history of your project's progress.
The most popular version control system is an open-source system called Git. Using Git, you can store all your files and their change history in collections called repositories.
You may have also heard of GitHub, which is a platform, and online website that allows us to host our Git Repositories. The repository is just a folder where all the changes are saved.
And if you want to learn version control, my personal recommendation is to watch Kunal Kushwaha's video on Git and GitHub.
4. Additional Front-End
SASS:
Sass (Syntactically Awesome Style Sheets) is a preprocessor scripting language that extends CSS. It introduces features that are not available in traditional CSS, such as variables, nesting, mixins, and functions. Sass makes it easier and more efficient to write and organize CSS code, particularly for large projects.
If you want to learn SASS you can prefer this video - Learn Sass In 20 Minutes | Sass Crash Course
CSS Frameworks
Tailwind CSS:
Tailwind CSS is a utility-first CSS framework. Instead of relying on pre-defined classes and components, Tailwind CSS provides a set of low-level utility classes that you use directly in your HTML to style elements. It follows a functional and declarative approach to styling.
Now get have already learned CSS right, so it'll be easy for you to learn Tailwind CSS, and my personal recommendation is Hitech Chaudhary's video, Tailwind CSS Tutorial For Beginners in Hindi | Tailwind CSS in One Shot By Hitesh Choudhary.
Tailwind CSS
Responsive Design:
Responsive design is a way of building websites that automatically adapt and look great on various devices, like computers, tablets, and mobile phones. It ensures that the website's layout, images, and text adjust and rearrange themselves to fit the screen size, providing an optimal viewing experience for users.
Imagine if you had a magical book that could change its size and shape to be readable and comfortable, whether you read it on a small phone or a big computer screen. That's what responsive design does for websites! It makes sure that no matter what device someone uses to visit your site, they can easily read and interact with the content without having to zoom in or scroll horizontally.
In a nutshell, responsive design helps websites look fantastic and work smoothly on any device, giving visitors the best experience possible.
If you want to learn How to make a website responsive then you can watch this video.
JavaScript Frameworks:
Once you have the basics of vanilla JavaScript, you may want to learn one of the JavaScript frameworks (especially if you want to be a full-stack JavaScript developer).
Currently, you have three main choices: React, Angular, and Vue.
- React.js (technically a library): React.js, commonly known as React, was created by Facebook and is the most popular framework right now. It allows developers to build reusable UI components and efficiently manage the application's state. React uses a virtual DOM (Document Object Model) to update only the necessary parts of the user interface, making it fast and performant. It is widely used in building single-page applications (SPAs) and is known for its simplicity and flexibility.
Learn React
- Angular: Angular was the first big framework, and it was created by Google. It’s still very popular, even though it has been surpassed by React recently. You can start learning Angular on their website. Angular is suitable for large-scale projects and applications that require a robust and opinionated framework.
Learn Angular
- Vue.js: Vue is a newer framework created by Evan You, a former Angular developer. While it is smaller in use than React and Angular, it is growing quickly and is also considered easy and fun to use. Vue is powerful and provides features like reactivity, components, and directives, making it ideal for building both small and large applications.
Learn Vue JS
Now, Let’s move on to our last section: back-end web development!
5. Basic Back-End
The back-end, or server-side of web development, is made up of three main components: the server, a server-side programming language, and the database.
Server:
The server is the computer where all the website files, the database, and other components are stored. It's like the storage room where everything is kept.
When you visit a website, your computer (or device) sends a request to the server, asking for the website's files and data. The server then responds by sending all those files back to your computer, which allows you to see and interact with the website.
Traditional servers run on operating systems like Linux or Windows and are considered "centralized" because all the website files, back-end code, and data are stored together on the server.
On the other hand, serverless architectures are a more decentralized approach. In a serverless setup, you don't need to worry about managing the server infrastructure directly.
Despite the name, though, you still do need some kind of server, to at least store your website files. Some examples of serverless providers are AWS (Amazon Web Services) and Netlify.
If you want to learn more about serverless setups, It's good to start with Netlify and it has an informative blog post that takes you through all the steps to set up a static website with deployment.
Programming Language:
On the server, you need to use a programming language to write the functions and logic for your application. The server then compiles your code and conveys the result back to the client. These tasks can include processing data, accessing databases, handling user authentication, and much more.
Well-liked programming languages for the web include PHP, Python, Ruby, C#, and Java. There is also a form of server-side JavaScript– Node.js, which is a run-time environment that can run JavaScript code on the server..
- PHP: PHP is a server-side scripting language designed for web development. It's widely used for building dynamic websites and web applications, and it has a large community and extensive documentation.
Learn PHP:
Introduction to PHP by mmtuts
- Python: Python is a versatile and beginner-friendly language that is used not only for web development but also for various other applications like data analysis, artificial intelligence, and more. It's known for its clean syntax and readability.
Learn Python:
LearnPython.org
- Ruby: Ruby is a flexible and expressive language commonly used with the Ruby on Rails framework for building web applications. It emphasizes simplicity and productivity.
Learn Ruby:
- C#: C# is a language developed by Microsoft and is commonly used for building Windows applications and web services. It's known for its strong typing and support for object-oriented programming.
Learn C#:
- Java: Java is a powerful and platform-independent language used for building enterprise-level applications, Android apps, and web services. It follows the "write once, run anywhere" philosophy.
Learn Java (Personal Recommendation ):
Kunal Kushwaha Java+DSA+ Interview Preparation
- Node.js: Node.js is a runtime environment that allows developers to run JavaScript code on the server. It enables server-side JavaScript development, making it possible to use the same language (JavaScript) on both the client and server sides.
Learn Node:
Database:
Databases, as the name suggests, are where you store information for your website. Most databases use a language called SQL (pronounced “sequel”) which stands for “Structured Query Language".
The database is run on the server, using servers like Microsoft SQL Server on Windows servers, and MySQL for Linux.
There are also NoSQL databases, which store the data in JSON files as opposed to traditional tables. One type of NoSQL database is MongoDB, which is often used with React, Angular, and Vue applications.
Here are some resources:
Relational Databases
NoSQL Databases
MongoDB
Roadmaps and Resources
Huge shoutout to WeMakeDevs for providing Frontend Roadmap check their GitHub repository
And here is another roadmap for Frontend development roadmap.sh
Here I have a few tips for you about my journey of learning web development that I want to leave with you...
A few tips that I have if you are going the self-taught route:
The best way to learn any tech skills is to go through their documentation, you'll get all the information you want.
Don’t stuck in tutorial hell. It's ok to watch tutorials but don't just watch them do your hand dirty**(write code).**
After I struggled through lots of tutorials, I found this way to learn something in a better way:
Go through the Documentation(must) + Watch tutorials( if required ) + Write Code( must ) = Successfully Learned that tech stack
Just watching a video course or reading a book won’t automatically make you an expert. Learning the material is just the first step. Building actual websites and projects (even just demo ones for yourself) will help you to really cement your learning.
Best wishes for your web development Journey!