Getting Started with Web Development: Your Path to Creating Digital Marvels

In today’s digital age, web development has emerged as a gateway to building and showcasing your online presence. Whether you’re an aspiring developer, entrepreneur, or simply curious about the mechanics of the internet, learning web development can be a rewarding journey. This blog post aims to provide you with a comprehensive guide on how to get started with web development, covering essential concepts, tools, and steps to kickstart your coding adventure.

Understanding the Basics of Web Development

When it comes to building websites, there are two primary areas of web development: front-end and back-end. The front end refers to the part of the website that users interact with directly, such as the design, layout, and content. This includes languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, which are responsible for creating and styling the elements that users see and interact with.

On the other hand, the back-end is the part of the website that users don’t see, but which is essential for delivering content and functionality. This includes server-side technologies like PHP, Python, and Ruby, which are responsible for handling data, processing requests, and managing the website’s functionality.

Both front-end and back-end web development are critical components of building a successful website. While front-end developers focus on creating visually appealing and user-friendly experiences, back-end developers work on creating a robust and efficient infrastructure that can handle complex tasks and operations.

Together, front-end and back-end development create a cohesive and seamless website experience for users. By understanding both areas of development, web developers can create websites that are not only visually impressive but also functional and user-friendly.

Front-End

Primary technologies that power the web are HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), and JavaScript. Here’s a brief overview of each:

• HTML: HTML provides the structure of a webpage, including headings, paragraphs, lists, links, and more. It uses tags to define elements on the page.
• CSS: CSS is responsible for styling the webpage, and determining how elements should be presented in terms of colors, fonts, layouts, and overall design.
• JavaScript: JavaScript is a programming language that adds interactivity to web pages. It allows you to create dynamic content, handle user interactions, and perform various tasks in the browser.

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)

HTML is the foundation of every webpage. It’s a markup language used to structure content on the web. Without HTML, there would be no content on the page, and learning how to use it to structure the webpage is beneficial for a future developer. Here’s how it works:

• Elements and Tags: HTML uses a set of predefined elements, represented by tags, to define the structure of a webpage. Elements include headings (<h1>, <h2>, etc.), paragraphs (<p>), lists (<ul> and <ol>), links (<a>), images (<img>), and more.
• Nesting: Elements can be nested inside other elements to create a hierarchical structure. For instance, you can place a paragraph inside a div element to group-related content.
• Attributes: Elements can have attributes that provide additional information about them. Attributes are written within the opening tag and modify the behavior or appearance of an element. For example, the src attribute of the <img> tag specifies the image source.

I recommend starting with learning about the structure of a webpage and the syntax needed to construct that particular structure. By doing so, you will be able to create more complex web pages in the future with great ease and efficiency. Once you’ve mastered that, you can move on to creating basic web pages by nesting specific elements and tags with each other. It helps to learn about creating a basic layout and structuring a webpage as it helps you to organize your content for easier modifications and helps your users to navigate the page properly as well. You’ll also need to learn about semantic and non-semantic HTML elements and how they help deliver the meaning of the webpage to the browser and the developer.

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)

CSS brings life to HTML by determining how the content should be presented visually. It’s responsible for layout, colors, fonts, and overall design:

• Selectors and Properties: CSS uses selectors to target HTML elements and apply styles to them. For instance, you can select all paragraphs or a specific class of elements. Properties define the visual aspects like colors, fonts, margins, and more.
• Cascade: The “cascading” nature of CSS means that multiple styles can apply to a single element. If conflicting styles are defined, the one with the highest specificity or closest location in the document will take precedence.
• Box Model: Understanding the box model is crucial. Each HTML element is treated as a rectangular box with content, padding, border, and margin. CSS properties like width, height, padding, border, and margin control these aspects.

With the rise of mobile devices, responsive design has become essential to web development. Learning how to create websites that adapt gracefully to various screen sizes using CSS media queries is crucial when learning CSS.

CSS Preprocessors & Frameworks

Preprocessors are tools that extend the capabilities of programming languages by adding features, syntax enhancements, or other functionalities. Preprocessors transform code written in their specialized syntax into standard code that browsers can interpret. A framework is a pre-established set of tools, libraries, guidelines, and conventions that simplify and accelerate the development of applications within a specific domain. Frameworks provide a structured foundation on which developers can build their projects without having to start from scratch. They often come with pre-built components, utilities, and design patterns that help streamline the development process. CSS frameworks, such as Bootstrap and Tailwind, are collections of pre-designed components and styles that simplify the development process. They provide ready-made layouts, buttons, forms, typography, and other design elements that you can use to create websites quickly. Some popular CSS frameworks include:

Sass (Syntactically Awesome Stylesheets) and SCSS (Sassy CSS)

Sass is a CSS preprocessor that extends the capabilities of traditional CSS by adding features like variables, nesting, mixins, and more. SCSS is an extension of Sass and is often referred to as “Sassy CSS.” SCSS maintains the same syntax as regular CSS, making it easier for developers familiar with CSS to transition to using SCSS. Developers prefer using them to enhance the maintainability and reusability of stylesheets, reduce repetition, and help manage large-scale projects more efficiently.

Bootstrap

Developed by Twitter, Bootstrap is a comprehensive framework that offers a range of features like responsive design, typography, modals, JavaScript plugins, etc. It’s widely used for building mobile-first websites and web applications. Bootstrap is used because it makes it easier for developers to create fully-functioning web applications without worrying about the UI.

Tailwind CSS

According to their official website, tailwind is a utility-first CSS framework built with utility classes such as flex, mx-auto, and font-medium to build any type of design. Tailwind is basically the enhanced version of Bootstrap but with better features such as hover state, dark mode, customization, and more. Personally, I haven’t used Tailwind in a full project but I can say that it’s one of the best, if not the best, frameworks to use out there. It’s mostly used in full-stack applications where customization, efficiency, and rapid prototyping are key.

With CSS, it is compulsory to get to know about the basics such as selectors, attributes, and the box model in order for you to truly grasp its powers before moving to preprocessors and frameworks. Using a preprocessor or a framework can save you time and effort, but keep in mind that it’s essential to fully understand CSS and its underlying functionality before actually using it. This way you avoid getting yourself stuck with a lot of bugs and constant debugging efforts.

JavaScript

JavaScript is a versatile and widely used programming language primarily known for its role in web development. In fact, it is one of the most used languages in today’s modern world for it is an easy language to get started with. JavaScript enables developers to create dynamic and interactive content on websites, making the web experience more engaging and responsive. JavaScript is a cornerstone of modern web development, used both on the front end (client-side) and back end (server-side) to build a wide range of applications. Key features of JavaScript:

• Client-Side Scripting: JavaScript is primarily used on the client side, meaning it runs directly in a user’s web browser. It enhances web pages by allowing for dynamic content updates without requiring a page reload. Common uses include form validation, animations, interactive forms, and real-time updates.
• Event-Driven Programming: One of JavaScript’s core features is its ability to respond to events triggered by user interactions or system events (e.g. mouse clicks, keyboard input, timer events). This allows developers to create dynamic and interactive user experiences.
• DOM Manipulation: The Document Object Model (DOM) is a representation of the HTML structure of a webpage. JavaScript allows developers to manipulate the DOM, adding, modifying, or removing elements dynamically.
• Asynchronous Programming: JavaScript supports asynchronous programming, enabling tasks like fetching data from servers without blocking the rest of the code execution. This is achieved through techniques like callbacks, promises, and async/await.
• Frameworks and Libraries: JavaScript has a rich ecosystem of frameworks and libraries that streamline development. Some popular frontend libraries/frameworks include React, Angular, and Vue.js, while backend frameworks like Node.js enable server-side development.
• Browser Compatibility: JavaScript is supported by all modern web browsers, making it a reliable choice for web development. However, browser differences may lead to varying behavior for certain features, requiring careful consideration during development.
• Security Concerns: Due to its client-side nature, JavaScript can be manipulated by users, leading to security concerns like cross-site scripting (XSS). Developers must implement security best practices to mitigate these risks.
• Server-Side JavaScript: With the advent of Node.js, JavaScript can also be used on the server side to build scalable and efficient server applications. This allows developers to use the same language across both client and server, simplifying the development stack.

When getting into JavaScript, it is essential to get to know its syntax:

1. Variables and Data Types: JavaScript allows you to create variables to store and manipulate data. Data types include strings, numbers, booleans, arrays, objects, and more.
2. Functions: Functions are blocks of reusable code that perform specific tasks. They can take inputs (parameters) and return outputs. Functions are a cornerstone of JavaScript programming.
3. Events and DOM Manipulation: JavaScript can respond to user interactions like clicks, mouse movements, and keyboard input. The Document Object Model (DOM) is a representation of the HTML elements in a webpage, and JavaScript can manipulate it to change content, style, and structure dynamically.
4. Asynchronous Programming: JavaScript can perform tasks asynchronously, meaning it doesn’t block other operations while waiting for a task to complete. This is essential for handling actions like fetching data from a server without freezing the entire webpage.

Javascript Frameworks and Libraries

JavaScript boasts a wide and popular range of frameworks and libraries. At the time of writing, there are probably close to a hundred fully functional JavaScript frameworks and libraries in total. Common popular frameworks are:

jQuery

jQuery is a fast, lightweight, and feature-rich JavaScript library designed to simplify the process of interacting with HTML documents, handling events, manipulating the DOM, and performing various tasks on the client side of web development. It was created by John Resig and first released in 2006. At its peak, jQuery was immensely popular and played a crucial role in advancing web development.

ReactJS

React is literally the most popular library as it currently boasts almost 212k stars on its GitHub repository. Developed by Facebook, React is an open-source library for creating dynamic and responsive web applications using components. React is currently being used by many startups and established companies due to its architecture. Whilst some might say learning React is hard (it’s actually not), that shouldn’t stop you from learning it.

Vue.js (pronounced “view”)

VueJs was developed by Evan You and is the second most popular framework in this list boasting around 203k stars on its main GitHub repository. It is commonly used for building user interfaces and single-page applications (SPA). Vue has a large community just like React but what makes it stand out is its learning curve. Vue is especially easy to get into and learn the basics just by reading their extensive and well-written documentation.

AngularJS

Angular is built on TypeScript (another more advanced language of JavaScript) and was developed primarily by a Google employee known as Miško Hevery and has around 89.8k stars on its GitHub repository. It is used for building complex, large-scale applications with complex requirements. Because of that, Angular has a higher learning curve compared to React.

Svelte

This framework is slightly different compared to others because it takes a different approach to building web applications by compiling the components at build time rather than run time. Svelte’s approach generally reduces bundle sizes and offers better performance at run time which makes it a viable option for someone looking for fast static web apps.

Backbone.js

Backbone.js is a lightweight, minimalistic JavaScript framework aimed to provide structure and organization to web applications. It was created by Jeremy Ashkenas and released in 2010. While not as popular as some of the more modern frameworks, Backbone.js has been influential in shaping the way developers approach frontend architecture and data management.

Node.js

So far we’ve been talking about front-end frameworks but Node.js is different as it is a backend server-side framework. Node.js is built on the V8 JavaScript engine developed by Google and provides an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model, making it well-suited for building real-time applications, APIs, and other networked services.

Express.js

Express.js is another server-side framework built on Node.js. The main uses of Express.js are creating web servers and application programming interfaces (APIs) due to its simplicity, extensive toolset, and structure. Express.js may commonly be used for building web applications that rely on server-side architecture.

In summary, JavaScript is a versatile and powerful programming language that plays a pivotal role in creating dynamic, interactive, and engaging web applications. Its influence has expanded beyond the web, making it an essential skill for developers in various domains. As JavaScript continues to evolve, its capabilities and applications will only grow further.

Back-End

While the front end of a web application displays visually stunning user interfaces, the back end is actually the one responsible for the functional components and logical parts of a webpage. Things like processing form data, authentication/authorization, handling requests, creating/manipulating dynamic data, and redirects. There are several programming languages that power the back-end:

Python

Python is a popular interpreted programming language known for its simplicity, readability, and versatility. That’s why many developers (including me) encourage newcomers to learn it as it is probably one of the easiest languages to get into currently due to its human-readable syntax. The language is mainly used in various domains such as web development, data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and more. Python also has its own frameworks for web development which are listed below:

• Django: It is a popular high-level web framework that includes an Object-Relational Mapper (ORM), an admin interface, security features, and many more. An ORM uses objects to map to tables in the database which speeds up development since a developer doesn’t need to write SQL queries.
• Flask: Flask is another popular framework that has most of the features but Django is known to be lightweight. Although Django is superior due to its rich features, Flask is generally used by developers who are building applications that are on a smaller scale.
• Web2Py: I haven’t used this framework before but it is also another popular framework that is easier to learn and is for smaller-scale web applications.

Java

Java is primarily an object-oriented programming language that powers enterprise applications and web servers. It was developed by Sun Microsystems (now Oracle) in the 1990s. Java has a philosophy called “Write Once, Run Anywhere” is because the language is platform-independent by compiling source into bytecode with the Java Virtual Machine (JVM).

• Spring Framework: There are two frameworks for spring which are Spring Boot and Spring MVC and the use cases are for enterprise applications with the likes of Netflix and Amazon using it.
  • Spring Boot: This framework is usually used for developing REST APIs and adds a lot of boilerplate code so the developer can get started and develop Spring-based applications easily.
  • Spring MVC: This is a widely used framework that is based on the Model, View, and Controller (MVC) architecture. This kind of architecture enables the developer to create complex applications easily since the logic is separated from the UI.
• JavaServer Faces (JSF): JSF is a simplified framework used for building web applications by using components and templates.
• Struts: A framework that also follows the MVC architecture and web applications are developed based on servlet and Java Server Pages (JSP).

PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor)

PHP is a popular programming language that once ruled the web development world. It’s mainly used for creating dynamic web pages that are able to interact with databases and provide server-side functionality. PHP scripts are able to be written together with HTML code which serves as the logical part of a web application since it is able to handle form data easily. Some frameworks of PHP are:

• Laravel: When it comes to PHP frameworks, certainly Laravel comes to mind as it is probably one of the most popular and widely used frameworks out there. The reason it being is used is because of its scalability. The syntax for Laravel provides flexibility to developers so they can write clean and reusable code for small to large-scale enterprise applications.
• CodeIgniter: CodeIgniter is another known framework for building small to medium-sized applications. Best known for its simplicity, speed, and ease of learning, CodeIgniter follows the MVC architectural pattern whilst providing some flexibility, unlike Laravel.
• Symphony: Symphony is another framework that is certainly known for its flexibility, reusability, and modularity. This framework is generally used for larger and more complex projects due to its code organization and scalability.

Ruby

Ruby, on the other hand, is a dynamic object-oriented programming (OOP) language that serves many purposes including building desktop applications, websites, and more. What makes Ruby different from languages like Python is that it follows an OOP syntax but can also be used for scripting. There are several frameworks for Ruby which are:

• Ruby on Rails (Rails): Ruby on Rails is actually one of the well-known and oldest frameworks in use today. Rails uses the ever-popular MVC architecture which stands for Model, View, and Controller which is one of the reasons that makes it so popular. It also has a wide range of plugins aka gems that makes a developer’s life much easier.
• Sinatra: Coming second here is the lightweight framework for Ruby that is used to build simple web applications. Sinatra is different than Rails where it lets you create small web applications with very little effort. With that being said, Sinatra naturally shines when it is used in a smaller project as opposed to a larger one.

Node.js

Node.js has already been clearly defined in the above section but to be more specific it is generally used for building real-time applications with its asynchronous feature.

• Express.js: Defined above.
• NestJS: Nest.js is a fully-featured framework that is with TypeScript. It is used to build efficient, scalable server-side applications. NestJS is different than Express.js because it supports TypeScript development whilst providing ready-to-use components.

If you ask me, I’ll tell you to choose one programming language that you’re interested in from above and just go with it. First, you will need to start learning the syntax of the language and its coding conventions as well. From there, you should start coding simple applications until you have truly understood the language and know how to interact with it. Then, it’s a good idea to get started building a more complex project with one of the language’s frameworks. This is where you get to build on your logical thinking and problem-solving skills which will help you to become a better developer.

Databases

Now databases are not being talked about enough by many developers because it is usually pretty boring to learn it (for me at least). But knowing it is a fundamental skill for any developer whether you’re building websites, desktop apps, or mobile apps. Databases are used to store, manage, and retrieve types of data. Choosing the right database and structuring it to fit your specific needs will always help you to develop applications in a more convenient way. There are numerous types of databases but I’m not going to overwhelm you with all of them except the ones I know. These are:

• Relational Databases (RDBMS): Relational databases are structured around tables that consist of rows and columns. Each row represents a record, and each column represents a data attribute. They use structured query language (SQL) to manipulate and query data. Examples of popular relational databases include MySQL, PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server, and Oracle Database.
• NoSQL Databases: NoSQL databases are designed to handle large volumes of unstructured or semi-structured data. They diverge from the tabular structure of relational databases and are often used for tasks like document storage, graph data, key-value stores, and time-series data. Some common NoSQL databases are MongoDB, Firebase, and Cassandra.
• Document Databases: Document databases store data in JSON-like documents, making them suitable for applications with varying data structures. They’re commonly used for content management systems, e-commerce platforms, and applications where flexibility is important. MongoDB is a well-known example.
• Key-Value Stores: Key-value stores allow developers to store and retrieve values using a unique key. They are simple and efficient, making them ideal for caching, user sessions, and real-time analytics. Redis and Amazon DynamoDB are popular key-value databases.

Databases are a key component for anyone who wishes to be a back-end or full-stack developer which is why I recommend starting out with MySQL first before moving on to Firebase, MongoDB, and the others. Having experience in at least one database skill set may actually help you land your next job.

Learning Resources

There are numerous online resources, tutorials, and courses available for beginners. Websites like Codecademy and freeCodeCamp offer interactive lessons that guide you through the basics. Other sites like Mozilla Developer Network (MDN) Web Docs and W3Schools provide you with extensive documentation in order for you to read and understand more about the programming language you’re interested in. Listed below are several sites that I have either used in the past or are currently using.

Documentation – MDN Web Docs, W3Schools, GeeksforGeeks, 30 seconds of code

Tutorials – freeCodeCamp, Codeacademy, HackerRank

Courses – Udemy, Coursera, Skillshare, edX, Khan Academy, Educative.io

YouTube Tutorials – Web Dev Simplified, Kevin Powell, freeCodeCamp, Fireship, Traversy Media, Corey Schafer

Setting Up Your Development Environment

To begin your web development journey, all you’ll need is a basic setup that includes a text editor or integrated development environment (IDE), a command-line utility (Git Bash or NPM), and a browser of course. Popular choices of IDEs include Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio Community, and Sublime Text. These tools offer features like syntax highlighting, code completion, and version control integration.

After you’ve finished installing the IDE, I would recommend getting both Git Bash and Node Package Manager installed on your computer as these are command-line tools that can help speed up your development process by helping you to install packages or dependencies easily. Additionally, you’ll require a web browser to preview your work. Modern browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge are ideal for testing your web pages. I won’t go through the exact steps to setting up your development environment as these are documented already.

Conclusion

Take your time to practice, experiment, and explore more advanced concepts as you become more comfortable. Remember, web development is a continuous learning journey, and the skills you gain will empower you to create impressive digital experiences. Embarking on your web development journey is an exciting endeavor that opens doors to endless possibilities. By understanding the basics, and gradually building projects, you’ll gain valuable skills and knowledge. Remember that web development is a continuous learning process, and staying updated with the latest technologies and trends is essential for growth. Happy coding!