Frontend is the visible part of the site that users interact with. These are menus, sliders, text blocks, footer and other elements. The front-end developer creates a “skeleton” on which the whole body rests.
If you open the source code of any page, you will see what it consists of: HTML, CSS, JS code. When a web page is loaded, the content is downloaded to the user's browser, the structure is built on the screen, and the elements are made available for interaction.
Front-end Development may seem very simple. You need to learn the basics of HTML, basic CSS properties and spend a few hours on JavaScript. In fact, frontend is a complex area in which there is no limit to perfection.
It will take at least six months to a year to pump basic skills. A specialist is considered an experienced frontend developer after 3-5 years of active work. In a few months, you can only learn the basics and learn how to create simple web pages.
In order for beginners to better understand what they will have to interact with, let's focus on the components of front-end development:
- Document markup language that describes the basic structure: blocks, lists, menus, forms.
- The language responsible for the appearance of the elements on the page. The browser reads the CSS file and “understands” how to show the content to users.
- A language that helps bring web pages to life. These are interactive elements in forms, animation, menu hiding on mobile devices and other features.
- JS library that makes development easier. With its help, you can solve problems much faster than if you write in pure JavaScript.
- Ready-made “frameworks” for sites. Based on them, you can create a project of different levels: from a business card to a non-standard marketplace.
User experience depends on the quality of front-end development. If the site is overloaded with animations and effects, or vice versa, too standard, the audience may refuse to use it.
Those who consider front-enders to be routine people are greatly mistaken. Experienced developers can create a site structure even without a layout. In most cases, they transfer the finished composition from Photoshop or Figma to HTML, but they can modify the site at the request of the customer without prior preparation.
Do not forget that, in addition to creating a basic “framework”, frontend developers are painstakingly working on the adaptability of the site. To ensure that content adapts to different resolutions and looks good regardless of the display size.
Of course, there are frameworks that make it much easier to create responsive versions, but the developer of Ein-Des-Ein still spends time debugging and fixing bugs.
Frontenders are usually people who are interested in designing websites for people. They imagine how they will solve audience problems and are ready to learn new tools to solve problems faster and improve the quality of the finished product.
The assembly of the front-end of a modern application uses the full capabilities of the server-side js ecosystem: a package manager, processing (pre- and post-), server-side rendering (generation of pages on the server to speed up access and improve SEO). In addition, databases are increasingly being used to manage state on the client. Even browsers already contain a built-in database.
To sum up
But that is not all. As practice shows, the root of most of the problems that any developer has is ignorance of operating systems. Moreover, the programmers themselves are not always aware of this (the Blub Paradox and the Dunning-Kruger Effect). They ask questions again and again, the answers to which (and many others) are in the classic books on OS design.
Not to mention the fact that many of the tasks that developers face are somehow solved at the OS level. Those who have the relevant knowledge are two steps ahead of their colleagues and can not only quickly understand the source of the problem, but also find better solutions based on the experience of generations.
