What is the difference?

What is the difference between front end development, back end development, and web development? :thinking: :flushed:

Front end development refers to development of client side browser applications – the bit a user sees in a browser. This involves technologies that are used by browsers: HTML/CSS/JavaScript.

Back end development normally refers to server side web development – the bits that underpin the GUI a user sees. This covers a very wide range of technologies.

Web development is a catch-all, covers both, not sure if it actually means a whole lot.

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Front end is HTML, CSS, Javascript
Back end is PHP, Node.js etc.
Web is both.

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Oh, now I understand! I am rooting for front end development then!

Well, if you want to be a good front-end developer, you’re gonna want to be good at HTML, CSS, JavaScript, BUT you still want to learn at least 1 back-end language.

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Which would you suggest?

By observation, I believe that I shall be great with html and CSS but I will struggle a lot with JS.

I don’t understand what you’re trying to say here, but if you want to be a good front-end dev, you HAVE to learn JavaScript, because it is the brain of your webpage. It’s the one that is making buttons useful.

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Of course! I have always been determined to learn it! And I will.

FCC offers JavaScript on their curriculum. They offered ES6, which is necessary to learn, because it has some features that are needed for today. It also offers Algorithms. But for front end developing with JavaScript, you have to learn how to use the DOM API, which is a way to manipulate the HTML DOM. I don’t think FCC offers the vanilla DOM API, but FCC offers jQuery that is a library specifically for this.

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Yes, thank you. I have been learning JS with FCC for a couple months now. I am struggling but everybody is really supportive and I’ll work my head off till I have completed and mastered it.

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Where would you suggest I go to learn the vanilla DOM API…and why the heck is it called vanilla?

It’s not called vanilla. People used vanilla because vanilla usually is reffered with the basic/normal non-modded. If you’ve heard of Minecraft, they used vanilla referring to the game non-modded. The fresh basic installation. So “vanilla” DOM API means the original DOM API. I’m just using the word vanilla because it’s common to use it as that. You can try to learn the DOM API in KhanAcademy. Here’s a link to that specific section, its free just like FCC :

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Thank you so much! :+1: :grin: I had heard “vanilla” so many times I was confused. I am so glad i understand now.

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