Front-end vs Back-end vs Full-Stack. Who is who?

What’s the basic difference between front-end, back-end and full-stack developers? And is full-stack similar to a Swiss knife – a developer that can do both equally well?
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What’s the basic difference between front-end, back-end and full-stack developers? And is full-stack similar to a Swiss knife – a developer that can do both equally well?

Well, let’s start with the front-end. We may guess from the name, the front-end of a website is the client-facing part. So it’s everything related to design, usability, style, feel, responsiveness and so on. It’s not an easy task to balance functionality with design and also optimal in terms of speed and efficiency.

The three main languages for a front-end are HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Along with them a front-end developer must be familiar with certain frameworks, such as ReactJs, AngularJS, Bootstrap and others.

What’s the average pay for a front-end? In the USA a front-end developer may earn between $70k and $120k, in Europe it’s roughly between €40k and €60k.

So, if the front-end is like decorating the outside of your house, then the back-end deals with structural integrity of the house. Or, in more professional terms, the back-end is responsible for internal operations, how elements interact with each other. Some of the responsibilities involve building a system architecture, managing databases and organizing the logic of a system.

To be able to do all of the above, a back-end developer needs proficiency in the following languages – Python, Ruby, HTML, CASS, Java Script. Therefore, very often back-end developers are referred to by the language they’re most proficient in. For example, a Python Developer or a Java Developer.

The average salary of a back-end developer is just slightly higher than that of a front-end developer. In the USA it’s between $70k and 130K, and in Europe it’s between €50k and €80k

It’s obvious that both front-end and back-end need at least some basic understanding of the ‘opposite’ tools, to be able to communicate and cooperate effectively. A full-stack developer is capable of contributing effectively both ways. Therefore it’s crucial to have a full-stack working on a project to oversee the entire process, from an idea through to execution.

Naturally, the average salary for a full-stack developer is a bit higher, ranging between $80k and $140k in the USA and €80k and €90k in Europe.

How long does it take to learn one of the languages and is it expensive? The good news is that now there are so many websites that offer programming courses, that with patience, hard work and diligence it’s possible to learn the fundamentals in two to six months to be able to start working. It’ll of course take much longer to master all libraries and frameworks. The best news is that all of that can be achieved completely free!

By the way, we’re always on the lookout for talents, so don’t be afraid to email us your resume or check our Careers page. 

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