You'll be reading:
- Master the Fundamentals of web development:
- Create small web development projects:
- Learn Responsive Web Design:
- Git for Version Control:
- Learn at least one Framework for Front End Web Development:
- Start Learning Back End Basics:
- Connect Database to the Back End:
- APIs and HTTP Understanding:
- Portfolio Building:
- Real Project Experience:
- Continuous Growth:
- Practice Regularly:
- Patience and Celebrate Wins:
Learning web development is fun but there is a lot of confusion on what to learn and where to start. This article can be used as a roadmap for learning web development.
Master the Fundamentals of web development:
First master the fundamentals of the web by learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. These are the building blocks of the web and there are tons of resources for learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. HTML decides the structure of a web page, CSS decides the presentation of elements on a web page and JavaScript gives life to those elements by making it possible for a user to interact with elements on the page.
Create small web development projects:
Reinforce your knowledge by creating small projects. Whether it’s a personal portfolio or a to-do list app, creating projects is important to grasp the concept from the core.
Learn Responsive Web Design:
Learn how to optimize your websites for different devices, with Flexbox css and Grid css.
Git for Version Control:
git and GitHub tools help track changes, collaborate with others, and showcase your work—essential for professional development.
Learn at least one Framework for Front End Web Development:
Once you are confident with basics and Git. Start learning any one framework from React, Angular, or Vue. Choose based on your preferences and job market demand.
Start Learning Back End Basics:
Once you are comfortable with front-end development, it’s time to learn back-end development. Start with Node.js and Express which is based on JavaScript, or explore Django, Flask(based on Python), or Rails(based on Ruby programming language). The choice depends on your personnel preference and project requirements. If you are just starting and already learned JavaScript, learning Nodejs and Express would be easier and more intuitive for you.
Connect Database to the Back End:
Understanding databases is a crucial aspect of web development, and knowledge of both SQL (Structured Query Language) for relational databases like MySQL and PostgreSQL, as well as NoSQL databases like MongoDB, is valuable.
Learn to perform CRUD operations (Create, Read, Update, Delete) from the backend on the database.
Backend development involves handling user requests, interacting with the database, and processing data. Establishing communication between the front end (user interface) and the back end is crucial. This is often done using APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) where the frontend sends requests to the backend, and the backend processes those requests.
User interactions on the front end (like submitting a form) trigger requests to the backend. This can involve passing data from the front end to the back end, which then processes the data. The backend interacts with the database to perform CRUD operations based on the user’s actions. This involves constructing and executing SQL or NoSQL queries to manipulate the data in the database.
After performing operations on the database, the backend sends the relevant data back to the frontend in various formats, such as JSON, frontend can then use that data to update the user interface.
APIs and HTTP Understanding:
Grasp how APIs work and make HTTP requests. This knowledge is crucial for connecting your front-end to diverse back-end services.
Portfolio Building:
Create a portfolio of your projects. You can build various projects based on your skills.
Real Project Experience:
Once you’ve nailed the basics, immerse yourself in real projects. Contribute to open-source initiatives or start working as a freelancer for practical experience. At this stage, you can look for a full-time job as a full-stack developer. You can also look for a job earlier in this roadmap as a front-end developer once you master front-end.
Continuous Growth:
Understand that web development is an ongoing journey. Keep learning, explore new technologies, and dive deeper into areas that catch your interest.
Practice Regularly:
Coding is a skill that sharpens with practice. Set aside dedicated time for regular coding practice to enhance your coding skills.
Patience and Celebrate Wins:
It’s natural to feel overwhelmed. Patience is key. Celebrate small victories, knowing that every seasoned developer was once a beginner.
Think of learning web development as constructing a house—lay a solid foundation, progress step by step, and soon you’ll have an impressive skill set.
