Being a web developer isn’t an easy profession but it is one of the most rewarding ones. That’s because part of being a good web developer is to constantly learn new skills, programming languages, frameworks, and software tools. For those with a love of learning and passion for technology, it’s a dream job, while for individuals who prefer the familiar, it can be overwhelming
Good web developers typically spend a substantial portion of their time learning valuable knowledge that they can apply to their work to reduce development cycles, save time, and build better products.
However, people new to the web development field often struggle to comprehend the many different skills that good developers possess. Moreover, even seasoned web developers are often on the lookout for new helpful tools and frameworks that can save them time. So, let’s explore the skills that make for a good web developer.
HTML
Perhaps the most foundational skill for any web developer is a good knowledge of HTML. HTML is a programming language that is used to craft the content of websites and web applications. Technically, HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language, though the full name of the programming language is rarely used.
HTML uses a series of different sorts of tags including header, body, list, and paragraph tags to structure web content. Text, images, hyperlinks, and media can be built into web pages using HTML.
Being that it is the most widely-used programming language when it comes to building web pages, it’s crucial that any web developer be comfortable reading, writing, and debugging HTML code. It’s no wonder that the language is experiencing such a surge in interest among students and aspiring developers.
CSS
CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets, is a programming language that is used to style web content. CSS is routinely used to alter the design of content constructed in a markup language like HTML. CSS is also used to position content on a web page using programming principles called absolute or relative positioning.
If you wish to change the color of text, make a certain sentence bold, italicize a paragraph, or move a photo to the center of a web page, chances are you’ll be using CSS. Many of these functions can also be performed using HTML, but in modern web development it is normally considered best practice to do so in a styling language like CSS to make code easier to read.
CSS styles texts by recognizing certain bits of content through IDs or classes assigned via HTML. After assigning an element or group of elements a class or ID, CSS can be used to modify the stylings of those elements all together. This saves time and makes code cleaner.
Javascript
Javascript is a versatile, functional programming language that is often used to program interactions on the web. When you visit a web page and notice interactive animations that respond to you clicking on certain elements or interacting in other ways with the web page, chances are you’re seeing Javascript in action.
Although Javascript is a functional programming language, it can also be used in more of an object-oriented style, which makes it accessible to self-taught developers or those with a background in object-oriented programming.
One of the most powerful aspects of Javascript is that it can be used with a variety of different libraries such as jQuery to accomplish complex functionalities and interactions easily. jQuery is relatively easy to learn for any programmer that knows vanilla Javascript and greatly improves code simplicity when creating interactive animations for web pages or applications.
Github
Github is a version control software that is used to preserve codebases during development and facilitate collaboration between different web developers. It offers the ability to create large, web-based code repositories that can be saved and forked. A fork in web development refers to the process of modifying a codebase while backing up the original version of that codebase.
Version control is a crucial part of web development since it ensures that when developers make mistakes, they can reinstate a previous version of the code they have written. Because Github repositories are housed online, it also serves the function of storing code that developers in different locations can access through their own personal computers.
When developers write code locally on their PC, they commit that code and push it to Github so that other developers can review it. Github is the digital workspace of web development so it’s crucial that web developers know how to use it.
Server-Side Scripting
Just like web developers need to understand client-side programming techniques such as HTML, CSS, and Javascript, they should also be familiar with server-side scripting technologies and programming languages. The term server-side scripting refers to computer code that runs on a web server rather than through a web browser.
Since these programs run on the server, they must be constructed using a different set of skills. Server-side scripting languages and technologies include PHP, Python, C#, Ruby, and NodeJS. Web developers must know how to employ at least one of these technologies to run programs on a web server.
Doing so is important since it can increase the performance of websites or apps, limit vulnerabilities, and pass data on to the client-side of an application.
In conclusion, these are all the skills that a web developer must have in order to be effective. It’s important to note that all of these technologies are constantly evolving and developers must continually update their knowledge to keep pace with current programming trends. There are also many additional tools and proficiencies that will make developers even more productive, but the skills mentioned above are absolutely essential.
Author Details: Pranjal Bora works as Web Development Lead at Digital Authority Partners, a full-service digital marketing agency.
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