Top Skills To Become a Full Stack Developer (2023)

What is a Full Stack Developer?

A full-stack developer is a developer who builds both the front-end and back-end parts of a web application or website. The front-end part of any web application is also known as client-side development. The user sees and interacts with the front-end part only. The backend part is also known as server-side development. The backend is responsible for organizing and maintaining the databases and behind-the-scenes processing. 

A full-stack developer designs applications while ensuring their efficiency, reliability, and other crucial features. Moving forward, let’s talk about the skills required to become a full-stack developer.

What is Full Stack Web Development?

Full stack web development refers to website development, including both front end and back end. Full-stack web development requires to have in-depth knowledge of computer system applications. The front end is all about user interactions, and the back end deals with servers, databases, etc. The back end has zero to no direct interaction with the user. In short, full-stack web development is the development of a website using both front-end and back-end technologies.

What is Frontend Web Development?

Front-end web development is the development of a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for a website. It is a client-side development in which the primary focus is on user interactions with the website. Every entity you see on a website, like buttons, links, images, and animations, comes under front-end web development. A person who works with front-end techs is called a front-end web developer. 

Also Read, Front End Web Development

What is Backend Web Development?

In simple terms, all the activities which are performed on the back end of the program are called back-end development. Back-end development works in building codes to allow databases and applications to interact with each other. A person who works with back-end techs is called a back-end web developer. A back-end web developer is responsible for the maintenance of the back-end of the website and its entities, such as databases, servers, and apps.

Back End vs. Front End Development

The front end deals with every graphical user interface. It is everything on the browser which we can read, display, and interact with. Mostly three techs are used in the front-end development HTML, CSS, and Javascript. The front end involves every entity a user sees.

The back end deals with every entity that operates on the server side. It deals with the hardware part of our system. There are various languages used in back-end development, such as Node, Java, Javascript, and PHP. The back end involves all the tasks which are not visible to the user's eyes.

Front End vs. Back End vs. Full Stack Web Developers: What's the Difference?

Now that we have knowledge of front-end, back-end, and full-stack development. Let's now understand and compare them using the table given below:

Sr. No.	Front End Developers	Back End Developers	Full Stack Developers
1	It involves working with the client side of the system.	The back end involves working on the server side of the system.	Works with both sides of the system.
2	Only knowledge of front-end technologies is required.	Knowledge of back-end technologies is required.	Both the knowledge of front-end and back-end techs are required.
3	Tech stacks, such as HTML, CSS, Javascript, React, etc., are required.	Tech Stacks such as Ruby, Python, Java, Node.js, etc, are required.	Knowledge of both stacks is required, with the ability to integrate both of them.
4	It makes a website more readable, visually good, and aesthetic.	It is in charge of the whole database management of a website.	Full-stack developers should have an understanding of the web life application lifecycle.

Client Software (Front End) vs. Server Software (Back end)

Lets us now see a comparison table between front-end and back-end development.

Tech	Front End	Back End
Definition	It involves working with the graphical user interface of a webpage.	The back-end involves working effectively with the back-end management of databases and servers.
Skills	Front End mainly requires HTML, CSS, and Javascript.	The back end requires skills like Python,  Node.js,  Ruby, Java, etc.
Extra Skills	A little understanding of UI and UX designing.	Logical aptitude, computer architecture, and problem-solving.
Independence	Mainly front end cannot work independently.	Back-end development works independently.

Full Stack Developer Skills

Full stack developer skills majorly comprise front-end and back-end skills. Some front-end technologies are HTML, CSS, ReactJS, AJAX, and jQuery, whereas some back-end technologies are Node.js, JavaScript, SQL, PHP, Python, and many more. Moving forward, let's discuss some of these technologies.

Front-end Technologies

Some front-end technologies are:

• HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language. It is used to create web pages of websites. HTML describes the whole structure of a web page. There are various elements in HTML that help browsers in displaying the content. Some basic elements of HTML are header tags(<h1> , <h2> , <h3> , <h4> , <h5> , <h6>), paragraph tag(<p>) and many more. HTML tags are useful in converting HTML documents into web pages.
   
• CSS  stands for Cascading Style Sheet. CSS is a style sheet language that allows adding styling to a document written in HTML. CSS helps in making web pages attractive by altering the color, size, and font of the content. It also allows adding animations and various decorative elements to our web page. There are basically three types of CSS:
  • Inline CSS allows you to add CSS properties by adding style attributes within an HTML tag. 
  • Internal CSS allows you to add styling tags inside the HTML file only. We can write style properties in the head section of an HTML file.
  • External CSS allows making a CSS file externally, which only contains the style property of our HTML file. We must save this external CSS file with the .css extension and link this file to our HTML file using the link tag. External CSS allows us to add styling properties in one file so that we can use this across web pages.    
     
• AJAX stands for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. AJAX allows sending and receiving data from servers asynchronously. It can send and receive information in JSON(JavaScript Object Notation), XML(Extensible Markup Language), HTML, and text file formats.
   

Moving forward, let’s discuss about some of the backend technologies.

Back-end Technologies

Some back-end technologies are:

• Javascript is a scripting language that we can use to create dynamic web pages. Javascript is helpful in making interactive web applications. Javascript is used as a client-side programming language as it runs on client machines and deals with a user interface. Currently, Javascript is used in almost 97 % of websites.
   
• SQL stands for Structured Query Language. SQL is used for communicating with databases. SQL is a programming language that we use for organizing, managing, and retrieving data from databases. A database is a collection of data records, mainly in the form of tables, that contain information. There are certain SQL commands that can be used to manipulate databases.
   
• PHP stands for Hypertext Preprocessor. It is a server-side scripting language that interacts with databases to store, retrieve and modify data. PHP helps in making dynamic and interactive web pages. 
   

Apart from these skills, a full-stack developer must have knowledge about Git and Github, web architecture, HTTP and REST, design fundamentals, and many more. The web architecture includes the understanding of the code structure, data structure, application logic, and relationship between the client and server. 

Soft Skills

The most important soft skills of full-stack developers are:

1. Full-stack developers have good critical thinking skills as well. They realize the situation very patiently and solve them accordingly.
    
2. One more very important quality of full-stack developers is that they adopt the changes in technologies very quickly. They understand the requirements of the project and make changes accordingly using new technologies or existing software very efficiently.
    
3. Full-stack developers are passionate about new technologies. They keep on exploring new technologies.
    
4. Full-stack developers have collaborative nature and good communication skills. They know how to work in a team, and they help each other to accomplish the requirements of the project before the deadline.

Roles and Responsibilities of a Full Stack Developer

In the information technology field, full-stack developers play important roles across the globe. Their key role includes the development of a website or applications. They do the complete development of any application or website with front-end and back-end technologies. They are effortlessly doing great jobs in making life easier. 

A few major responsibilities that a full-stack developer includes are as follows:

• They design user interfaces and databases of web applications or a website.
• They are responsible for developing servers. 
• They make responsive interfaces so that the application or website. Responsive interfaces are necessary as they allow dynamic adaptation to the size of the device.
• They design and develop APIs.
• They make applications in such a way that applications must support all operating systems.
• They also debug and troubleshoot the issues that arise while testing or building.

Programming Languages and Tools of Full Stack

Let us now discuss the languages and tools one needs to master initially in order to be a full-stack developer. 

Programming Languages

Below are some languages a full-stack developer should possess:

• HTML: It stands for Hyper Text Markup Language. It defines the web structure using a combination of Hypertext and Markup language.
   
• CSS: CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheet. It helps to apply various styles to the web page which you have created using HTML. One of the important features of CSS is that it allows you to add styles independent of the HTML of your web page.
   
• JavaScript: Javascript is a popular front-end language that is used to add interactivity to a web page. Due to the faster execution speed of Javascript, users are able to enjoy faster browsing speed. Furthermore, it is also used in the development of the server side of a website.
   
• Java: Java is the most popular language for programming a web page's back end. Due to high scalability and readily available components, it is being widely used by full-stack developers.
   
• Python: Python provides better integration of systems, and developers can easily do their job due to a simpler syntax.
   
• Node.js: It is an open-source platform to execute the Javascript code of a page outside the browser. It is often used to build APIs like Web apps or Mobile apps.

Tools 

Below are some tools used by full-stack developers:

• Django: Django is a Python-based web development framework. It provides faster speed and is useful in server scripting.
   
• Node.js: It is a runtime environment for Javascript. It helps in the creation of dynamic web pages, and it is event-driven technology.
   
• GitHub: GitHub is a platform to help and collaborate with others while working on a project. It makes code writing more manageable by less error-prone. 
   
• Visual Studio Code: It is a powerful code editor with numerous features. It helps developers to write code faster and more accurately by pointing out syntactical errors. It is compatible with many frameworks and can integrate Git and GitHub.
   
• WebStorm: Webstorm is a popular IDE for Javascript development. It provides features like error correction and auto code completion, which saves a lot of time for developers.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Full Stack

Now, let's discuss some advantages and disadvantages of Full stack development.

Advantages

Below are a few advantages of full-stack development.

• Full stack development helps the developers understand how the entire development of a website takes place. This helps them to understand each process better and find efficient methods to do the same task.
   
• It makes the development process more understandable and efficient.
   
• Full-stack developers are able to find problems on both the client side and server side of the system. Thus, it saves time for development problems.
   
• Full-stack development enables the development of cohesive, manageable, and effective websites.

Disadvantages

Below are a few disadvantages of full-stack development.

• The most obvious disadvantage of full-stack development is the high skills requirement. They require to learn both sides of the system development; thus, it becomes hard for them to specialize in both of them.
   
• Another drawback of full-stack development is the inability to work with new technologies. A specialist in a single domain will learn more about development advancements in his field than a person working with multiple techs.
   
• Full stack development is more complex than both front-end and back-end development as it requires extensive knowledge of both domains. Further, this tech is very time taking to learn.

Job Outlook

The demand for full-stack developers is at its peak. Each industry nowadays has a demand for web developers to build their websites. Companies are increasing their online presence to reach a high number of customers. Thus they need full-stack developers to complete their objective. The full-stack roles are high in demand and are expected to grow 13% in the year 2020-2030, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Furthermore, they projected around 17,900 new web development jobs every year.

The growth of e-commerce companies and new techs such as ML, AI, and Blockchain has added extra web development jobs to the table. As a lot of new technologies are emerging, the demand for web development is increasing as well. Therefore, there is a high demand and a positive job outlook for full-stack web development.

Salary of Full Stack Developer

Full stack developer is a very popular and demanding role. They have the ability to build complete web applications. Therefore they are highly skilled and demanding. In India, full-stack developers' salary ranges from ₹ 2.2 Lakhs to ₹ 16.0 Lakhs, with an average annual salary of ₹ 6.0 Lakhs.

**These above-mentioned salary figures are subject to change and can vary from company to company.

How to Become a Full Stack Developer

After you have set your goal to become a full-stack developer, the next step is the learning curve. First, start off with the front-end techs such as HTML, CSS, and Javascript. After that, you need to learn about different front-end frameworks like React.js, Vue.js, Angular, etc. After you have achieved this task, you are now a front-end web developer. Now you need to jump to the back-end part.

For a full-stack web developer, you need to learn about back-end programming languages like Python, Java, PHP, etc. Once you cleared this step now, start learning about frameworks and techs such as Django, Express, Laravel, Spring, etc. 

Once you finish this step, you need to explore databases. Some popular databases are MySQL, MongoDB, SQLite, etc. Furthermore, build command on version control skills.

After rigorously doing this process, the next step is to implement the skills you have learned. Start doing projects and build your knowledge. 

Experience Required to Become a Full Stack Developer

If you are new to full-stack development and looking for a job, you must be wondering whether you need experience beforehand, right? Well, worry not because the full-stack development field doesn't require experience beforehand. However, there are a few things you can do to give you clarity on this tech and, at the same time, build up your resume. 

After acquiring the skills required for being a Full Stack Developer, you can experience this tech by making portfolio websites for representing yourself, working in groups, and collaborating on single projects, contributing to open source projects on GitHub. This way, you will gain experience in order to kickstart your full-stack developer journey.

Personality Traits of a Full Stack Developer

There are some common traits that Full Stack Developers possess: -

Goal Oriented

A Full Stack Developer is always objective and Goal oriented in his/her work.

Problem Solver

A Full Stack Developer is always eager to solve problems in the most optimal way possible.

Team player

A Full Stack Developer always contributes towards the development of the team and always strives for the best of the team.

Creative

A Full Stack Developer is always creative in his/her approach towards a problem, finding and discovering various things on his/her way.

Curious

A Full Stack Developer is very curious about upcoming advancements in technology and very eager to learn those and to his/her toolbox.

Glossary of Full-stack Developer Terms

Here are a few of the most commonly used terms when we refer to a software developer

Frontend

The part of the web application which a client/user interacts with is called Frontend.

Backend

This is the processing side of Web Apps, where data is stored and retrieved.

MERN Stack

This represents the four main techs required for full-stack development, which are MongoDB, Express JS, React JS, and Node.js. 

API

API stands for Application Programming Interface. These are some rules and protocols for communication between different software.

Interview Questions and Answers

What is Full Stack development

Full Stack development includes the development of both client-side and server-side software. Client software (front-end) includes user interfaces like websites or apps (Android or Apple). Server software (back-end) includes databases, APIs, architecture, and servers. The one working with full-stack should be able to work with web servers and databases. 

What is CORS?

CORS stands for Cross-Origin Resource Sharing. As script is able to make requests to sub domain only, CORS provides the ability to request resource from another sub domain. With the help of CORS, websites or web pages can embed images, videos, stylesheets, and iframes from other sub-domains.

Define Inversion of Control (IoC)?

IoC stands for Inversion of Control. It is an important principle in software engineering. As its name suggests, it is meant to invert the control given to a developer, i.e. the decisions taken by the developer for the management of an application are now taken by this framework. IoC's main purpose is to provide high-level guidelines.

In Javascript, what is a callback?

In Javascript, functions are also called ‘first-class objects’. This is because functions have properties and methods just like an object. Due to this important property of Javascript, we can pass a function as a parameter in Javascript. This property of a function that is to be passed as an argument is called a callback in Javascript. And the function which is passed as a parameter is known as a ‘callback function’.

Full Stack Developer and Software Developer

A lot of people get confused between a full-stack developer and a software developer. So let us discuss what exactly both of them mean.

A software developer is a person who specializes in various tasks required for a computer program. These tasks include writing, testing, debugging, designing, building, and maintaining computer programs. A developer is an IT professional who uses programming languages such as Python, Java, C++, Javascript, etc., to create computer software.

A few responsibilities of a software developer include the following:

• Write clean and efficient code based on the requirements.
• Verify programs and deploy them on the system.
• Integrate your program programs with third-party programs.
• Troubleshoot and upgrade the existing software.
   

A Full-Stack developer is a person who has the knowledge and works with both frontend and backend development aspects of software applications. They are professional which are experts in servers, networks as well as in hosting environments.

A few responsibilities of a full-stack developer are:

• Designing user interfaces for a website.
• Make responsible websites and deploy them on servers.
• Debug and solve the issue in the testing phase.

When is a Full Stack Developer Needed?

A full-stack developer is able to do both the jobs of a back-end and front-end developer. Full-stack developers are, therefore, an important asset to a company. Given below are some scenarios where a full-stack developer can lead the game:

• Take responsibility and build a full-fledged website for the team.
• Increase the productivity and efficiency of a task by lowering the time requirement of that task.
• Cut off the manpower by doing multiple tasks in a project.
• Fix and debug issues in the project and save time for your team.

What should you choose between Full-stack Developer and Software Developer?

Hopefully, after reading our blog till now, you must know about the differences between software and a full-stack developer. Now coming to the question, so there is no exact answer for what we should choose between a full-stack developer and a software developer. This decision totally depends on your interest. 

Before choosing this role as a career, you have to keep some parameters in your mind, like opportunities available and your interest. The demand for both of these techs is quite high, and the pay is good as well. So research well and choose a career which fascinates you more.

Examples of a Real World Full Stack Applications

The best real-life example of full-stack development is the website you are viewing right now. It is the job of a full-stack developer to build, design, debug, and maintain these websites. So what is the work of a software developer in website development? A software developer's primary focus is on the optimization of some features in the whole website. For example, user identification, traffic management, messaging processes, etc. 

Other examples include different e-commerce, educational, internet forums, online stores, employment websites, etc. So the world of full-stack development is large and expanding rapidly.

Tips for Landing a Job

Given below are some tips which will help you in your journey of grabbing a full-stack developer role:

• Sharpen your coding skills.
   
• Regularly practice DSA questions and build problem-solving ability.
   
• Gain experience by working on different full-stack application projects.
   
• Try to learn and get certification in full-stack development.
   
• Build a portfolio website and add it to your resume.
   

These are a few tips that will help you to become a successful full-stack developer in the future.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the skills need for full stack developer?

Full stack developers need skills in both front-end (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) and back-end (Node.js, Python, Java) technologies, along with database management and version control.

What are the basics of full stack developer?

Basics include proficiency in front-end and back-end technologies, understanding databases, knowledge of server-side languages, and familiarity with development tools and frameworks.

What skills do you need to be a full stack developer 2023?

In 2023, a full stack developer should have updated knowledge of the latest front-end frameworks, back-end languages, cloud services, and modern development practices like CI/CD.

What full-stack means?

Full-stack refers to a developer who possesses skills across the entire web development stack, including both client-side (front-end) and server-side (back-end) technologies.

Conclusion

In this article, we have discussed full-stack developers and their full-stack developer skills. We have also talked about their salary. To learn about full-stack development, you can read the below-mentioned articles:

• What Does Backend Developer Do?
• Frontend
• 11 Top Full-Stack Developer Interview Questions

We hope this article helped you in understanding about full stack developer skills, and their salary. You can also consider our Mern Stack Course to give your career an edge over others.