Hello, everyone! We are a Webcapitan web development company with 10+ years of front end development experience. Today, we will dwell on one of the first terms you must deal with as soon as you enter the web design world. It is frontend as a service and front end development.
The given article is divided into the following sections covering the primary notions of the frontend as a service and its “friend” backend, as well as technologies lying behind front end development:
2. Front End Development Technologies
3. Frontend & Backend Interaction
9. Cross Browser Compatibility
Here we go! Let’s start from the very beginning.
1. Frontend vs. Backend
Traditional web development is divided into two major areas: frontend and backend. These directions appeared not accidentally because today, the web is more complex than it used to be. Now, the websites meet you with attractive user interfaces, cross browser compatibility, and beautiful animation advertising due to your preferences, and any incomprehensible issue can be solved with the help of online consultants supported by live chats (for instance, Jivo chat). All this required dividing the development process into the frontend and backend, resembling a kind of scene and backstage, respectively.
Content includes everything the user sees – you and us when we open a webpage. It comprises user interfaces and features that work on the client side of the website or in the application. What is meant by “working on the client side”? When we open the Webcapitan website, click with the right mouse button, and select the source code of the webpage, we will see the code of which our webpage consists. So, the browser is the client side. It means that the frontend code is in our browser, and we can see it. This trick won’t work with the backend, though.
2. Front End Development Technologies
Now let’s focus on front end development technologies, such as:
- HTML is a markup language responsible for the webpage’s content: headers, paragraphs, lists, images and much more.
- CSS is a language responsible for the description of the appearance of the webpage that allows the browser to understand precisely what an element looks like, what color it has, and how its background is located with regard to other elements.
- Javascript is a language created to animate the webpage. Its task is to react to the user’s actions, clicks, cursor moves, and the entire user’s behavior on the webpage.
In addition to using the above technologies, the frontend developer must work closely with designers to create a user-friendly and popular product since the more understandable the interface, the more appropriately the data will be structured. As a result, the user will spend more time on the website.
3. Frontend & Backend Interaction
The frontend as a service and backend services are closely interconnected. They interact in a circle. The frontend sends the information to the backend, which is processed and sent back.
The frontend provides a more precise response. For example, we want to log in using our account, enter our data and press the “Login” button. Up to this point, everything has been done on the frontend side. Now, the frontend sends our data to the backend, which processes and checks them. As a result of the check, the backend sends us the data for the personal account or displays an error, which we will also see on the screen.
4. Full-Stack Developers
Undoubtedly, knowing one side of the web or app development is good, but knowing both is much better. In this regard, there are full-stack developers who are able to create websites and applications on both the frontend and backend sides. They are a kind of universal soldiers who understand the specifics of such development and can solve many tasks set by the client. By the way, Webcapitan web development company includes full-stack developers who specialize both in the frontend as a service and in the backend to meet all the requirements of the client.
5. Frontend Evolution
Evolution is typical of all living things and even non-living ones. Like any organism, the frontend is not static but rather the opposite. It develops and improves due to many factors, one of which is the developers’ desire to combine the frontend and the backend. As a result, an independent frontend with the logic in the application and the browser appears. Is it not an evolution? Despite a number of advantages and disadvantages, it indicates a further progress of the development environment, which is likely to present something new and useful soon. That is why the frontend and the backend professionals will always be in demand among companies and individual entrepreneurs who want to create a website to increase branding and visual identity.
6. What is Front End Service?
Nearly every company, organization, and enterprise has its website and needs specialists to support their work which means that they are interested in frontend as a service. That is why we are here working as a web development company to create a website (business website, etc.) or an application that will enhance our clients’ business.
7. Backend Services
The backend is the invisible part, which is behind the scenes and hidden from the user’s eyes, working on the server outside the user’s browser. These incredible transformations take place in web development using the hardware and software available to our developers.
Compared to the frontend, the backend development involves more technologies. Let’s quickly list the most popular ones:
- PHP is used for most websites available today.
- Ruby (Rails). This language is losing its former popularity, but it is still in demand in the web development environment.
- Python is gradually increasing in popularity. Moreover, it has a fantastic Django framework that is appreciated among web developers.
- Java is the choice of large companies, including banks (Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, etc.) and large e-commerce platforms (eBay and Amazon).
- Go is a young and promising language with a concise syntax.
Of course, when working with the backend, you need to know database management systems, for example, the popular MySQL. It is equally important to mention the Node.js platform, which allows you to use Javascript on the server side. It is thanks to it that Javascript has become a universal language. Javascript with Node.js is definitely included in the arsenal of full-stack developers, and it is in ours as well.Essentially, backend services ensure user interaction with the server, for example, when saving and processing data of users who register on a website or prefer online shopping is necessary. The backend is in charge of implementing this and more advanced functionality. Explaining its essence to an ordinary user is difficult and even more challenging to implement, so website owners turn to us for help. At the web development company Webcapitan, we are deeply concerned about the backend and highly experienced in solving complex tasks on the backend side.
8. Frontend & User Interfaces
Dealing with frontend as a service, we inevitably focus on user interfaces. A user interface is an interaction between a computer and a user. So, there is a computer and a user exchanging information. But how does it work? With the help of the user interface, we cannot trace what happens inside since it remains invisible and is not available to ordinary users.
The user interface can be:
- Command line interface (CLI): when you type a command in a line, the program performs the corresponding actions in response;
- Text-based user interface (TUI): as a rule, it refers to the name given to the interface;
- Graphical user interface (GUI): a familiar computer, tablet or smartphone screen with icons and windows. The screen has various elements available for user interaction: click, tap, drag, move, type text into them, and so on.
Undoubtedly, a direct necessity in front end development is creating a user-friendly interface that allows quick and easy finding of the necessary information for a better user experience within the website.
9. Cross Browser Compatibility
Addressing the front end development, cross browser compatibility is also important since websites can adapt to multiple browsers and display correctly in them. For example, you have created a website for an online store and developed an attractive design that is able to arrest users’ attention. Still, they view your website using various browsers. Some of them even prefer using various gadgets. Suppose you have not checked the cross browser compatibility of the website. In that case, it may happen that in some browsers, the website will not be displayed correctly, elements may move out, images may not be shown, and fonts will only distract. As a result, the user will not use such a website and will give preference to competitors. No way!
In this regard, the web developer’s task is to ensure that, regardless of the browser and device, the website is displayed correctly and remains attractive to the user. The development of browsers has forced the community to think about the issue of cross browser compatibility of websites, since the correct layout of a website inspires trust in the user, ensures ease of user interaction with the website, and increases audience loyalty.
Therefore, cross browser compatibility is essential for any project, and how well your website supports the most significant number of browsers depends on its traffic and user interest in the project. No one will read a blog from a mobile phone if the letters on the website are small and illegible. They will leave the website if they see that its design looks unreadable in the browser. In addition, the search engine increases the internal rating of the website designed per modern layout standards, which will also positively affect the project’s conversion.
Now, you have a better understanding of frontend and backend thanks to the information provided by Webcapitan. In short, you should know the following:
- Traditional web development is divided into two major areas: the frontend and backend.
- The frontend as a service works on the client side, while the backend – on the developer’s side.
- The frontend and backend services work together to ensure user interaction with a website or application.
- The frontend is not static. Its progress seems immense, offering an independent solution with the logic in the application and the browser. And that’s not the end.
- Almost every company, organization, and enterprise has its website and requires specialists to support their work. Consequently, a lot of them choose the web development company Webcapitan.
At Webcapitan, we hope that our web development company has covered the basics of frontend as a service and key front end development issues. If you have any questions about frontend as a service, backend services and front end development, or related web development issues, please feel free to contact us. We are always ready to realize any idea of yours! We always prioritize your choice, time and money!
