What characterizes a full-stack web developer and what skills must a full-stack web developer have?

A full stack web developer knows all aspects of web development, such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, server-side technologies like PHP and NodeJS, and databases. Full stack web developers know everything about what is required to build a website or web app.

Full-stack web developers are often freelancers and can be employed in all areas of web development. They often accompany the complete development cycle of an internet project. Full-stack web developers are team players and forms the foundation of any good internet agency.   A full-stack web developer has skills in specialties of a back-end developer, database developer, mobile developer, marketing specialist, UX/UI designer. Quite often even a content writer.

Parts of a Full-Stack Web Developer

Full-stack web developers do pretty much everything. Here you can find the most important skills that full-stack web developers should have.

Frontend Developer

The frontend developer is responsible for the visual elements such as design and layout. They work closely with the UI designer to create the page layout. Front-end developers are responsible for creating the idea or concept Z. E.g. of a website or an online store technically. A full-stack web developer must be able to cover a large part of a front-end developer.

Backend Developer

The back-end developer is responsible for the functionality of the website. Back-end developers develop the code that actually runs the application. They make sure that all the data is stored and managed correctly. They are also significantly responsible for the rarity of the application. Full-stack web developers often have knowledge of PHP or Python.

Database Developer

The job of a database developer is to e.g. maintain the database server, design databases or database schema, and optimize SQL statements. Database developers often work closely with backend developers. Database developers ensure that a database can withstand a heavy load.

UX/UI designer 

The UX designer is a person who designs user interfaces and experiences. A UI designer is responsible for the look and feel of your website, app, or software. A good UX designer is not necessarily a good UI designer. Many full-stack web developers lack creativity and are happy to leave the tasks to professional UX/UI designers.

Mobile developer

The mobile developer ensures that a website, online store or web app works on mobile devices. Implementing responsive web design should be firmly part of your skill set.

Content Writer

The content writer writes all the texts that appear on the website. Content writers work closely with editors. They make sure that the texts are clear, concise and accurate. They write press releases, blog posts, product descriptions, and anything else that needs to be written.

Marketing Specialist

The marketing specialist handles the marketing strategy for the website. They are responsible for planning the social media strategy and designing the marketing campaign.

How do you become a full-stack web developer?

Do you want to become a full-stack web developer? Or maybe you already are one. We've compiled a list of the most important things you need to learn.

A full-stack web developer should know at least HTML, CSS, JavaScript and a backend language like PHP. These languages are among the basics of a full-stack web developer.

If you already know one or more of these languages, then you are well on your way to becoming a full-stack web developer.

Learn HTML & CSS

HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language. It is the markup language used to create web pages. HTML is responsible for making a website look the way it does.

CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets and is a formatting language. The purpose of this language is to give the visual style to a web page. So it defines the look of a HTML based website.

HTML & CSS are among the basic requirements of a full-stack web developer.

Learn JavaScript

JavaScript is a scripting language. You can use it to create animations and interact with other elements on a page, for example. Almost all websites use JS to complement HTML and CSS.

jQuery is a JavaScript library (JS framework) that you can use to make your online projects more interactive. There are other JavaScript libraries such as AngularJS and ReactJS, but jQuery is among the most popular.

Learn PHP

PHP stands for PHP Hypertext Preprocessor. It is a server-side scripting language. With PHP you can send emails, create graphics, start database queries on your web server.

PHP is not a prerequisite to become a full-stack web developer. PHP is a good programming language that is used by many websites and is worth learning.

Learn SQL

SQL (Structured Query Language) is a standard database language used to create, edit and query data in databases and is one of the must have skills for a full stack web developer.