What is a Website?
Before learning web development we must understand What a is website and how it works.
A collection of webpages (written in HTML, CSS, or JavaScript) stored on a Server computer that can be accessed on the internet e.g. Facebook, Google, Airbnb, etc. A Website displays static information like a portfolio website or dynamic data like an e-commerce website.
We browse the internet and access many websites for reading blogs, watching videos, and chatting with friends. Website makes it possible to query data for you from a server computer and display it on the computer screen.
In general, there are mainly 2 types of websites
Static Website: Resume/Portfolio website, landing page, or other informational read-only websites.
Dynamic Website: E-Commerce Websites, Social Media Websites, Events Websites, and many more…
What is Web Development?
Web Development is the process of creating a website using different programming or markup languages. The website consists of two parts: the User Interface which we see and the server-side / backend which we cannot see and contains the real-logic of the website.
Building a successful website involves several stages from planning to writing code and deploying to a live server. Later on in this ultimate guide, we will explore how to build a successful website.
To become a better web developer, you need to learn these programming or markup languages:
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
CSS (Cascading Stylesheet Language)
JavaScript
PHP
Types of Web development
Data can be static or dynamic based, meaning, a static portfolio website remains the same every time we refresh the page, but if we go to an e-commerce website, we can search for specific products that data changes according to our query, and after each query a new dynamic data appears.
The above example shows that in web development data appears whether statically or dynamically. There are three main types of web development based on job roles and the job market.
Frontend Website Development (Static)
Backend/Server Side Development (Dynamic)
Full-Stack Website Development.
1) Frontend Website development
The Frontend website development job is to create a Graphical/User Interface of the website. Frontend is all about telling users how to use this app and what problems it solves. This is one of the most important and fun parts of any website. With Frontend we talk with our users and keep them in a flow throughout the journey with images, icons, text, and Links.
We create a user interface or front end of a website using these computer languages.
HTML(Hypertext Markup Language)
CSS(Cascading Stylesheet)
JavaScript
2) Backend / Server-Side development
Backend also known as Server-side website development. Backend Developers work on the server to make sure that the website is working properly behind the scenes.
These developers manage the website on the server computer by creating APIs, managing the database, managing the security & content, creating the site architecture, and collaborating with frontend developers to bring the content to users.
Here is the list of some popular Server-Side programming languages:
These are some pure Server-side and most popular Web Programming/Scripting Languages.
3) Full-Stack Web development
The full-stack development of the website is the process of building a website that includes designing, creating, and deploying a complete website from start to finish. This includes several technologies and tools like front-end development & back-end development and database management.
Full-stack development includes multiple stacks to build a complete website. There are a few popular that are popular among developers are:
MERN (MongoDB, Expressjs, Reactjs, Nodejs)
MEAN (MongoDB, Expressjs, Angular, Nodejs)
LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP)
Take a better start as a web developer
As a beginner, start with front-end website development. Frontend is an important step most fun part to start writing code for building the user interface.
Let’s jump right into learning web development step by step:
1) Choosing Code Editor(IDE)
When you start learning web development, the first step is to choose the right code editor (IDE). This code editor allowed us to write the markup and scripts needed to build a website.
There are quite a few good code editors available on the internet, but the most popular and most loved IDE is VS CODE Editor.
Microsoft creates VS Code Editor is lightweight, faster, and easy to use. You can customize the theme, and extend the functionality by adding extensions (plugins) from the Extension Marketplace which is completely free.
Some other IDE are Sublime Text Editor, and Brackets. These are the most popular and beginner-friendly IDEs for Web development.
2) Writing Markup using HTML
HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is a markup language used for creating the structure of a website. It tells how to display text, and images in Browser. To write our first HTML code we use VS Code Editor, follow the below steps to create your first HTML file:
Open VS Code Editor
Create a File with a .html extension, e.g, index.html
In your File Explorer menu click and open this file in any Browser (Google Chrome, Firefox, Brave, Microsoft Edge, Opera, or anyone you use).
While building a website from scratch, HTML is used for structuring the website, It defines the foundation of any website that is rendered on a webpage. HTML contains tags that are used for displaying content and adding attributes allows these tags to extend their functionality.
Here is an example of displaying text content with a Heading and paragraph:
In the above example, you see how text is wrapped between HTML tags. I have used H1 & p tags, both tags are used to display the content but for different purposes.
To extend the functionality of HTML we use attributes for specific tags, For Example:
The class is the attribute used in both the h1 and p tags. I use this class value for styling CSS or adding interactivity using JavaScript.
3) Styling in Web using CSS
To make a web page look good, CSS (Cascading Stylesheet) Languages are used to style it up. You can style any HTML tag or attribute using CSS. Style can be applied by targeting HTML tags, and attributes. CSS uses key: value pair to define style properties.
If we use the above HTML example, we can style our h1 tag like this:
In CSS class value is accessed using dot(.). There are three ways to add CSS to HTML.
Inline CSS: using directly in html tags with style attribute, e.g. <p style=”color: red”>content….</p>
Internal CSS: (in HTML Head section with style tag)
External CSS (creating Separate file with .css extension)
4) Writing JavaScript
We can use JavaScript to add advanced features to our web page. It enables us to show real-time content updates, interactive maps, cool 2D/3D graphics, and smooth-scrolling videos. There are two ways to write JavaScript.
Internal (using <script> tag inside body)
External (creating the file with .js file extension)
JavaScript allows us to create a dynamic website, which means it responds to different events from users.
These days JavaScript is a must-have skill for all web developers. There are many frameworks and libraries out there and new stacks are created which allows us to build full-stack web applications.
How to Plan any Website
Planning a website is an initial step and a vital process in creating a website. A successful website is something that is well-planned and solves the real-world problems that users face. Planning includes the following steps required to build a successful website.
1) From Idea to Goal
In this stage, let’s put our heads together and come up with some fresh ideas. Your idea should be one-of-a-kind and truly address the issues users are encountering. Once you’ve pinpointed it, establish your objective. This phase requires your innovative thinking to tackle the problem in a way that sets you apart from everyone else.
2) Wireframing to Designing
In order to save time and make necessary adjustments before coding, it is essential to transform your ideas into a visually appealing user interface design. This can be achieved by sketching your concepts and utilizing various tools such as Photoshop, Figma, XD, and more.
3) Writing Code
Once you have carefully planned your website and completed the user interface design, it’s time to determine the approach for building your website. You have two options at your disposal: utilizing Drag’n Drop Website Builder tools or embarking on the exciting journey of creating it from scratch by writing code.
4) Deploy on Live Server
After creating your website, make sure to test it with various scenarios and gather feedback from actual users. This is an ongoing process of testing, receiving user feedback, and making updates to your website. Once you have completed all the necessary changes, it’s time to deploy and publish the first version of your website.
5) Security Check and Backup
It’s important to keep in mind that as your application gains popularity, more users will be interacting with it. However, not all of these users may have good intentions. Some may try to exploit vulnerabilities in your website to steal your data. To prevent this, it’s crucial to prioritize website security and regularly back up your data. This way, if you do experience a security breach, you can quickly restore your website without negatively impacting your users.
Best Websites to Learn Web Development Online
If you’re ready to embark on your journey as a web developer, there are plenty of resources available online to help you learn. Whether you prefer free or paid options, we’ve compiled a list of the best resources to get you started.
1) Freecodecamp.org (Free)
Freecodecamp is an amazing place to start as an absolute beginner. It’s free, you will find a bunch of coding courses on their website. You will learn by doing coding exercises, which is an effective way of learning anything. If you are a Visual Learner, they also have a YouTube Channel, where you will find all the courses from different creators.
2) Coursera (Paid)
Coursea is a professional platform for learning Web Development. It also offers Online degree programs from different universities in the world. You will find all courses from UI/UX design to Cyber Security and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Universities and Big Tech Companies create these courses. like, Google, Facebook, IBM, Standford etc.
3) Udemy (Paid & Free)
Udemy is the most popular website for learning web development or any course in any field. These courses are created by professional individuals around the world. Udemy takes care of the quality of the content of any course. Here you will find the best courses in web development at very low prices. You will learn by watching lesson videos, taking quizzes, doing assignments, and creating websites.
4) W3Schools (Free & Paid)
W3Schools is one of the Most Popular and beginner-friendly websites for learning web development. You will find an easy to learn lessons with exercises free of cost, but if you want support and want video lessons and a certificate then you must go with the Paid Plan.
Conclusion
I have previously talked about the concept of a website and how to build one. However, simply learning how to code is not sufficient.
It is crucial to understand the necessary steps for creating a successful website that will thrive in the long run.
Thank you for reaching the end of this article!
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