What is Full Stack Development? Responsibilities of a Full Stack Developer.
A full-stack developer is someone who is prepared to explore the realms of native application, mobile application, and web application development. They specialize in various skills and take control of the entire process of developing an application, starting from the initial concept to launching it in the marketplace, and providing ongoing support thereafter.
To build a successful career as a full-stack developer, one of the highest-paying and demanding jobs in the IT sector, you must be mentally prepared to experience work-related frustrations 24*7 during the initial phase of your career. The initial requirement for this job profile is to be a jack of all trades but master of some in terms of technical skills.
A full-stack developer is a person who knows frontend development technology, backend development technology, has a good understanding of design tools, and possesses project management skills, as well as soft skills
We have already discussed the soft skills required to become a full-stack developer in a previous article titled 'Who Can Become a Full Stack Developer?.
Before we list the responsibilities of a full-stack developer, it's important to understand front-end development, back-end development, and the deployment process of a project.
Front-end Development
In front-end development, we focus on how an app looks and how users interact with it. For websites, people use web pages, and on mobile apps, it's the screens. A front-end developer makes sure the screens look good and are easy to navigate. They improve how things look, make text easy to read, and arrange content nicely on the page.
Front-end developers need to be experts in making things look good and user-friendly. They use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to do this. There are different tools and ways to create the front part of an app, but we'll talk about that in another article.
Back-end Development
Think of the backend as the backstage of an app – it's where all the hidden work happens. Users don't see what's going on back there; it's a secret world for developers.
The backend development process involves things like handling the logic on the server side, doing operations on the database, and making sure the backend and front end can talk to each other through things like APIs. Even though users don't see it, the whole application is controlled by the backend.
To become a backend developer, you need to specialize in at least one programming language for the server side and a database system. There are many technologies and programming languages for the server side, and we'll talk about them in a separate article.
Deployment Process
Deployment is the process of making an application accessible to end-users. It involves several steps, such as preparing and packaging the application, running tests to check if everything works as it should, and measuring how well the application performs. Additionally, deployment includes optimizing the database, creating backup strategies, and identifying the most suitable production environment.
The production environment could be a dedicated private server, shared hosting, or cloud hosting. It's a crucial decision to ensure the application runs smoothly and is easily accessible to users. Apart from web applications, there are various stores where applications can be deployed, such as the Google Play Store, Apple App Store, Windows Store, and others. These platforms provide a way for users to discover, download, and use the applications on their devices.
Responsibilities of a Full Stack Developer
- Managing the entire application development lifecycle, from design to deployment.
- Writing clean, functional code on the front-end and back-end.
- Programming scalable and clean code.
- Developing a database and optimizing it.
- Following the deadlines of various stages.
- API development and integration.
- Provisioning application security.
- Providing support after deployment for updates and integration.
- Preparation of documentation and reports on the work done.