Types of Web Development for Beginners

The process of developing a website refers to creating and maintaining the Web site. This can include any number of tasks; for example, outlining a site's layout and structure to writing code or managing databases. However, learning how to develop a website can be overwhelming at first because it includes many concepts, but breaking these into manageable concepts makes it much easier to understand and begin working on your first project.

This article discusses what web development means, its importance, and the different types of web development so that you can start developing your websites with confidence.

​What Is Website Development?

Website development is the broad process of designing and maintaining websites or web applications. It is associated with various stages stretching from conceptualization to the launching of a specific site on the internet. In the case of website development, a developer will use several types of coding programs to design a website, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and further complex frameworks such as React or Vue.js.

Whether a static page with a few lines of code or the most complex dynamic website, web development is the culmination of several working components that deliver a smooth experience to the end-user.

​What Is Web Design?

Web design is basically what your website is going to look like. In effect, it is about how to make a website look and feel in a certain way, finding out how the diverse elements placed on the page are going to work well together, and its congruence with the identity of a brand. Web designers mostly utilize tools such as Photoshop, Figma, or Adobe XD, first creating what is called a visual mockup before passing the design to the developers and coding.

While the web designing aspect is one-half of creating a website, it is different from the back-end programming that goes into creating a site functional.

​Why is Web Development Important?

In this internet world of today, website development is very important because a well-developed website acts as a virtual entity for businesses or individuals. A rich, professional site can increase credibility, drive traffic, and boost conversions.

Websites are not just the domain of large corporations—small businesses and startups, as well as personal projects, find utility through a digital footprint. Knowing how to develop a website gives one the ability to create their own platform and maybe ultimately create business value out of it.

Web Development vs. Web Programming​

Many people treat web development and web programming as synonymous, but they tend to refer to slightly different activities when it comes to creating a website. Web programming is more about writing the code that determines the functionality of a website. It consists of the use of programming languages like JavaScript, Python, or PHP to include interactivity, dynamic content, and other flavours into websites.

On the other hand, web development is a general concept that depicts the processes involved in developing, constructing, or changing websites. This includes web design, web programming, server-side management, and client-side scripting. Activities run from designing to the delivery of the final product.

Read more, Top 7 Website Development Process

9 Types of Web Development

There are multiple web developments which perform under various aspects associated with the development of either websites or applications on the web. There are nine main types of web development you should know as a beginner:

1. Front-End Development

Front-end development focuses on the user interface and user experience of a website. Thus, front-end developers use languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to basically create that part of the website that users would really interact with. They ensure the site displays well on all the devices and browsers used to visit it.

Key Tools: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, Angular

2. Back-End Development

Front-end development refers to the client side; back-end, however, refers to the server side. This simply means that a back-end developer creates and sustains codes which are generally running in the background, appropriately storing data within databases so that the site will serve its expected purposes.

Key Tools: Node.js, Python, Ruby on Rails, SQL

3. Full Stack Development

Full-stack development means both front-end and back-end development. A full-stack developer holds the ability to build the client-facing as well as server infrastructure side of the website. He can cope with everything from database design to creating interfaces.

Key Tools: MEAN Stack (MongoDB, Express.js, Angular, Node.js), LAMP Stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP)

4. Website Development

It is a full process of developing and launching websites. Website developers are used to mix both front-end and back-end development skills in order to develop the website. They do everything starting from design and layout to the deployment of the backend server infrastructure.

Key Tools: WordPress, Joomla, Drupal

5. Desktop Development

The traditional scope for desktop development involves creating application software that would execute in the desktop context, via Windows, macOS, or Linux operating systems. Presently, they are not canonically classified together with the web development umbrella, but many web developers are moving towards the cross-platform building of desktop applications using tools like Electron or NW.js.

Key Tools: Electron, .NET, C++.

6. Mobile Development

Mobile development is the process of developing applications meant for mobile operating systems. This function is somewhat unlike traditional web development and requires specific knowledge. However, most hybrid mobile apps use web technologies, for example, HTML5 and JavaScript. These are blue mobile apps that usually run natively on a mobile platform.

Key Tools: Flutter, React Native, Swift, Kotlin

7. Game Development

It is the art of developing video games for a variety of platforms- be it console, mobile, or the web. Web-based game development often employs JavaScript or frameworks like Unity to allow developers to write dynamic interactions for games.

Key Tools: Unity, Unreal Engine, Phaser

8. Embedded Development

Embedded development is creating software for non-traditional computers in hardware devices. Basic areas of work for embedded developers comprise of dealing with systems in IoT devices, smart home appliances, or wearables.

Key Tools: C, C++, Assembly, Python

9. Security Development

Security development is concerned with making websites and applications more secure from hacking, malware, and breaches of data. The security developer works hand in hand with back-end developers on the central development of integral security features in the application software.

Key Tools: OWASP, Kali Linux, Burp Suite

Conclusion

Knowing the different types of website development will help you determine your niche in this ever-increasing field of web development. Be you a front-end developer, creating beautiful sites and applications with design, a back-end developer, or a full-stack developer managing data on the server side, there are countless ways to learn about website development and begin developing your first web pages.