What is a Full Stack developer?
A full-stack web developer is a technology expert who can work on both in the front end as well the back-end of any application. The person should be familiar with each layer of a 3-tier model. The 3-tier consists of
- The presentation layer ( Main front end portion which deals with the user interface),
- Business Logic Layer (back-end portion of any application which deals with data validation)
- Database Layer
A Full-Stack Developer doesn't necessarily master of all technologies. However, the professional is expected to work on the client as well as server sides and understand what is going on when developing an application. He or she should have a genuine interest in all software technologies.
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In this tutorial, you will learn
- What is a Full Stack developer?
- Why do you need a Full-Stack Developer?
- Skill sets required to become a Full Stack Developer
- What is a Software Stack? Which Stack should I learn?
- LAMP stack
- MERN stack
- MEAN stack
- What does a Full Stack Developer do?
- Full Stack Developer Salary
- Myths about the Full Stack Engineer
Why do you need a Full-Stack Developer?
Here are some prominent reasons why you should hire a full stack development professional:
- Full stack developer helps you to keep every part of the system running smoothly
- Full stack developer can provide help to everyone in the team and greatly reduce the time and technical costs of team communication
- If one person plays different roles, it saves your company's personnel, infrastructure and operational cost
Skill sets required to become a Full Stack Developer
1) Front-end technology
Full stack developer should be master of essential front-end technologies like HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript. Knowledge of third-party libraries like jQuery, LESS, Angular and React Js is desirable
2) Development Languages
Full stack enginer should know atleast one server-side programming languages like Java, Python, Ruby, . Net etc.
3) Database and cache
Knowledge of various DBMS technology is another important need of full stack developer. MySQL, MongoDB, Oracle, SQLServer are widely used for this purpose. Knowledge of caching mechanisms like varnish, Memcached, Redis is a plus.
4) Basic design ability
In order to become a successful full stack developer, the knowledge of designing is also recommended. Moreover, the person should know the principle of basic prototype design and UI /UX design.
5) Server
Exposure to handling Apache or nginx servers is desirable. A good background in Linux helps tremendously in administering servers.
6) Version control system (VCS)
A version control system allows full stack developers to keep track of all the changes made in the codebase. The knowledge of Git helps full stack developers to understand how to get the latest code, update parts of the code, make changes in other developer's code without breaking things.
7) Working with API (REST & SOAP):
Knowledge of web services or API is also important for full stack developers. Knowledge of creations and consumption of REST and SOAP services is desirable.
Other Pieces of the Puzzle:
- Ability to write quality unit tests
- He or she should have a complete understanding of automated processes for building testing, document, and deploying it at scale
- An awareness of security concerns is important, as each layer has its own vulnerabilities
- Knowledge of Algorithms and data structures is also an essential need for professional full stack developers
What is a Software Stack? Which Stack should I learn?
Sofware stack is a collection of the programs which are used together to produce a specific result. It includes an operating system and its application. For example, a smartphone software stack includes OS along with the phone app, web browsers, and default applications.
The above list of skill sets for a full stack engineer could be daunting. You need to master a software stack based on your career goals, project and company requirement. Following is a list of popular software stacks.
Irrespective of the stack you choose, you will find similarities in the architecture and design patters across different stacks
LAMP stack
LAMP is a widely used model for web service stacks. Its name "LAMP" is an acronym of four open-source components.
- L= Linux: An open source operating system
- A= Apache: Widely used web server software
- M= MySQL: Popular open source database
- P=PHP: Server-side open source scripting language
These above-discussed components, supporting one another. Many popular websites and web applications run on LAMP stack, Example: Facebook.
MERN stack
MERN is a collection of JavaScript-based technologies:
- M=MongoDB: Popular NoSQL database
- E=Express: Light and portable web program framework
- R=React: A javascript library for building user interfaces
- N=Node.js: A server-side JavaScript run time
This stack currently in the huge demand as it is widely used to develop web applications.
MEAN stack
MEAN Stack Application Development is witnessing a growing trend in usage. MEAN is an abbreviation of:
- M = MongoDB: nosql Database
- E = Express: Easy to use light and portable web program framework
- A = Angular.js: Robust framework for developing HTML5 and JavaScript- web programs
- N = Node.is: a server-side JavaScript run time
What does a Full Stack Developer do?
As a full stack developer, you may be involved in following activities:
- Translate user requirements into the overall architecture and implementation of new systems
- Manage Project and coordinate with the Client
- Write backend code in Ruby, Python/ Java, PHP languages
- Writing optimized front end code HTML and JavaScript
- Understand, create and debug database related queries
- Create test code to validate the applicaition against client requirement.
- Monitor the performance of web applications & infrastructure
- Troubleshooting web application with a fast and accurate a resolution
Full Stack Developer Salary
As a FULL STACK DEVELOPER, you are likely to earn$112000 per year.
In this UK, the salary range is £40,000 - £70,000
Myths about the Full Stack Engineer
Myth: Full stack developer is writing all types of code themselves.
Fact: He or she might know different technologies but not writing each code.
Myth: Write both frontend and backend codes.
Some full stack developers might code entire websites if they are working as a freelancer. But this its not a given that they mandatorily write both front and backend code.
Full Stack Developer is "jack of all trade, master on none".
No, FSD is master of a few stacks and comfortable with the rest. In fact working as a Full stack engineer gives you a 360 degree view into different components that make a software product successful. Due to this awareness, a Full Stack Developer can rapidly create a prototype compared to a backend or frontend engineer. Their viewpoints on product design and architecture are very pointed and helpful.
Myth: You can't become full stack developer if you work for an Outsourcing company
It is a mindset, not a position. In order to become full stack developer all, you need a right combination of technical knowledge.
Summary
- A full-stack web developer is a technology expert who can work on both in the front end & back-end of any application
- Full stack developer helps you to keep every part of the system running smoothly
- Skill sets required to become a Full Stack Developer are Front-end technology, Development Languages, Database, Basic design ability, Server, Working with API and version control systems
- Sofware stack is a collection of the programs which are used together to produce a specific result
- LAMP stands for Linux, Apache, MYSQL, and PHP
- MERN is full form of MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js
- MEAN stand for MongoDB, Express, Angular.js and Node.js
- Full stack developer translates user requirements into the overall architecture and implementation of new systems
- FULL STACK DEVELOPER can earn up to $112000 per year
- The biggest myth about Full stack developers is that they are writing all types of code themselves which is not true
