What is a Full Stack Developer? Key Skills Required
Lucas Bennett
⚡ Smart Summary
Full Stack Developer is an engineer who works on both the client side and server side of an application, covering front end, back end, database, server, and APIs. It also explains the required skills, popular stacks, salary, and myths.
What is Full Stack Developer?
Full Stack Developer is an engineer who works on both the client-side and server-side of the software application. This type of developer works on the Full Stack of a software application, meaning Front end development, Back end development, Database, Server, API, and version controlling systems. Hence, the name “Full Stack” Developer.
A full stack developer translates user requirements into the overall architecture and implements the new systems. A Full-Stack Developer does not necessarily master 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.
Stackoverflow Survey of Developer profiles:
Why Do You Need a Full-Stack Developer?
Here are some prominent reasons why you should hire a full stack development professional:
- A full stack developer helps you to keep every part of the system running smoothly.
- A 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.
Full Stack Developer Skills You Need to Know
Following is the Full Stack developer skill set:
1) Front-end technology
A full stack developer should be a master of essential front-end technologies like HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. Knowledge of third-party libraries like jQuery, LESS, Angular and ReactJS is desirable.
2) Development Languages
A full stack engineer should know at least one server-side programming language like Java, Python, Ruby, .Net, etc.
3) Database and cache
Knowledge of various DBMS technology is another important need of a full stack developer. MySQL, MongoDB, Oracle, and SQL Server are widely used for this purpose. Knowledge of caching mechanisms like Varnish, Memcached, and Redis is a plus.
4) Basic design ability
In order to become a successful Full Stack web developer, 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, and make changes in other developers’ 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 the creation 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, documenting, 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 Java Full Stack Developer?
A Java Full Stack Developer is a developer who has expertise and deep knowledge of frameworks and tools used in Java full stack development like Core Java, servlets, APIs, database, web architecture, etc. A Full Stack Java developer can build whole Java applications including front end, back-end, database, APIs, server, and version control.
What is a Software Stack? Which Stack Should I Learn?
A software 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 an 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 patterns 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 support one another. Many popular websites and web applications run on the LAMP stack, for 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 is currently in 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.js: A server-side JavaScript run time
What Does a Full Stack Developer Do?
As a full stack developer, you may be involved in the following activities:
- Translate user requirements into the overall architecture and implementation of new systems
- Manage the project and coordinate with the client
- Write backend code in Ruby, Python, Java, and PHP languages
- Write optimized front end code in HTML and JavaScript
- Understand, create, and debug database related queries
- Create test code to validate the application against client requirements
- Monitor the performance of web applications & infrastructure
- Troubleshoot web applications with a fast and accurate resolution
Full Stack Developer Salary
As a full stack developer, you are likely to earn around $112,000 per year.
In the UK, the salary range is £40,000 – £70,000.
Myths about the Full Stack Engineer
Following are a few common myths and facts about the Full Stack Engineer:
Myth: A full stack developer writes all types of code themselves.
Fact: He or she might know different technologies but does not write every piece of code.
Myth: A full stack developer writes both frontend and backend code.
Fact: Some full stack developers might code entire websites if they are working as a freelancer. But it is not a given that they mandatorily write both front and backend code.
Full Stack Developer is “jack of all trades, master of none”.
Fact: No, a full stack developer is a 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 cannot become a full stack developer if you work for an outsourcing company.
Fact: It is a mind-set, not a position. In order to become a Full Stack software developer, all you need is the right combination of technical knowledge.
