Frontend development means to design the face of a website or application. It involves working on the appearance of the website. Building interactive buttons, using images and animations, or any other aspect that involves enhancing the appearance of the webpage.
A web developer is one of the most demanding and highest-paying jobs in India or abroad. Web developers are huge in demand and so is the profession. The average pay of a web developer is INR 7-8 LPA in India and USD 100 thousand per annum in the US. With huge pay and high demand, it is also not so difficult to become one.
Though, web development has 2 integral aspects – Frontend and Backend. In this article, we’ll be particularly talking about the complete Frontend Developer Roadmap or how to make a successful career as a frontend developer.
It’s very important to know the steps to become a frontend developer as a frontend developer implements the client side of the application through which the user communicates. The better the UI, the better the growth of the business. Hence, this frontend developer roadmap should be followed as a guide.
What is Frontend Development?
Frontend development means developing the user interface for a website or app. During frontend development, a frontend developer has to ensure the looks and feel of the page. The page should look good on any device.
Apart from working on the UI of the page, a frontend developer also has to maintain the right balance between design and functionality to ensure speed and scalability. Frontend development also ensures that the webpage is loading correctly on all browsers(Google, Mozilla Firefox, Edge, etc) and all devices (mobiles, laptops, tablets, etc.).
In general frontend development consists of 3 technologies- HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. There are many other concepts that you should be familiar with if you want to become a frontend developer.
Let’s cover all the concepts that you should know with Roadmap for Frontend Developers.
Frontend Developer Roadmap 2024
Here we have mentioned all the concepts required to become a frontend developer and the correct flow of learning them.
1. Basics of Computer
Before you begin your journey, you must know the basics of computers in order to have a smooth journey. To understand the basics, you must know everything about Computers. Hence, hold a strong grip on the fundamentals so that when you get on advanced topics, these small concepts should be clear.
2. Internet and Web
Also, having a clear knowledge of the working of the internet is important. Because of the internet and the web, these applications came into existence. therefore, without knowledge of the internet and the web, you can’t proceed.
3. Programming
For building a website, the three basic programming languages an individual must be well-versed in are HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. These are the building blocks of an application. Having a good command of these programming fundamentals is very much needed if you want to become a frontend developer.
3.1 HTML – Hyper Text Markup Language is the basic building block of web pages. You can build a single web page for the whole application using HTML. Every developer must start from the basics and reach the advanced level. And this can be achieved only by practicing your HTML skills.
Important Resource: HTML Cheat Sheet
3.2. CSS – Cascading Style Sheet. Not just the texts, but the presentation and usage of colors and effects make the website look engaging. This responsibility is taken care of by the CSS. This can be used in web pages to style it. When you have a strong command of CSS, you can implement a fantastic website with awesome UI. CSS Frameworks help in adding extra functionalities to the web page. There’s no doubt that BootStrap, Tailwind, and Materialize are the best CSS Frameworks for building a website but you may also check the best CSS Frameworks for Frontend Developers. The most popular CSS framework commonly used is BootStrap.
Important Resources:
3.3 JavaScript – After you have text and color to the website, it’s very important to make it interactive so that the user finds it interesting. JavaScript is a lightweight, open, and cross-platform programming language used by developers worldwide to build amazing websites. It can be used to build client-side and server-side websites as well. There are a few concepts that need to be clear in JavaScript to build applications.
Important Resources:
- async/await
- Best-Known JavaScript Array Methods
- TypeScript – TypeScript is a free and open-source programming language developed by Microsoft. It is used to build applications using Angular(framework) majorly.
4. Frameworks for Frontend Developer
A platform for building software applications. It includes programs, code libraries, and compilers which when brought together enable the development of a project or system. These frameworks make components reusable. The major frameworks used in frontend development are – React, Angular, Vue, etc.
- React is the JavaScript library of User Interfaces. It is build single-page applications and also allows you to create reusable UI components. It is a frontend JavaScript framework, created by Facebook in 2011. The initial version (V0.3.0) was released in July 2013. The latest version is V5.0.1. It has a size of 31.8K. This complete guide on How To Learn ReactJS: A Complete Guide For Beginners will help in making your transition towards React if you’re a beginner.
- Angular developed by Google was released in the year 2010. It is a TypeScript-based framework that uses a regular DOM. Angular provides a set of tools using which a complex, reactive UI can be built. It is primarily aimed at creating SPAs (Single Page Applications) and performs various operations such as routing, state management, PWA, testing, and building, having a size of 143K.
- Vue was developed by a former Google employee and was released in the year 2014. It was developed to make the best version of Angular and make a custom tool. It is used for developing single-page engaging and high-quality web applications. It lets you extend directives (HTML with HTML attributes) and also provides built-in directives and user-defined directives. It is the lightest framework having a size of 23K.
*Note: npm is the node package manager written in JavaScript, it lets you install all the dependencies required while building a project.
5. Version Control System
Version Control System is a platform that helps you to manage the application. Through this, you can make changes in the application such as update, edit, undo, and redo. If you’re a developer, develop a habit of using VCS which keeps a record of your application. You see, new versions of software coming now and then in the market. In this case, the previous version is stored as a file in Git (a VCS platform). It has repositories where all files including the codebase are saved and one can make changes according to the requirement. Anyone (any developer) can collaborate and make changes accordingly.
A list of Version Control Systems are
Benefits of Version Control:
- It helps you maintain code.
- You can reuse it whenever needed.
- Saves the changes made.
- Provides evidence of all changes made.
- Improves performance of web development.
- Collaborate and contribute.
Must Read – An Ultimate Guide to Git and GitHub
6. Build Projects
The best way to learn any technology or anything is when you gain practical knowledge. And this practical knowledge can be gained by building projects. While building projects, you face some real-world challenges and when you fix those, you gain extra skills which smoothen your journey as a frontend developer. Hence, building a project is much more important after you learn all the skills required to become a frontend developer. Here are the Top 10 Front-End Web Development projects For beginners you should work on.
Tech Stacks You Can Learn
- MERN (MongoDB, Express, ReactJS, NodeJS)
- MEAN (MongoDB, Express, AngularJS, NodeJS)
- MEVN (MongoDB, Express, VueJS, NodeJS)
If you’re interested in backend or full-stack, check out these articles:
Conclusion
A frontend developer makes the website engaging using their skills with technology. Hence, it’s very important to know how to become a frontend developer. The above-mentioned points should be thoroughly followed to become a frontend developer.
This complete guide/roadmap on frontend development will surely help you to understand each step better and when followed properly, will surely make you a frontend developer who is in huge demand.
FAQs on Frontend Developer Roadmap
What does a frontend developer do?
A frontend developer is one who builds the client side of the application. His/her responsibility is to build a website that has an engaging view. A frontend developer must focus on design, technology, and programming to build an efficient application.
What is a frontend developer’s salary?
Frontend development has become one of the most high-demanding and high-paying jobs. Therefore, the average pay in India as a frontend developer is 4.5LPA with zero experience and ranges to 15LPA+ as the experience increases.
What are the frontend developer skills?
The frontend developer takes care of the complete UI (for user engagement) and also works on logical-ability skills. The few most important frontend developer skills include:
- HTML
- CSS
- JavaScript
- DOM Manipulation
- Problem-Solving Ability
How long does it take to become a Frontend Developer?
The duration to learn all the skills of frontend development can vary from person to person. But 6-9 months is the average duration to become a frontend developer, if you study regularly.
What is the roadmap of frontend developers?
Roadmap of frontend developer including learning computer, internet, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Frameworks, and version control system. After learning these concepts build a few projects that show your knowledge of frontend development for job hiring.