Front End Developer vs. Back End Developer: What’s The Difference?

Programming has long had an air of mystery about it, making it difficult to know what different types of development terms are and the different roles in the industry. Front-end development and back-end development are no different.

You may well wonder at the designations. What is a front end? A back end? Do they mean what they sound like, or is it just some sort of strange programming jargon?

Once you understand what the terms are referring to, they mean what they sound like. The front end of a website is the part the user interacts with. The back end is all the behind-the-scenes programming and processes – all the things the user is unaware of and should have no contact with.

Front-end developer and back-end developer can also be used to describe developers that work on applications or other programs, but as it’s most commonly used in web development, that will be the focus of this article.

Key Takeaways:

Front End Developer	Back End Developer
Front end developers focus on the front end of the website, which is the part that the user interacts with.	Back-end developers focus on the back end of the website, which are the hidden processes and communications with the server.
To be a front-end developer, you need to be familiar with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.	The programming languages that back-end developers most often know are Python, Java, and PHP.
Front-end development is easy to see. If the website displays properly and is easy to navigate, then front-end developers have done their job. They’re also responsible for assuring that the page will display on different devices, such as smartphones and tablets.	Back-end development is more opaque. Back-end developers’ contributions make sure that the website runs properly and is in communication with the server, and has access to databases or other necessary information.
Front-end developers make a median salary of $90,500 annually.	A back-end developer will average about $95,000 per year.

What Is a Front End Developer?

A front-end developer is someone who designs the user interface on a website. This means that whenever you go on a website, all of the interactive parts and the navigation are put in place by a front-end developer.

Front-end developers are highly skilled in programming languages, webpage layout, and navigational tools. There are several different programming languages and skills that they require.

Here’s a basic overview of the programming languages and skills a successful front-end developer needs.

HTML. HTML determines how the text appears on a webpage. This is the markup language that makes websites easy to read, adds hyperlinks and images, and is responsible for layout, like these bullet points.
CSS. This is what’s used to format the page for different types of devices. Such as, if you’re looking at a site on your computer versus your phone – the layout has to be different for it to be easily viewable.
JavaScript. This language allows for the creation of interactive elements. It sounds fancy, but it is the ability to put a search field, a checkbox, or a button to click on a webpage.

Note that front-end development is separate from web design, which is the layout and general aesthetics of the web page. This isn’t to say that front-end developers can’t also do web design, but they are two different disciplines.

What Is a Back End Developer?

Back-end development is all the programming and work that goes into the parts of the website that the user doesn’t see. Back-end developers are responsible for parts of the website like databases and server-side interaction.

Their main job is to make sure that the website and server communicate and that all the background processes work as they should. They’re also going to be focused on concerns like security, which is something that the user shouldn’t be concerned with.

This part of a webpage, the back end, requires more knowledge of computer science and programming languages than the front end does – as a rule. Here are the programming languages that a back-end developer is expected to know.

Java. Unlike JavaScript, this is a high-level programming language. You need to understand its syntax, general computer science, and the like. It’s typically used to create applications.
PHP. This is used for fully back-end programming. It’s a scripting language that is useful for making sure that the right file shows up when it’s requested by the user.
Python. This is a versatile language that can be used for almost anything on a webpage – front end and back end.

Back-end development is going to be less obvious to the user. And even if it goes wrong, the layperson isn’t going to understand what happened – just that the site isn’t working as it should.

Front End Developer vs. Back End Developer FAQ

Is it harder to develop for the back end than the front end?

There is no definitive answer on whether it’s harder to be a front-end developer or a back-end developer. Different people find the different programming languages harder to learn or find having to alter the look of a website for different devices tedious.

Others dislike being unable to easily see their work results or having to deal with interactions between the website and server.

However, back-end developers make more money than front-end developers, which implies that it’s considered a more highly skilled position.
Can you be both a front-end developer and back end developer?

Yes, it’s possible to be both a front-end developer and a back-end developer. There is actually a term for someone who does both: a full stack developer.

Even as a full-stack developer, that doesn’t mean that you do every aspect of the webpage. However, you will have knowledge of both and be able to work on both the front end and the back end.
Which should I choose: front-end development or back-end development?

Whether you choose to learn about front-end development or back-end development is going to be a matter of personal preference.

Front-end development is focused on the user interface and ease of use and navigation of a website. Back-end development is all about making sure that the webpage works, communicates with the server, and has access to needed information, like databases.

You are expected to have a different skill set depending on which one you specialize in. That means that you should decide based on what you want to learn and what the end result of your work will be. Will it be the part everyone sees or the part in the background that makes sure everything works properly?

That being said, back-end developers tend to make more money than front-end developers. And salary is definitely a consideration.

Never miss an opportunity that’s right for you.

Author

Matthew Zane

Matthew Zane is the lead editor of Zippia's How To Get A Job Guides. He is a teacher, writer, and world-traveler that wants to help people at every stage of the career life cycle. He completed his masters in American Literature from Trinity College Dublin and BA in English from the University of Connecticut.

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