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Developer vs web application developer

The differences between developers and web application developers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a developer and a web application developer. Additionally, a developer has an average salary of $100,076, which is higher than the $85,840 average annual salary of a web application developer.

The top three skills for a developer include javascript, python and java. The most important skills for a web application developer are javascript, web application, and CSS.

Developer vs web application developer overview

DeveloperWeb Application Developer
Yearly salary$100,076$85,840
Hourly rate$48.11$41.27
Growth rate21%13%
Number of jobs262,570229,802
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age3937
Years of experience44

What does a developer do?

Developers are usually system or application developers in a company who work on specific projects related to networks or applications from conception to implementation. They attend planning sessions to ensure that the program is feasible. They are responsible for designing the system through coding and basic user interface design. They also work on troubleshooting any challenges that may be met at the testing stage of the program's development. They solve challenges and ensure that minimal problems will arise upon publishing the system or application. They also manage the evaluation to ensure that the program's goals are accomplished and that the end-users are satisfied with the results.

What does a web application developer do?

A web application developer is responsible for designing website and system applications following clients' specifications and business' needs. Web application developers utilize their expertise in programming languages and system codes, ensuring the efficiency and smooth navigation of the website. They also run multiple diagnostic tests on the output before release, identifying inconsistencies, and addressing incompatibilities on browsers and devices. A web application developer should be detail-oriented and highly-technical as this job requires excellent digital knowledge to manage complex systems.

Developer vs web application developer salary

Developers and web application developers have different pay scales, as shown below.

DeveloperWeb Application Developer
Average salary$100,076$85,840
Salary rangeBetween $76,000 And $131,000Between $66,000 And $110,000
Highest paying City-Fairfield, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonWashington
Best paying company-Apple
Best paying industryFinanceFinance

Differences between developer and web application developer education

There are a few differences between a developer and a web application developer in terms of educational background:

DeveloperWeb Application Developer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorComputer ScienceComputer Science
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Developer vs web application developer demographics

Here are the differences between developers' and web application developers' demographics:

DeveloperWeb Application Developer
Average age3937
Gender ratioMale, 74.9% Female, 25.1%Male, 80.9% Female, 19.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 16.1% White, 58.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage8%9%

Differences between developer and web application developer duties and responsibilities

Developer example responsibilities.

  • Manage continuous integration, configure the servers using Jenkins.
  • Analyze and manage the project throughout SDLC, written/review specification documents.
  • Configure and manage JGroup multicasting communication for apache tomcat web servers.
  • Upgrade internal loan and prospect tracking system to be more responsive and utilizing the latest in CSS & HTML.
  • Implement this application, using object-orient Perl to dynamically generate HTML with embed JavaScript, interacting with back-end databases via DBI/DBD.
  • Integrate content feeds via JSON, XML, and RSS from both internal and external sources into web content management components.
  • Show more

Web application developer example responsibilities.

  • Manage full-life cycle development of windows services and web-base applications.
  • Manage intranet updates while administering user access to corporate projects.
  • Manage, develop, integrate and implement relate applications components, including front-end development, server-side development and database integration.
  • Create and implement user interface solutions for complex web applications using JSP, PHP, JavaScript, CSS, and HTML.
  • Web-Base database application development responsibilities include database development, CGI script design and implementation and HTML data input/output page development.
  • Addressed mobile phone and tablet device compatibility with CSS3 media queries, AJAX, and HTML5.
  • Show more

Developer vs web application developer skills

Common developer skills
  • JavaScript, 7%
  • Python, 6%
  • Java, 6%
  • C++, 5%
  • API, 4%
  • CSS, 4%
Common web application developer skills
  • JavaScript, 8%
  • Web Application, 7%
  • CSS, 6%
  • HTML, 5%
  • Java, 4%
  • Database, 4%

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