A full-stack web developer can do all of the jobs needed to create a website or app. This means that the developer must have the necessary skills to design, code, and support their work. A Full-stack developer is someone who possesses proficiency in each layer of the tech stack. These are front-end, back-end, and DevOps. The roles of a front-end developer, back-end developer, and DevOps might overlap.
This blog focused on detailing it from both the candidate and recruiter perspectives. So, firstly, let’s see from the candidate’s perspective.
The front-end developer’s primary focus lies in the design and user interface of an application. They are more concerned with how things look to the user than how they work behind the scenes. Front-end developers’ duties include implementing graphics, colors, layouts, and typography while ensuring that what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG).
On the other hand, back-end developers or ‘dev ops’ determine how data flows through a system. The primary duty of a back-end developer is to make sure that your app works as it should; therefore, they focus on databases, server systems, and software integration. What makes these two roles different is that while one is on appearance, the other functionality works.
A front-end web developer has extensive knowledge of HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript frameworks such as AngularJS, Bootstrap, React.js, Meteor.js, etc., and how these technologies can be used together to create high-performance websites that will run on any device from desktop computer screens down to mobile devices. They have strong problem-solving skills since their code needs to function across different web browsers and platforms. They also need to work with back-end developers and designers to bring their website or application ideas into fruition through front-end code.
The main differences between front-end and back-end developers lie in their coding knowledge. The more technical your job description gets, the more you will need programming skills. Back-end developers need to know server languages such as Java, PHP, Ruby, or .net, whereas front-end developers only need HTML/CSS and JavaScript.
What differentiates a full-stack developer from a generalist or a specialist is that they know both the programming and design aspects, leading to the complete product development cycle.
To become a full-stack developer, one should have basic knowledge of these three aspects: front-end, back-end, and DevOps.
A full-stack developer does that they possess the knowledge of all these three layers and how they work together. While it is not mandatory to know of all these, one should be familiar with at least two of them.
The initial step to becoming a full-stack developer is knowing which languages you should learn and focus on. What differentiates a ‘web developer’ from a ‘full-stack web developer’ is that the former can only do their job on the front-end. What makes the latter more competent than others in this domain is their capability on both ends: front and back end development. You’ll need depth in some areas, for instance, server-side languages like PHP and MySQL for back-end development. Then you can develop websites with technologies like HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, etc. What makes full-stack developers superior is that they know both front-end and back-end development.
Full-stack developers should learn to program using different languages such as C++, Python, .Net framework languages, including C# and Visual Basic, Java, Ruby on Rails, etc. They should also familiarize themselves with all the major database systems, including Oracle DBMS, PostgreSQL, MySQL. So basically, whatever your specialization might be, learn something about other fields so that you become an excellent full-stack developer.
Now we are going to look from a recruiter perspective!
What are the benefits of having a full-stack developer? What is best for your company?
There are many different variations as to why you should hire a full-stack developer, but first, let’s look from a recruiter’s perspective. Companies need this type of employee to know the leading technologies, not only one or two, which require updating frequently and bug fixing all the time because specializations can’t keep up with a fast-changing environment. What might be an advantage for them having a full stack web developer on their team who has at least basic knowledge of other sciences such as front end, back end, and DevOps. For example, if someone has C# specialization, most likely, they will spend more upgrading their skills instead of doing something for the sake of progress. But if you have a full-stack developer, he knows all these three fields and can handle anything from the user-end to keeping the server running. Best for recruitment agencies is to offer their clients a range of experts, not just one or two specializations.
Organizations with full-stack employees usually become more efficient and productive than those who don’t possess such employees. This is because those workers know how everything works together and what needs to be done, so there is no problem with communication between departments. What is also important here is that full-stack developers are not only knowledgeable in one specific field, but they also have knowledge on how things work from the user-end, meaning that companies don’t need to hire more employees for different specializations, which can be an advantage if we take into consideration today’s economy. What makes a company more competitive is that they can offer their clients a more comprehensive range of services and solutions due to having full-stack employees.
There are several ways how you can find an excellent full-stack developer:
- What is the first thing to do when looking for a candidate? What information should you have before applying?
The answer is simple: knowing what your company needs and where to look for it. What might be an advantage here is knowing who is searching for a full stack developer and their requirements. What you should do to attract such candidates is that you post your job offer on popular websites like LinkedIn, Stack Overflow; then broadcast it through other social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, etc. What’s next? Sending an email to the developers who might be interested in working for your company, so it is essential to have their email addresses. What is best for delivering the message to stack web developers is an introduction letter that you can attach with your job offer; what’s more, you personalize it and include something about yourself or your company to get a response back from candidates.
- What are the most common doubts when hiring a full-stack developer? What should you do to make sure you hire the right one for your company?
Several different doubts might come up when hiring full-stack developers, such as: What kind of tasks can such a person perform? What is the paid for, and what is his responsibility regarding the company’s goals and successes. What might be a good tip for overcoming such doubts is to ask potential candidates and even current employees what they can do and how they can help your company; then try asking yourself or other people whether those tasks would be better if someone else does them. What’s next? You should consider everything step-by-step, think of how it can impact the company, and achieve with such an employee. What is essential is to know how full-stack can help your business grow and become an integral part of the company; then, go ahead and decide whether that person fits in your company or not.
- What are the key benefits to having a full-stack developer, and how can he help your business? What is his role in terms of making decisions for your company?
One of the most significant benefits of full-stack developers is that they know how everything works together, meaning that they know what needs to be done to make everything work as it should; after all, they are capable of completing tasks and projects that others can’t do. What is also important here is that such employees may know how to keep things organized. This might result in a more productive workplace, which means that employees can improve themselves and their skills instead of wasting time on unnecessary activities. You should make full-stack developers happy by giving them sufficient space when it comes to making decisions, and this way, they won’t feel like they depend on others. What can be an advantage here is that full-stack developers know how everything works from the user-end, meaning that companies don’t need to hire more people for marketing or technological tasks. What is most important here is that the best thing you can do for yourself and your business is hiring a developer who has all the knowledge needed to understand how everything works, keep things organized and complete different projects with utmost quality.
- What are the disadvantages of having a full-stack developer? What should you be aware of when hiring such a person for your company?
There are some disadvantages to having a full stack developer, and one of them is that they don’t want to learn new technologies or languages; What is essential here is that unless if they don’t want to do that, they will always be up-to-date on the latest technologies and this way you don’t have to worry about your company’s technology is outdated. What is important here is that it will fit all of your business needs, and you won’t have to hire a developer for each department, which saves money in the long run.
The main idea behind defining full-stack developers is that they can complete different tasks that others can’t do, meaning that their skills are required to keep things organized and understand how everything works together.
If you are looking for a full-stack developer, we can help. We’ve helped design and develop web apps for clients in the past with our team of talented stack web developers who have years of experience working on large-scale projects. Reach out to us today if you want to learn more about how our services could benefit your project or company!