Web Development Basics

Web development means creating websites and web applications. Every website you visit — Google, Facebook, online shops, blogs — is made by web developers.

Web development mainly has three parts:

• Frontend (what we see)
• Backend (the brain of the website)
• Database (where information is stored)

The frontend is everything you see on a website:

• Text
• Buttons
• Images
• Forms
• Menus

Frontend is built using:

• HTML — structure of the page
• CSS — styling, colors, layout
• JavaScript — controls actions and interactions

Popular frontend frameworks:

• React
• Next.js
• Angular
• Vue.js

The backend is like the brain of a website. Users do not see it, but it controls everything.

Backend does things like:

• Login and sign-up systems
• Saving form data
• Connecting to the database
• Processing payments
• Sending emails

Popular backend languages:

• Node.js
• Python
• PHP
• Java
• Ruby

Popular backend frameworks:

• Express (Node.js)
• Django (Python)
• Laravel (PHP)

A database stores information so it can be used later.

Examples of stored data:

• User accounts
• Messages
• Orders
• Product details
• Business records

Two main types of databases:

1. SQL (Structured)

• MySQL
• PostgreSQL
• SQL Server

2. NoSQL (Flexible)

• MongoDB
• Firebase

API stands for Application Programming Interface. It acts like a messenger between the frontend and backend.

• Frontend sends request
• Backend checks database
• API sends response back

Hosting means putting your website on a server so people can access it online.

• Frontend = What users see
• Backend = Logic behind the scenes
• Database = Stores data
• Hosting = Making your app live
• API = Connects frontend and backend