What Is Full-Stack Development?

Date First Published: 23rd July 2022

Topic: Web Design & Development

Subtopic: Web Development

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty: Medium

Difficulty Level: 5/10

CONTENTS

Types Of Software Stacks
Advantages and Disadvantages Of Full-Stack Development

Learn more about what full-stack development is in this article.

Full-stack development is a category of web development that refers to the work involved in creating, developing, building, and maintaining both the backend and frontend of a website, which basically means the entirety of a website, as suggested in the word 'full'. It is a combination of the work involved in the interface, which is what users can see and interact with (frontend) and the databases and programming aspects that work behind the scenes to deliver information, which users don't see (backend). A person that specialises in full-stack development is referred to as a full-stack developer.

Note:

Full-stack developers can create a website from start to finish due to their skills in both client-side and server-side web development.

Full-stack developers have a good understanding of everything involved in the web development process from start to finish. This generally includes:

Database management systems, such as MySQL and MongoDB.
Web server software, such as Apache, Express, Nginx, and Lighttpd.
Server-side scripting languages, such as PHP, ASP, and JSP.
User experience, user interface, and the look and feel of a website.
Frameworks, such as Node.js, Meteor, Ruby on Rails, Laravel, and Django.
Building and writing APIs.
Client-side markup, stylesheet, and scripting languages, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Website wireframes, designs, and testing.
Principles of web design, such as the rule of thirds, golden ratio, white space, alignment, accuracy, and consistency.
Content management systems, such as WordPress, Joomla, and Wix.
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation).
Website security, SSL/TLS, encryption.

Types Of Software Stacks

A software stack is a collection of programs used to run the tools, frameworks, and libraries of a website. Popular software stacks include:

LAMP Stack

LAMP is a popular stack used for web services. The four open-source components include:

Linux – An open-source operating system.
Apache – A popular web server software.
MySQL – A popular open-source database management system.
PHP – A server-side scripting language.

MERN Stack

MERN is a group of open-source JavaScript-based technologies. The four open-source components include:

MongoDB – A widely used non-SQL database.
Express.js – A popular backend web application framework for Node.js.
React – A JavaScript library used to create user interfaces.
Node.js – A backend JavaScript runtime environment that runs JavaScript code outside of a web browser.

MEAN Stack

Similar to the MERN stack, MEAN is a group of JavaScript-based technologies. The only difference is that MEAN uses Angular.js, whilst MERN uses React.

MongoDB – A widely used non-SQL database.
Express.js – A popular backend web application framework for Node.js.
AngularJS – A frontend JavaScript framework used for developing HTML5 and JavaScript-based programs.
Node.js – A backend JavaScript runtime environment that runs JavaScript code outside of a web browser.

MEVN Stack

Similar to the MERN stack, MEVN is a group of JavaScript-based technologies. The only difference is that MEVN uses Vue.js, whilst MERN uses React.

MongoDB – A widely used non-SQL database.
Express.js – A popular backend web application framework for Node.js.
Vue.js – A frontend JavaScript framework used for single-page applications.
Node.js – A backend JavaScript runtime environment that runs JavaScript code outside of a web browser.

Advantages and Disadvantages Of Full-Stack Development

The advantages of full-stack development are:

Creative flexibility – A full-stack developer offers much more flexibility as they both have expertise in backend development and frontend development. They can work on the client side of a website as well as the server side. Due to this fact, the demand for full-stack developers is high.
Higher potential for earning – Full-stack developers make a lot more money than developers that only specialise in the frontend or the backend. This is because it is much more likely that a company or individual would hire someone with both backend and frontend skills rather than hiring two separate developers to complete the job that each specialise in one field.
Full-stack developers can easily optimise or upgrade a website as this requires knowledge of both client-side and server-side development.
Better productivity – Full-stack developers are familiar with more technologies, giving them an advantage over other developers as they can make decisions related to websites quicker and save companies and individuals a lot of time.

The disadvantages of full-stack development are:

Being a full-stack developer is much more complex than being a frontend or backend developer. They have to complete much more tasks every day, which can be overwhelming to some.
Full-stack developers have to go through a long training process. This can include getting a bachelor's degree in computer science and studying long programming and web design & development courses.