The internet is a big part of us, or ... maybe we're a big part of the internet. Whether we're still in control, or the matrix is taking over: we don't often stop to think about the internet. We don't consider, for instance, that the web has a front and a back end. There is a side that you see and use, the front-end. And a side that might be thousands of kilometers away, the back-end or server side of the big picture.
The front end of the internet is, as you might imagine, the domain of the frond-end developer.
Think of the front-end developer as the person who develops the front of a store, while a back-end developer handles everything in the back. A front-end developer combines expertise in programming with a keen eye for design and user experience. Front-enders who are good at their job are able to build attractive, easy-to-use interfaces, even when the technology of a product is extremely complicated.
To do this, a front-end developer must understand user experience design to a certain degree. By understanding users and their actions, they know how to craft applications you and I can easily use. Additionally, it is now essential that they have a deep control over responsive web design, as online experiences are increasingly displayed on many different devices.
For front-end development, developers use various programming languages, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. With these languages, they create the structure and interface of websites and applications. Languages such as AJAX, XML and JSON might also be part of a front-ender's tool bag to add interactivity.
A front-end developer needs mountains of knowledge to be able to build seemingly simple end results.
