Who is a Full Stack Developer?

We've all heard about all-in-one platforms or tools. But have you heard about an all-in-one person? Well, that is who a full stack developer is. If you are considering becoming one or hiring one, we are here to help you out. Don't worry if you have no basic knowledge about this profession because we will cover it all. 

So who is a full stack developer? 

To understand who is a full stack developer, you first should understand what full stack development is. Web development divides into two main branches: front-end development and back-end development. 

Front-end development is dealing with the stuff that is visible to the website visitor. It is the side of your website or application with which your users interact. The back-end development, on the other hand, is not visible to the user. It deals with more technical aspects of website maintenance. 

Front-end development and back-end development together make the full stack development. Accordingly, a full stack developer is someone equally skilled in both front-end and back-end development. It usually takes many years of experience to become a good professional in this field as it requires extensive and broad knowledge of web development. 

Now when we have a general understanding of what the profession is, let's jump to the next section. If you're wondering how to become a good professional, then you might crumble upon the question: 

What is a software stack? 

To keep it simple, if you need to run an application, you need a group of different components to make it happen. Your application might perform very diverse tasks, but it needs a single infrastructure to take care of it all. That list of components makes up the software stack. 

If you want to become a good expert, you should know some of the famous software stacks. Of course, you don't have to learn them all. You should decide which one you need the most depending on your personal preferences, the field you are working in, or the company requirements. But here is the list of most popular software stacks: 

LAMP stack 

LAMP is an acronym for Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP. It is a very popular stack for web applications and websites. One of the most famous apps using the LAMP stack is Facebook. 

MERN stack 

MERN stands for MongoDB, Express, React, and Node.js. So it is basically based on JavaScript technologies. MERN stack also is widely used in the development of web applications. 

MEAN stack 

Finally, the last one in our list which is recently becoming more and more popular is the MEAN stack. It is an abbreviation for MongoDB, Express, Angular.js and Node.is. 

Another vital question that we have not covered yet is: 

What Does a Full Stack Developer Do?

Let's say you've learned the main software stacks and found your dream job. What's the use of it if you cannot answer your grandma's question of "What do you do though?" To make sure you don't get confused, we have the answer for that too. 

However, it is not very grandma-friendly. 

When hired, you might be required to do; 

The translation of user requirements for the overall architecture

The management of the projects, along with the cooperation with the client 

Writing back-end code with Java, PHP, Ruby, Python, etc. 

Writing a front-end code using JavaScript and HTML 

Optimization of the written code 

Troubleshooting of the applications and coming up with solutions 

And much more. 

Make sure you don't confuse your profession with the software engineer, though. 

What’s the Difference between Full Stack Developer and Full Stack Engineer?

Your job has a more wide approach. You work with the project more holistically. They design a complete prototype of the product and deal with various aspects of it.  A full stack engineer, on the other hand, usually engages only with one phase. They might be responsible for a single step of the development project. 

But if you have to deal with so many different phases of the project, what skills should he have to do so? Here is a list of full stack developer skills that you need to master to become a good professional in your field. So, if you are wondering how to become a great expert, learn these skills: 

What Skills Do You Need to Become a Full Stack Developer?

The full stack developer skills you need start with the: 

Front End 

A good full stack developer should have a solid knowledge of front-end development. It includes the knowledge of HTML, JavaScript, CSS3, and so on. You should also be familiar with third-party libraries such as Angular, jQuery, and ReactJS. 

Back End 

As we have already mentioned, as a full stack developer, you will not only be responsible for the user interface and interactive part of the application but also the back-end logic. So you need to learn server-side programming languages such as Python, Ruby, Java, and others. 

Database and Cache 

You should also regularly collect the data stored in your client's computer system. The data can be very different. You might deal with the products, financial information, some private data, and so on. 

The most popular databases are SLQServer, Redis, Oracle, and others. 

Basic design skills 

Yes, we know it. You might think why you should learn design skills if you are getting hired as a developer. Well, of course, design skills are not mandatory, but they are desired for many companies. 

The reason for it is that you are going to deal with front end development. So if you want to make the website attractive, you should have some basic designing skills. 

It does not mean you should take an in-depth design course. Not at all. Just learn the basic principles of design, and get yourself familiar with UI & UX designing. It will give you an enormous advantage over your competitors. 

Web architecture 

As a good employee, you are expected to have an in-depth understanding of web architecture. You will be working on very complex web and software applications, so you should know how to build them from scratch. It includes the knowledge of code structure, file categorization, knowledge of the database, and so on. 

VCS

VCS stands for the version control system. Version control refers to the systems responsible for monitoring the changes in programs, large websites, documents, and so on. 

If you are working with a team, then to make your workflow easier, use VCS. It improves the collaboration between the developers so that when one changes something in the file system, it is transparent and visible to others. 

Other skills 

Finally, do not forget about soft skills. No matter how good of a professional you are, if you cannot communicate with your team efficiently, it will be challenging to work with you. So, improve your communication skills and make sure you are a leader and a team player at the same time. 

Also, do not forget about time management skills. Companies do not love when you miss deadlines and come up with excuses. So to not disappoint them, learn how to manage your work to finish all the tasks on time. 

Full stack developer salary 

Finally, we will answer the most exciting question. How much will you earn? Depending on your skills and experience, expect your  salary to be in the range of $97.000-150.000 per year. 

Sum Up 

If you want to become a good full stack developer, there are a lot of skills you should master. However, at the end of the day, you will be a demanded professional who has multiple jobs offers all at once! There is no doubt that you will not regret your decision. So start learning today to enjoy the results tomorrow. 

Good luck!