Is a full stack developer any different from a frontend and backend developer? Let’s find out in this article.
Throughout the years, our digital society has seen how the Web becomes increasingly sophisticated. Gone are the days of snail-paced websites with poor architecture and design of yesteryears. Nowadays, we expect our access to websites and applications to be a fast, secure, and pleasant experience.
To answer the growing complexities of the Web, software developers need to evolve and specialize in specific fields. A web developer can either focus exclusively on frontend development (the visible things you see on an app or website), backend development (the behind-the-scenes of the Web—servers, databases, etc.), and full stack development(a fusion of the first two).
If you’re interested to know about frontend and backend technology, we suggest you read our Frontend vs. Backend Development article. For now, we’ll put the spotlight on the most versatile of them all, the full stack developers. Read on to understand what a full stack web developer does and how their expertise blends both user experience and business logic seamlessly.
What does a Full Stack Developer do?
A full stack developer is a software expert with hybrid skills in frontend and backend development. This means that they are skilled at using frontend and backend frameworks and languages. Additionally, their expertise extends to server, hosting, and network management.
They are proficient in all full stack technology (web stack, native application, and mobile stack) needed to build a website.
So, full stack developers can work on projects that intertwine the frontend and backend action of a website or application. You can hire them to tweak the User Interface, manage the databases, or work closely with clients in every stage of the project. Regardless, full stack developers can take on these tasks just as better as the frontend and backend developers.
Full Stack Developer Roles
To reach their level of expertise, most full stack developers need to work on different roles and immerse themselves in different technologies. However, they don’t need to master ALL types of technology.
Like most developers, they have an in-depth familiarity with markup languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Most full stack web developers are knowledgeable on backend languages such as Python, PHP, and Ruby. So, it’s not surprising to see job posts looking for Full Stack PHP Developer and Full Stack JavaScript Developer.
Full stack developers may also know how to design websites, manage projects, or consult on user interface issues. Nowadays, most companies hire someone who understands how to make all parts of the website work. Hence, the growing demand for full stack developers.
A common misconception is that full stack developers can write all the website’s code by themselves. The only time this happens is when the developer is the only person working on the project or is working on freelance projects. In reality, most of them focus their attention on either frontend or backend coding of the site; especially for bigger projects.
Full Stack Developer Skills
An experienced full stack web developer should possess the skills and knowledge in all areas that revolve around developing a website or application. To become the best in full stack development, one must have a mix of these skills:
- Programming languages – They should be great at different coding languages like PHP, C#, Ruby, Perl, Python, and others.
- Web frameworks – Ideally, they are proficient at ReactJS, Angular, Spring Boot, Python Django, Ruby on Rails, Bootstrap, jQuery, ThinkPHP, etc.
- Frontend technologies – User experience is critical to the success of a software product. A full stack developer should be familiar with front-end technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
- Database and caching management – A background working with one or more databases is a great advantage. Popular databases are MySQL, MongoDB, Oracle, Redis, SQLServer, and more.
- Web Design – Knowledge in UI and UX design is needed to meet design requirements.
- Soft Skills – These are skills that are not only inherent to full stack developers but are essential to be successful in completing projects. Time management, collaboration, effective client and team communication, and creativity are full stack experts’ must-haves.
Full Stack Developer Salary
We often bump into questions on how much a full stack developer earns in a year. Whether you’re a developer looking for a career change or a business owner who wants to hire one, it’s great to know the average full stack developer salary.
As of July 2, 2020, a full stack developer has an average base salary of $113,011 a year in the US. Entry-level positions earn roughly $92,753 per year. Those with three to five years’ experience, may get as much as $136,778 annually. Also, here is the average salary of full stack developers from different countries:
- Canada – $108,427
- United Kingdom – $62,332
- Australia – $103,750
- Brazil – $4,597
- Philippines – $10,491
- Singapore – $46,411
Places to Find Full Stack Developer
Depending on what your needs are, you can easily find full stack developer jobs on different platforms. If you’re looking for someone with mid to senior-level experience, we recommend that you broaden your search outside of your location.
Traditionally, you’ll find developers who can work full-time in an office. However, times have changed, and some full stack web developers prefer to work remotely. Make sure that you make your requirements clear from the start. Here are the places you can try:
- Remote work sites – GitHub Jobs, Stack Overflow, Toptal, Freelancer, Upwork, and We Work Remotely are great online sites for remote job listings.
- Job listing sites – There’s Glassdoor, Indeed, and Zip Recruiter.
- Developer communities – You can engage with all types of developers from around the world at GitHub, Reddit, Hacker News, Women Who Code, Hash node, and SitePoint Community.
- Software Outsourcing – This is ideal for small to medium startups that want to build a development team at a low cost. We are Full Scale, a KC-based software development company with offshore teams in the Philippines
Hire Top-Tier Talent in the Industry
To recap, a full stack developer is a technology expert who understands the language of both frontend and backend development. They are an essential member of a software team whose role is to build, evaluate, and communicate how an application or website should look and feel. In other words, full stack developers work on all the nuts and bolts of a system for it to work smoothly.
If you need a full stack developer to implement your software ideas, we can help you. At Full Scale, we make it easy and affordable for our clients to hire world-class talent that specialize in full stack development. From screening, recruitment to onboarding, we provide a holistic approach to assembling a software development team.
Interested? Send us a message today to get your FREE consultation.
