The professional jargon of the web is rich and although we often try to popularize our words, a few words sometimes slip here and there. This is particularly the case of the terms Front End, Back End.
If you have opened wide questioning eyes upon hearing these words, then this article is for you! We will highlight the differences between Front End development and Backend as a Service.
Front End Development
The term “frontend” refers to the elements of a site that we see on the screen and with which we can interact from a browser. The Frontend is usually composed of:
A design created by a Web designer who makes graphic models via creative tools like Photoshop or Fireworks. Now, for the Front End Developer’s work to come to life and the site to be functional, there are still a few things missing. This is where the developer BaaS.
Back End Development
The “backend” is like the submerged part of an iceberg. We do not see it as a simple Internet user but it represents a very large part of a web project.
Backend usually consists of three elements:
- A server (web hosting)
- An application (website, administration)
- A database (kind of spreadsheet to organize the data)
Let’s take an example to understand how the Back End works: Imagine that you have to book an online flight for your next vacation. You go to the website of the airline and look for the flight that suits you. Once the flight has been selected, you fill in your personal information and confirm your reservation. Your information is then saved in a database stored on a server. Now for the What is a backend as a service this is important.
All this information remains on the server, so when it comes time for the holidays (2 months later) you log in to the customer area (application) to print your plane tickets and all the information you had filled in during your reservation are available on your account.
Full Stack Development
The full-stack developer masters the main technologies and the main current programming languages. It is thus able to intervene as well on the front end as on the back end of Internet sites or applications. It can thus be brought to work on missions very different from each other.
The full stack developer is very popular with start-ups for his varied skills. However, for large projects, it is advisable to use the specific skills of frontend and backend developers.
The WordPress CMS is a good example to understand the difference between these different terms. Indeed, it is a web tool based on an open source framework built in PHP that installs on a server with a database ( Back End ). Front End developers customize the look and functionality of WordPress sites using CSS, jQuery and JavaScript. These changes are mainly from the BackOffice (from the WordPress interface). These changes are then visible to users on the FrontOffice site (the website).
