Becoming a front-end developer is no easy task. It takes years of dedication and hard work, but the benefits are well worth it. This article will explore front-end development skills that will help you get started on the right foot in your career as a front-end developer.
You need to have many front-end development skills to be a front-end developer. These include understanding programming languages, being familiar with various front end frameworks and libraries, knowing how to design interactive websites, and more. In this article, we will discuss 15 of the most important front-end development skills you need to be successful in this field.
Table of Contents
1. HTML/CSS
HTML and CSS form the most fundamental building blocks in web coding. The two skills allow you to create a website design. In fact, it’s impossible to add images or anything else without using HTML code first.
The HyperText Markup Language (or just “HTML”) applies Structured Expert Design principles like margins, font sizes, colors & alignment patterns while creating formatted documents with content purpose. This allows us to control how things look from both visual and typographic aspects.
Front-end web developers should be able to use both of these languages fluently. If you currently know one but not the other, it’s time to start learning. They are used together like peanut butter and jelly (no pun intended).
2. JavaScript/jQuery
JavaScript is a programming language that can be used to add more functionality and create basic web applications. It’s not as complicated as some other languages, but it does have its own unique features, which make things easier for developers who are less experienced with coding.
JavaScript is the language that powers sites like Pinterest for easy-to-use user interface. In addition, maps, interactive films, and games all rely on JavaScript for real-time updates.
jQuery is a powerful JavaScript library. It is a collection of extensions and plugins that can make your life as a developer easier. Knowing how to use jQuery is an important skill in this day and age, when it’s so easy just add ready-made elements into projects without any difficulty. You might use it for countdown timers or even autofill form fields with names at the click of a button.
Front-end web development is more than just knowing how to code in HTML/CSS, and JavaScript/jQuery is a must. If you make front-end websites, these skills are essential.
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3. Front End Frameworks
A front-end framework, or CSS as it’s sometimes called in short, can be a very powerful tool in the developer’s arsenal. It defines all of those elements that we’ve seen many times before and saves us from having to go through them individually, making coding faster since you don’t have to hunt-and-peck your way around these pesky little details like colors anymore.
One of the common front-end frameworks is Bootstrap. Front-end developers should know how to use this framework because it helps them create beautiful looking responsive web pages.
If you want to make your way as a programmer and front-end developer, it’s important to know how these frameworks work and be familiar with them. This will give an advantage over other candidates because many job listings already expect this knowledge, so take the time necessary now.
4. AngularJS & ReactJS
Front-end development has been shifting from creating static front-end web pages to front-end websites with a front-end framework. Therefore, a front-end web developer needs to have skills in JavaScript frameworks. AngularJS and ReactJS are the most popular JavaScript frameworks in front-end development right now.
5. SVN or Git
With version control systems, it is easy to track changes made to your code over time. If something goes wrong with the latest update and needs revisions before going live on an important project or deadline, simply go back in history for a clean slate.
Instead of having to scramble and fix all the errors in your code, you can rollback. This way, if something goes wrong with one solution, it’s easy enough for you just to put down another layer or two.
Git is a popular version control management system that can be installed with the command line. It will be used in virtually any development job, whether you’re working on front-end code or back-end code; if there’s anything to do with software development, then the chances are good that it involves Git.
Front-end developers should know how to use version control because it’s essential when collaborating with other members on a project.
6. CSS Preprocessors Experience
With preprocessors, you can speed up your CSS coding by adding extra functionality. One such tool is Sass which compiles SCSS into valid CSS to have cleaner code with more features than if designers had written them themselves. LESS also helps us format our designs better across multiple browsers and devices – perfect for any developer who wants their work seen online.
7. Photoshop & Illustrator/Sketch
Front-end developers should know how to use design tools to create beautiful designs that need photo editing and vector graphics.
8. NodeJS & the MEAN stack
Front-end development is more than just coding front-end websites. It’s also used for back-end web applications with NodeJS, Express JS, AngularJS, and MongoDB.
9. Responsive Web Design
With a higher number of people using mobile devices to access the internet than ever before, it’s understandable that mobile design and responsive design skills are extremely important to employers. Responsive web development means your site changes with how you navigate through different screens- so whether or not someone has a desktop computer will determine what content they see.
When you access a website from your desktop computer using big monitor, the site will be optimized for mouse and keyboard users. However, if you go on an app or device that is smaller, like a mobile phone, then only one column of content would appear at first glance because it was created specifically to fit within those constraints, which makes browsing simpler.
The design of your site must be consistent across all devices. If you have different content or experiences depending on the type and size screen being used, then this is not ideal for visitors who use those screens to view information like advertisements in their native formats as well as web pages designed specifically with smaller resolutions in mind.
Front-end developers should know how to create responsive design front-end websites that work across multiple device platforms.
10. APIs and RESTful Services Experience
One of the most popular standards for designing websites and web services is called Representational State Transfer or REST. It’s a lightweight architecture that simplifies network communication on the internet, making it easier to use than other networking technologies like SSL (secure socket layer) protocol.
When you want to find your social media friends in order of when they became buddies, there’s no need for any fancy programming skills. All that really needs doing on the back-end is making calls using Facebook’s or Twitter’s respective RESTful APIs – it doesn’t get much simpler than this.
11. Cross-Browser Development
The process of making websites work consistently across different browsers is called cross-browser development. It’s important because not all modern web browsers interpret code in the same way, leading to layout issues and other problems for your site visitors. Consequently, cross browser compatibility is important.
12. E-commerce Platforms and Content Management Systems
WordPress is the most in-demand CMS (Content Management System) in use worldwide. It powers millions of websites, including Skillcrush.
It’s no surprise then why 60% or more sites that leverage this technology opt to use WordPress as their go-to option when it comes down to selecting a platform for building your online business.
Other popular content management systems include Magento, Drupal, and Joomla. While knowing that these won’t make you to be in much demand compared to being an expert with WordPress, these platforms can give your website a more desirable niche among companies that use those systems.
13. Necessary soft skills for a front-end developer
Front-end developers need to be excellent communicators because they’re in contact with two groups of people: the client and the technical team. Moreover, they use both verbal communication (such as talking on Skype) as well written communication such as sending emails or texts. Thus, they need to know how some things look and sound passionate when making statements.
Developing slide decks to present your project’s progress is necessary for many projects. Conference calls are also an integral part of the process, and they allow you to keep up-to-date on what other members have been doing while giving feedback about their work too.
Good human-to-human communication skills are essential to being a successful front-end developer. You need to be able to talk with people and understand what they’re saying and write code that reflects this understanding, so your projects’ goals align with those of their clients or users.
In this case, there’s no need to be intimidated by the thought of having a team, as you’ll find yourself quickly making friends with your fellow developers. You should always take time to comment in code and write appropriate documentation so that even months or years later if something needs explaining, there are easy resources available for this task.
Developers need to continue learning and evolving to succeed in today’s competitive environment. Websites are continually changing with new releases adding more features for greater responsiveness or accessibility as well as updating appearance standards. Thus, users can have an enjoyable experience online regardless of whether they have vision difficulties like me.
Front-end engineers are the creative minds behind any website. They need to stay on top of developments and will likely have to learn new code languages or libraries over time. However, front-end developers also bring value by being creative, adaptable, and enjoying learning emerging trends, which makes them a valuable company asset.
14. Testing and Debugging
Bugs happen, and the best front-end web developer is prepared to deal with them. However, being aware of common testing practices will save you hours or even days down the line.
Unit tests are a way to ensure that all the instructions on your website work as expected. There is one process for doing it, and different frameworks provide methods based on what language you’re using- like JAVA or C#, which means there’s a unit test structure appropriate for each programming paradigm.
UI (or acceptance) testing is a type of software quality assurance process that verifies the site’s functionality when used by real people. The input will usually come from either an end-user or one in charge of maintaining these websites, such as engineers who work at Google on ChromeOS.
However, feedback can also be obtained through customer service channels like chat lines and social media sites like Facebook, where users often share their thoughts about what works well/badly with brands’ products.
15. How to Build a front-end developer portfolio
Front-end developers are in demand, so it’s important to build your portfolio. You can showcase projects from different clients or even just one client if you want. The best part about building a front-end developer resume is that it doesn’t take much experience at all.
Instead of simply sharing what you already know, use new tools and libraries to design something amazing. Then, as your career progresses, be sure to highlight all the projects that have positively impacted people’s lives – this will give them an insight into who you really are.
When you’re designing your portfolio website, it’s important to get feedback from people who know what they are doing. If possible, have friends or community members check out the site and give their opinion on how good of a job was done with making sure everything looks as flawless in real life as it would when someone views an online version of themselves.
The words you use on your site should be helping you get a great front end developer jobs. Don’t make the writing too boring or wordy. Besides, a great portfolio will also help front-end developers prepare for what they need to do.
Final Thoughts
Web development is a lucrative field to get into, but it’s also one of the most difficult. Programming languages are not easy for beginners to learn, and front-end developers need to know even more to make interactive websites. These 15 skills are just a starting point, so continue learning and expanding your knowledge to become an even better front-end developer.
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