How to Learn Frontend Development from Scratch: Beginners Guide

By Naman Jain

 

The field of web development has become immensely popular in recent years.  In today’s era, the world is fully dependent on technology, and we rely on devices and the internet to help us through daily tasks.  When you are out shopping in malls then which shop would you likely visit first?  You pick the most appealing shop, open the door, and walk in. On the internet, the same thing happens. When you’re looking for something on the Internet, you find the most interesting site, open it, and there you are. But,  have you ever thought about who’s putting in the work to make those visually appealing and interactive websites? This is only possible due to user interfaces and frontend design by frontend developers.

Don’t worry if you are a complete beginner, this article will make you understand the entire path that you need to follow to learn frontend development from scratch. So let’s get started.

Scope of the article: In this article, we will see the following topics.

• What is Frontend Development
• Responsibilities of Frontend Developer
• Complete roadmap to learn Frontend Development
• Top Frontend Frameworks

What is Frontend Development?

The front-end development is also known as client-side development is the part of the website through which users interact directly. It includes everything that users experience directly like text colours, style, buttons, animations, responsiveness, etc. Every element that you see on the page is developed by the front-end developer. It mainly focuses on how the user will interact with the site and provide a decent user experience to the users.  The appearance and feel of the website is the main goal of front-end development. In addition, front-end development also makes it possible that the website appears excellent on all devices (phones, tablets, and computer screens). 

Responsibilities of Frontend Developer: Now that we are somewhat familiar with frontend development, let’s understand the responsibilities of frontend developers. They are responsible for the following task:

• The user experience is being improved.
• The user interface is created and maintained.
• Putting design into action on mobile websites.
• To ensure that users can interact with the sites across all the browsers.
• Managing the software development process.
• Best SEO procedures are followed.
• Bugs are being fixed and usability is being tested.

How to Start Learning Frontend Development from Scratch?

Now let’s understand the complete roadmap to start learning frontend development from scratch. Here are the steps you will need to follow in the same order:

Step 1: Learn to use Version Control System

If you are in the software development domain you must have across the term version control system more frequently. A version Control system is a system that maintains different versions of your project whether it’s a team project or an individual project.  As the project progresses, new features get added to it, and it’s important to track all the changes that have occurred in the project. Git is the commonly used distributed version control system by the developers.  From app developers to web developers, Git is very useful to track the changes in the code files. So you should be comfortable with how to use Git. It will not take much time to learn to use git. 

Step 2: Start Learning HTML and CSS

After learning the git it’s time to move to the next step. You should learn HTML and CSS. First, start with HTML and then move to CSS. The visual look of the webpage is styled with CSS, while the structure is provided by HTML. These languages, along with the other technical skills listed here, make up a developer’s toolset, allowing you to start from the ground up. HyperText Markup Language is the most widely used markup language for creating the structure of web pages. It is the most fundamental component in the creation of web pages. The language used to show the HTML document is CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). HTML is the language that your website is built on. CSS, on the other hand, is responsible for the layout, colour, fonts, and style of the page. Working as a front-end developer necessitates knowledge of both of these languages. Once you are clear with the concepts of both languages then start building some interesting projects to brush up on your skills. 

Step 3: Learn JavaScript

Now it’s time to level up your skills and start learning JavaScript which is one of the most popular programming languages in the tech world.  While CSS and HTML can be used to build a simple website, JavaScript is necessary to make it interactive. If you know all three of these languages, you’ll be well on your way to landing developer jobs. Take a look at some of the interactive websites you’ve seen to help you remember how JavaScript works. Online games, quizzes, and animations all require JavaScript. Learning JavaScript will take some amount of time. It should not be like learning the language theoretically, you must be able to convert the logic into code and that confidence will come from practising. Since now you know HTML, CSS as well as JavaScript, so try to design the websites on your own and make them fully interactive with the help of JavaScript.

Step 4: Choose the Framework 

Since you have learned most of the concepts related to frontend development, it’s the right time to learn the framework. You should learn the framework depending on your choice of the project and requirement. Frameworks come with their own set of benefits and drawbacks. As a result, knowing which framework is best for the application you’re working on is crucial. While some JavaScript frameworks thrive at generating complex user interfaces, others excel at presenting highly optimised, simple website content like text paragraphs and photographs. React.js, Angular.js and Vue.js are the most popular framework in the market right now so you can start learning any one of them. Frameworks make your task easier. Although it is not necessary to use the framework, you can write the entire application code in a programming language. It will take more effort and time as you have to code everything from scratch. The framework lets you create templates that can be used later and reduces the line of code and makes development more efficient. 

Step 5: Time for Practical Learning

Now since you know most of the skills of frontend development, it’s the right time to use that knowledge and build some worthy projects.  It will help you to gain confidence and will sharpen your skills. Initially, you can start with some basics like a to-do list, blog app, etc. Once you will gain the confidence then start working on something bigger and tougher like a frontend clone of any eCommerce app or social media app.

Step 6: Learn about Deployment

Now you’re ready to take the final step towards your learning and that is hosting or deployment. Deployment is nothing but all of the activities that make a software application available for use.  In the last step, you would have worked on some worthy projects so now it’s time to deploy your project on a cloud service provider so that it can be accessed from the WWW. You can learn about any of the cloud service providers like Heroku, AWS or Azure according to your choice.

Top Frontend Frameworks 

Since there are many frontend frameworks, this section will tell you about the top frontend frameworks that are used by developers widely across the globe. You can start with any of the frameworks of your choice following all the steps mentioned above.  

1. React.js: ReactJS is a JavaScript library for creating reusable UI components that are declarative, quick, and adaptable. It is the most popular frontend framework nowadays. The primary goal of ReactJS is to create User Interfaces (UI) that increase app speed. It makes use of virtual DOM (JavaScript object), which increases the app’s performance. The virtual DOM in JavaScript is faster than the conventional DOM. ReactJS can be used on the client and server-side, as well as in conjunction with other frameworks. It employs component and data patterns to improve readability while also assisting in the maintenance of larger apps.
2. Angular.js: Angular.js is an open-source JavaScript framework backed by Google. AngularJS is used to create web applications. Anyone can use, modify, and share it without restriction. AngularJS gives developers the ability to construct elegant Model View Controller (MVC) client-side apps using JavaScript. AngularJS-based applications are cross-browser compatible. AngularJS processes JavaScript code in a browser-agnostic manner. It is an open-source front-end framework written in Javascript that is mostly used to create single-page web applications (SPAs). It’s a framework that’s always evolving and improving, making it easier to create online apps. It is a widely used framework by thousands of developers around the world.
3. Vue.js: VueJS, like ReactJS, is one of the greatest frameworks for JavaScript. Vue.js is a free and open-source JavaScript framework for creating dynamic web user interfaces and single-page apps. Vue.js is primarily concerned with the visual portion of an application, commonly known as front end development. Vue.js is becoming increasingly popular as a result of its ease of integration with other projects and frameworks. You do not need any kind of complex setup for installing it. Even beginners can quickly grasp it and begin creating their own user interfaces. It is widely used with other libraries. It may be seamlessly integrated into large projects for front-end development.

Conclusion

This article tells you everything that you need to start learning frontend development from scratch. Front-end developers are in high demand due to the increased development of websites. You can start learning frontend development following the above steps. Adding this skill to your portfolio will surely help you in near future. 

Explore More:

• Frontend Development Courses
• Best Resources to Learn Frontend Development
• Difference Between Frontend Development and Backend Development
• Top Web Development Courses to Start a Career as a Web Developer

About the Author: 

 

 

Naman Jain is a BTech, CSE undergraduate, Software developer, and a very consistent content developer. He writes across multiple platforms and focuses a lot on full-stack development and computer science fundamentals.  Overall, he seems to enjoy sharing both his knowledge as well as code that inspires him.

 

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