What Is Front End? How to Become a Great Front End Developer

What is front end? or how do you become a good front end developer? These are the basics that young people who love information technology need to find out. If you are drawn to programming and aiming to become a developer, it pays to learn all the related information. Let's MONA Media explore to get an overview of front-end and how Front end developer can help you take more initiative in learning and pursuing this interesting field.

What is front end?

Front end means using languages such as HTML, CSS or Javascript to company website design, build the interface of mobile apps,.., meeting users' needs. Being able to tap, scroll and interact on the main screen is the result of front-end programming.

What is front end

Front-end programming is not just designing an interface with a few fixed features. The developer must deliver a product that works on every device. Since each device has its own operating system, screen size and resolution, front end developers must build products that run well everywhere, which gives a good experience and results for each website and each piece of software.

Should you learn front end?

We live in the age of the 4.0 industrial revolution, with technology developing at a storm's pace. So information technology always has strong growth potential and draws the most attention, especially from young people. As a result, job opportunities for developers keep growing, with good and stable income.

So if you wonder whether to learn front end, the answer is yes. But everyone should choose a career based on their own abilities and passion. It is also very important to find out what to learn and where to start. Web programming has 3 directions to grow in: front end, back end, and full-stack. For beginners, learning front-end programming is the ideal choice, and it is considerably simpler.

Skills needed to become a good Front End Developer

To become a good Front end developer with enough ability to do the job well, you need to learn a lot and build many skills. The most basic and important requirements are:

JavaScript skills

JavaScript is a very important skill for front end work

JavaScript lets us create interaction between users and the web interface. Alongside HTML and CSS, JavaScript is an essential language for completing every website's interface. It is a key tool, and every Front end Developer needs a firm grasp of it.

Knowledge of JavaScript frameworks

JavaScript has frameworks, which are built from code and libraries to cut the effort of building applications as much as possible. These are called framework. So learning and mastering JavaScript frameworks, notably AngularJS, Backbone and Ember, deserves every developer's close attention.

For Front End developers, saving time when building websites and improving how the site interacts with users are important goals. Full knowledge of JavaScript frameworks helps get the work done better.

Understand HTML & CSS

Keep building your HTML and CSS knowledge

HTML and CSS are two of the basic languages used to build a website's interface. So a good Front End developer needs to know both in detail. Only then can a website interface be built to requirements and with the quality you want. Of all the knowledge to add, learning these two languages comes first.

>>> See more:

• Website design to HTML5/CSS3 standards
• What is HTML5? What are the advantages of designing a website in HTML5?

Know jQuery

There are many skills to master if you want to become a good Front end developer, and knowing jQuery well is one you cannot skip. jQuery is a library written in JavaScript whose main job is to make building JavaScript features simpler, easier and richer in functionality.

CSS Preprocessor skills

CSS is not really a programming language, so CSS Preprocessors, also known as CSS pre-processing languages, are used to give CSS code a logical structure. This brings CSS closer to being a real programming language.

Skill with CSS Preprocessors helps front end work considerably. It saves coding time and makes CSS easier to maintain and develop. As a result, CSS files are organized clearly and specifically.

Frontend framework skills

Frontend framework skills

Front End developers today are asked to work with 4 popular frameworks as soon as a project needs them. Among the many JavaScript frameworks, the ones to know are AngularJS, Backbone, Ember and ReactJS. Mastering these frameworks helps us do the front end job well and build quality web interfaces.

>>> See more:

• The 5 best Front End frameworks
• What is ReactJS? What you need to know about ReactJS
• What is Bootstrap? How to use Bootstrap

Know Responsive and mobile design

Most internet users today reach websites from mobile devices. So to be a professional Front end Developer who delivers quality website interfaces, knowing Responsive and mobile design is a must.

You need a full grasp of mobile web interface design and the ability to do it flexibly and well to become a good Front End developer. Responsive design means building web interfaces that work well and feel friendly on every device, whatever the screen size. That improves the user experience as required.

Problem-solving skills

Front end needs good thinking to solve problems

A Front end developer is not only someone who uses languages like CSS or HTML well, but also knows how to solve problems. It is important to know the best way to implement and use a web design, to know how to fix bugs, and to know how the front end code works with the back end code being deployed.

With enough ability and skill to solve problems, website development goes smoothly and avoids interruptions or damage to the final quality of the web interface. This is a requirement for a Front end developer who wants to work more effectively.

Able to work with content management systems

Most websites in use today are built on a CMS, and the best known are WordPress, Drupal and Magento. For any developer, and for a front end developer in particular, being fully skilled and professional with these systems is a requirement.

>>> See more:

• What is a CMS? The most popular CMSs today
• Should you design a website by hand-coding or use a CMS?

A solid understanding of UI/UX

UI/UX

UI is the user interface, while UX is the user experience. In short, UI is about finishing a website with the clearest visual interface and has nothing to do with code. UX is about researching how people actually use the website, then changing and adjusting it so that each user has a better experience.

>>> See more:

• A detailed guide to UX-standard website sizes
• Standard website banner sizes for better design
• What is the standard image size

When a web interface is finished, UI/UX is a factor you cannot skip. Every front end developer needs a firm grasp of the related knowledge so the interface is designed as well as possible and works effectively once it goes live.

Front End vs. back end

Front end and back end work side by side so that an application or website runs smoothly. The first difference is what each one is for. 

Front end is what attracts users and what they see, while back end is what makes the front end possible and keeps the focus on the user experience.

Front end uses languages such as CSS, HTML and JavaScript to create effects in the application, while back end focuses on programming languages such as PHP, RoR and Java. The two jobs work together to give users the best possible experience.

Front end vs back end

Job opportunities for front end today

As information technology grows, businesses need more web and app design, and job opportunities for new front end graduates keep widening. 

Salaries for front end developers are now higher than the general average in Vietnam.

According to a recent report from 2021, the Vietnamese IT market still needs about 450,000 more IT workers. IT job postings on recruitment channels keep rising, and it is easy to find keywords and listings for front end developer positions. 

In 2021, front end developer ranked third among the most common programming jobs at about 38%, behind back end developer (57.5%) and full-stack developer (47.7%).

job opportunities for front end developers

Front end salary

Programming is not an easy career. It takes hard work and good problem-solving ability, but in return the pay is fairly high, ranging from 8 to 30 million VND depending on skill. Front end salary by level:

• Fresher front end: 6 – 8 million VND/month
• Junior front end: 8 – 12 million VND/month
• Senior front end: 12 – 25 million VND/month
• Manager front end: over 25 million VND/month

Learn about What is front end? and the skills a good front end developer needs, so that anyone interested in information technology and programming gets the most basic understanding they need. Knowing this helps young people choose the right career and field to pursue.

>>> See more:

• What is BackEnd? What skills does a BackEnd Developer need?