Full Stack Web Development Roadmap 2022
If you want to go into web development, I propose that you learn/watch at least a few of those roadmaps before deciding what you want to learn.
Everyone will have a different opinion on whether technology, language, or framework is better. And that's fine. You should also listen to your gut instincts and go in the way that seems appropriate for you.
Some of these roadmaps may make you nervous. Even with several years of web development experience, I'm terrified of some of them.
That is why, in this essay, I will provide you with my basic but comprehensive version of the web development roadmap for absolute beginners, as well as the crucial topics you must master first.
After this initial stage of learning the fundamentals, you will know what to learn next and whether or not you enjoy web development.
So, in the simplest terms, this is a web development roadmap through 2023.
Learning anything, especially advanced web development, can be scary, therefore we don't want to waste time on superfluous minutiae at this level, and we want to have as much fun as possible while progressing as fast as humanly possible.
1. Code Editor — Visual Studio Code
Visual Studio Code (VSC) is not the only code editor available, and you are free to use another, but VSC is one that I would recommend. It's also free.
Because of its ease of use, speed, valuable built-in functionality, ability to extend with plugins, and other features, it is by far the most popular code editor for web developers these days.
Download the Visual Studio Code and install it on your computer.
Familiarise yourself with the interface and the basic shortcuts (creating a new file, closing the file, saving the file, etc.).
You can spend more time here if you want and watch some tutorials and courses on VSC but you don’t need to do it. You will learn more along the way.
VSC setup ready? Let’s move on.
2. HTML
We're now moving into web languages that will allow you to develop websites, and we have to start with HTML.
HTML is a HyperText Markup Language, not a programming language. It is the most widely used language on the internet, and it is used by every website. That is why, without HTML, you cannot be a web developer, and why we begin by knowing it.
Simple HTML code looks like this:
HTML is quite broad language but at this stage you just need to learn the basics:
- the structure of the document: <html>, <head>, <body>
- <head> section: <title>, <meta>, <link>, <script>
- <body> section: <div>, <p>, <a>, <img>, <strong>, <em>, <ul>, <ol>, <li>, <table>, <tr>, <td>
- semantic html: <header>, <footer>, <nav>, <article>, <main>, <section>, <aside>
- html attributes: id, class, src, alt and others.
There are many more HTML tags but to start you just need to learn these basics as they are most commonly used. You can find the details of those and more about HTML here or you can watch this YouTube HTML Crash Course.
3. CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
CSS is yet another crucial web language that every website employs.
It allows developers and designers to specify fonts, colours, locations, and other features of website elements. It is also used to develop responsive websites (websites that run on different-sized devices such as PCs, tablets, and mobile phones).
At this point, I would recommend understanding the fundamentals of CSS because it is easy to become overwhelmed. Unless you're extremely interested in it. Then you can spend some more time here.
What you definitely need to know in terms of CSS:
- how to add on-page, inline and external CSS
- IDs, classes and how to target HTML elements in general with CSS so you can style them; this is quite an advanced topic on its own to properly target HTML elements with CSS; you have different ways to target HTML elements, by tag name e.g. div, by ID or by class name; also, HTML elements and classes can be nested so pay close attention to this aspect of CSS as you can easily get lost
- font sizes, line heights, font decoration, how to add colours and hexadecimal colour names
- margin, padding and in general CSS Box Model
- borders, opacity, backgrounds
- pseudo-classes (:hover, :active, :focus, :first-child, :last-child, :nth-child)
- CSS positioning (position absolute, relative, top, bottom, left, right, etc.)
- CSS grid layout (two-dimensional grid system to CSS)
- CSS flexbox (one-dimensional layout model)
These are just the basics but feel free to dig deeper as you need.
You can read more here about CSS or you can watch this YouTube CSS Crash Course as an introduction.
4. JavaScript
Finally, JavaScript is a programming language.
JavaScript is a scripting language that runs in web browsers and is the most popular language on the web.
It is frequently used for dynamic website functionality like as showing or hiding components on mouse click, animations, displaying dynamic and interactive elements such as timers, drop-down menus, obtaining extra information from another website/api, form element validation, and so on.
JavaScript is also used to develop full apps or as a back-end programming language, but we're just getting started here.
What you definitely need to know in terms of JavaScript:
- Types and variables
- Scope
- Assignment, arithmetic, comparison and conditional operators
- If and switch
- Functions, break, continue
- For loops, break and continue
- Objects, JSON
- Events
- DOM manipulation
You can read more about JavaScript here or you can watch this YouTube JavaScript Crash Course as an introduction.
5. Foundations of Internet
If you understand the fundamentals of domain names, DNSs, servers, web browsers, and hosting, you won't need to spend much time here.
When I say fundamentals, I mean fundamentals.
You simply need to understand what these things are and what they accomplish, and you may proceed without spending any time.
You are learning web development, not DevOps, and you will learn more about the topic as you progress.
6. Git and GitHub
Git is a version management system that is free and open source. It is industry standard, and you must be aware of it as a web developer.
The aim behind Git is to track changes in code and to allow multiple developers to work on the same project at the same time.
GitHub, on the other hand, is a cloud-based code repository where you may keep your Git code in either a private or public repository.
7. Deployment
Once you've uploaded your project to GitHub, which you should do for every project, deployment should be simple.
You can deploy and make your project live directly from GitHub using Netlify or Buddy, for example.
DeployHQ or CircleCI can be used for more complex deployments.
All of these alternatives will be free for hobby or small project use.
8. What to learn next?
You are now familiar with the fundamentals of web development and have marketable talents; yes, after completing these stages, you understand the entire web development workflow and can design a website from start to end. This allows you to begin looking for a job as a junior web developer while continuing to improve your skills, or you may begin working on web projects as a freelancer, which is also a wonderful way to get started.
But what to learn next to take things to the next level?
- Figma, Sketch or Adobe XD — Based on the design, you may need to code a website in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. These are perhaps the most popular design tools these days, therefore learning them is a smart idea.
- Advanced JavaScript — Once you understand the fundamentals of JavaScript, it is a good idea to continue learning advanced topics such as closures, Object Oriented Programming, Asynchronous JavaScript, and others.
- Bootstrap 5 , Tailwind — open source front-end tool that enables quick development of responsive websites.
- JavaScript Framework (React, Vue.js, Angular, Svelte) — learn one of these JavaScript Frameworks. React and Vue.js are by far the most popular but take a look also at other frameworks.
- Backend language (PHP, Python, Node.js) — if you want to become a full-stack web developer then it is essential to learn a backend language and framework. Check available options and learn the one you feel most comfortable with. As you already know JavaScript a bit, Node.js might be your preferred choice here.
- Databases (MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, MongoDB) — more advanced projects require some kind of database to store user information and other website data. Therefore familiarising yourself with at least one database engine and SQL (Structured Query Language) is essential.
- Regular Expressions (pattern matching in text) — commonly used in all programming languages.
- APIs (working with third-party applications and databases) — as a web developer you will work a lot with APIs pulling information or sending information to third-party applications. Therefore working with APIs should be on your things to learn as soon as you can.
The list continues on, but as you study, you will come across new technologies, languages, and frameworks, so create a list of what you want to learn next and update it on a regular basis.
You can specialise in one area, such as JavaScript and React, or master a variety of technologies, giving you greater flexibility and allowing you to work on projects as a full-stack web developer or freelancer.
Summary
These are the key technologies and tools for becoming a web developer in 2023.
There are numerous paths to web development, and this is only one of them.
The most important thing to do is to begin studying. You'll be hooked in no time and improve quickly.
Remember to put all of your skills to use and work on projects. It may be your own project, or you could offer to develop a website for someone else, even for free. This is an excellent way to practise.If you wanna connect with me, here is my LinkedIn profile — Prasun Das. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
Good luck!
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