In today’s competitive world, everybody is looking for Full Stack Software Engineers, i.e., someone who knows both front-end and back-end technology and can work independently to develop a fully functional web application. The Technical world changes as fast the technology changes, and so are the technical jobs. Gone are the days where you can land a job by just knowing one technology or programming language, and somehow survive in the position for many years without learning new things.
If you look at the job description for any Full Stack Software Engineer job on Internet-based companies you will find that a full-stack software engineer is expected to know front-end technologies like ES-next, Babel, React, Redux, Bootstrap, LESS, etc. and back-end skill like Python, Django, Graphene (GraphQL), REST, MySQL, DynamoDB, Redis, Docker, etc.
In other word expectation has gone very high, in the old days you can become a front-end developer by just knowing HTML, CSS, and a bit of JavaScript but not anymore and that’s why it’s essential to be familiar with a different set of technologies even if you are not expert of those. If you are a full-stack Software engineer or someone who aspire to become a full-stack Software engineer then you should be familiar with a couple of front-end and back-end web development framework like React and Node, but that also depends upon your background, e.g., whether you are primarily from Python background or Java/JavaScript background.
Top Front-End and Back-end Frameworks for Full-Stack Developers
- Angular [Best JavaScript GUI Framework]
Angular is another popular JavaScript frontend that makes the development of complex front-end easier. It was actually one of the first JavaScript frameworks which tried to standardize front-end development in JavaScript with modules and code structure.
It allows you to write testable code, much like what you do in Java or any other mainstream language. If you don’t like to React and are looking for options, then Angular is the next best front-end development framework for JavaScript developers.
- React JS [Best JavaScript GUI library]
At this moment, React or React JS is the most popular front-end framework for web developers. It has surpassed the leader in the group, Angular, and now more and more people are going towards React.
Though there is no final verdict on React vs. Angular battle yet, going with the trend, it’s increasingly looking that React is going to win this epic war. ReactJS allows you to create a front-end using JavaScript and provides a component-based development model.
If you are primarily a JavaScript developer, then React JS should be your first choice for front-end development. If you are looking for a recommendation, The React Complete Guide by Max is the best course to start with.
- Node JS + Express.js [Best JavaScript Backend Framework]
This is another popular JavaScript web development framework but a back-end one. 10 years ago, who ever thought that JavaScript should be used to write server-side code, but it’s now quite reasonable.
Node.js has consistently ranked as the most popular framework in StackOverflow’s Developer survey and the key to writing a web application, end-to-end in a single programming language, i.e., JavaScript. If you are primarily a JavaScript developer, then you should learn Node.JS along with React or Angular to become a full-stack software engineer.
- Spring Boot [Best Java Backend Framework]
The Spring Boot framework tries to solve the problems associated with using Spring for Java web development in the same way Spring solves the pain related to Java web development using Java EE or J2EE.
By introducing features like auto-configuration and Starter dependencies, Spring Boot alleviates the pain of Java developers who spend a lot of time configuring Spring and finding a set of compatible libraries to work together with. It seriously improves productivity as you can now create a new Java web project in much less time and with much less work, but at the same time, it’s a bit opinionated.
- Ruby on Rails [Best Ruby Framework for Web development]
If you are not from Python, Java, or Javascript background, then you must be from Ruby, another beautiful language for web development. It’s challenging to build a modern web application, but Ruby on Rails makes it much easier and more fun.
It includes everything you need to build database-backed web applications according to the Model-View-Controller framework. There are many popular websites which programs use daily, like Github, which is built using the Ruby on Rails framework.
It also has a large and friendly community to help you whenever you get stuck. If you are interested in learning Ruby on Rails, then The Complete Ruby and Rails Developer course is right to start with.
- jQuery [Best JavaScirpt library]
This is another impressive JavaScript library, which I think every web developer should be familiar with. Even if you are not a full-stack developer or just involved on the front-end or back-end side of work, you should learn jQuery.
It’s very powerful and provides CSS like selectors to change the behavior of several elements on the fly. In the last few years, jQuery’s popularity has come down due to other front-end frameworks, but I still think it’s a great tool, and a full-stack software engineer should know that.
- Flask [Best Python Backend Framework]
It’s another popular Python framework for web development. Flask is a microframework because it doesn’t need any other framework or library. It is inspired by the Sinatra Ruby framework and depends on the Werkzeug WSGI toolkit and the Jinja2 template.
The main idea behind Flask is to allow web developers to build a solid web application foundation. From there, you can use any extensions you might need.
Again, if you are a Python developer, then Flask is another great tool to add in your armory
Finally, you don’t necessarily need to learn all of these web development frameworks. You can choose one from the front-end and one from the back-end at a minimum, depending on the programming language of your choice.
