In recent years, we have heard a lot about full-stack developers.
A full-stack developer is a person who has a complete understanding of different layers involved in application development. Whether it is taking care of the front or back end or working on the business layer, they take care of everything with ease.
The demand for full-stack developers
Per this report, there was a 206% increase in the demand for full-stack developers from 2015 to 2018, as more businesses are looking for multifaceted skills. Full-stack developers or a full-stack development company is capable of taking care of all your project development needs. So whether it is about front-end or back-end development or developing the business layer, they are competent to work on everything.
What can a full-stack developer do?
In terms of web development, there are front-end developers and back-end developers. Front-end developers build the interface, while the back-end developers engineer the software. A full-stack developer can do everything. They take care of designing the application, coding, client-side coding, server-side scripting, building and managing databases, and any other project development needs.
These are the responsibilities of a full-stack developer:
- Manage web development
- Code applications and programs
- Troubleshoot issues
- Coordinate with other team members and developers
- Come up with testing techniques for the web apps
In short, a full-stack developer has a strong grasp of the technologies that determine how a website looks, works and functions. Such a developer will have practical knowledge of HTML, JavaScript, CSS, PHP, Angular, Ruby, MySQL, Node, MongoDB, Apache, etc. The knowledge to work with animations, graphics and design will add stars to a candidate's portfolio.
Over time, the skills required for full-stack development have extended and evolved. A long time back, it was LAMP stack, which included Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP. It is more of MEAN and beyond today. Currently, a typical full-stack developer carries out front-end development using JavaScript, HTML, CSS and other JS frameworks; for the back end, they use Express and Node, and for databases, they follow MySQL and MongoDB.
Top reasons to hire full-stack developers
Effective problem-solving
When hiring a developer, companies always look for candidates who are capable of solving an issue. Full-stack developers are competent to handle every aspect of the project. They prove to be a practical solution for startups and small businesses that cannot afford to spend more money on many expert developers.
Wide range of technology skills
The main reason why companies choose full-stack developers for their project is their potential rather than their knowledge. With time, companies teach them the skills they want them to have. This way, in a few years, they learn different technology skills as the company expands.
Executive and management skills
Companies like to have people on board who have experience in the business. A full-stack developer has the knowledge and experience of working on the front end, back end and middle architecture layer. This means they are capable to perform better than an individual front-end or back-end developer.
Cost-effective
As full-stack developers can develop all aspects of a project, there is no need to form a team of experts. They will easily take care of the project single-handedly. This will save the right amount of money for the hiring team.
Faster development process
Full-stack developers are aware of different technologies, tools and techniques. This means that when they take up the project, they will be able to complete it faster. They will spend less time discussing and collaborating with the team over the project.
Benefits of full-stack developers for startup and small businesses
Established developers
Full-stack developers are experienced enough to come up with outstanding features to the end product, which will be capable of exciting the market. They have the ability to build a complete product from scratch. If you want to get some benefits out of your product, then you will have to join hands with such experts. Remember that not every developer out there is capable of taking care of the project from a 360-degree perspective.
Versatility
A full-stack developer is capable of working equally well on the front end and back end of a website or app. Front-end developers write codes using JavaScript, HTML and CSS, which are capable of controlling the appearance of the solution and how it interacts with the browser and users. Back-end developers write codes that connect the website or application with other content management systems. A full-stack developer is capable of taking care of both these tasks. They are focused on reaching customer expectations and come up with solutions on their own.
Vast experience
Full-stack developers take up different web projects. This has helped them to get in-depth knowledge of various technologies and the expertise to come up with quick solutions in web and app development. Such experience and knowledge improve the performance of the project and its market reception.
The bigger picture
The main advantage of choosing a full-stack developer for your project is that they will come up with the complete structure of the project and offer their valuable input on the project as needed. Their services go beyond developing the project to maintain and optimize the existing solutions.
Upgrades
Web design plays a crucial role in whether most people love or reject a website. Full-stack developers will ensure the website is quite user-friendly. They keep themselves up to date with technology trends and innovations. To ensure that your clients get the best interactive and responsive website, the developers implement smart features in your project.
Troubleshooting issues
Full-stack developers have the complete knowledge and experience of the different stages and aspects of website development. They are skilled enough to identify the issues that may come up during the project development. Based on their findings, they will come up with long-term solutions to ensure the website or application functions optimally.
All-inclusive
Apart from leading your web project and enabling enhancements in it, full-stack developers go to the level of representing your product to the stakeholders or your company at conferences. They can quickly move from one operation to another with ease, streamlining the development process.
Budget-friendly
If you are on a tight budget but want to build a fantastic website, then you should think about hiring full-stack developers for the job. You can even think about having a remote full-stack developer for the project. As such, a developer is capable of handling all the aspects of project development; you will not have to hire different people for the job. This will save you a lot of money.
On-time delivery
It will be easy for developers to share responsibilities between the team and coordinate among themselves for better project progress. This will result in faster delivery of the project.
Project ownership
When you hire full-stack developers for your project, you can be sure that they will take care of everything. Such a developer will be capable of the MVP development from beginning to end. If you hire a full-stack developer in the middle of the project, even then they will find their way to join the flow smoothly. Such a developer will work toward quality control of the design project.
Factors to consider while hiring full-stack developers for your small business
Git, GitHub and Source Tree
Any good full-stack developer needs to have an understanding of how Git works and should have a profile on GitHub. This becomes very important when they are working alone and mandatory when they are working in a team. Every small change made to the application can be tracked by the knowledge of Git.
HTML and CSS
HTML and CSS help the developers style the content on the webpage. HTML makes use of markup to define the structure of the webpages, while the presentation of the HTML elements will be determined by CSS. When the two work together, they result in an engaging front end for the application.
JavaScript
JavaScript is an object scripting language that is used on HTML to add behavior to it. Developers are using JavaScript to write codes for servers, the client side and the back end apart from working on the front end. A full-stack developer should have proper knowledge of JavaScript and its frameworks and features.
Back-end language
Back-end languages are the ones that manage database operations and user authentication. This language also performs several other functions by making use of front-end languages.
Databases and web storage
Applications generate data, and you will have to store it somewhere. You need someone who understands relational databases and memory storage. The full-stack developer should also understand the difference between relational and non-relational databases.
Web architecture
It is essential for a developer to understand how the code structure should be formed, how and where to place the data in the databases, how to separate the files, and how to work on computational tasks.
HTTP and REST
HTTP is a protocol used as a communication medium between servers and clients. REST, on the other side, is an interface that uses HTTP to generate operations on the data or obtain it in whichever format possible. You could say that the REST API helps the back end to better understand the front end.
Challenges you face with full-stack developers
Like every other technology, full-stack development is not perfect. In spite of the benefits it offers, choosing a full-stack developer has its set of cons too.
Full-stack developers working on everything makes them expert of nothing. This can be the most significant disadvantage of choosing them when you can find specialized developers out there. There may come a certain point in the project development where full-stack developers have to depend on experts to get the job done when they get stuck in difficult situations.
This means, based on the complexity of the project and its requirements, choosing a full-stack developer may not always be a wise idea. However, most of the time, they excel in what they do based on the experience and skills they have gathered over time.