Full Stack Developer Roadmap - A Beginner Guide [2024]

Full Stack Developer Roadmap: An Overview

Full-stack development is a highly regarded professional ground within the field of web development. Full Stack contains both the front-end and back-end development. If you want to become a successful full-stack developer, this full-stack tutorial on the full-stack developer roadmap will surely guide you in the right direction toward your goal.

What is Full Stack Development?

Full stack web development is all about creating both the front- and back-end of a website or application. It requires the knowledge of building both, the client and server sides of an application.

Front-end Technologies

Front-end development also referred to as client-side development, is the process of building a website or online application's User Interface (UI). To be a successful Full Stack developer, you must learn basic front-end technologies. These include:

• HTML: It is the basic building block of web pages. You can build a single web page for the whole application using HTML. It is used to create any website's "skeleton" or foundation.
• CSS: CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets which allows you to apply styles such as colors, fonts, layouts, and animations to your web pages. It makes you create responsive websites that adjust their layout and styles based on the resolution and orientation of the user's device.
• JavaScript: It increases the website's interactivity. You may design dynamic UI components using JavaScript. It determines what the page will do. It is a lightweight, open, and cross-platform programming language used by developers worldwide to build amazing websites.

Read More - Full Stack Developer Interview Questions And Answers

Back-end Technologies

It is the thing that the users don’t see directly or interact with and contains the activities that are happening at the back of the door that occur when the user performs any type of action on a particular website or webpage.

The following are essential back-end technologies needed for full-stack web development:

• Programming Languages: You can learn trending programming languages like Java, Javascript, C#, Python, Ruby, and PHP. Do mastery in at least one programming language.
• Frameworks: Some of the common frameworks that are used in backend development are ASP.NET Core, Ruby on Rails, Django, etc.
• Application Programming Interfaces (API): API stands for Application Programming Interfaces. It is an intermediary between the services that entail their collaboration. Some of the common APIs that you need to be familiar with are:
  • REST
  • SOAP
  • JSON
  • XML-RPC
  • AES

Who is a Full Stack Developer?

Full-stack developers generally work on the front-end and back-end web development skills primarily, the handling of the wide variety of tasks of building and maintaining a digital playground such as the web pages. The position depends on multiple factors such as versatility, adaptability, innovative thinking, attention to technical programming knowledge, and high-level client communication.

A specialized full-stack developer can be categorized into four types.

1. MERN Full Stack Developer
2. MEAN Stack Developer
3. Full Stack .NET Developer
4. Full Stack Java Developer

Read More:

• What is Full Stack? Skills to Become a Full-Stack Developer
• How to Become a MERN Stack Developer?

Roadmap for Full Stack Developer

Let us walk into the detailed guide toward becoming a professional full-stack developer

1. Select a Tech Stack

This depends on what you want to achieve from the product, what kind of performance you expect from the web application, and what the client wants, amongst other factors. In Full-stack development, there are several tech stacks for both front-end and back-end development. Below are some of the popular tech stacks:

• MERN Stack: MERN stands for MongoDB, Express, React, and Node, after the four key technologies that make up the stack.
  1. MongoDB — a NoSQL document database. Unlike a SQL database, it uses key-value pairs instead of columns and rows to store data.
  2. Express(.js) — a Node.js web framework used to build backend apps and APIs using JavaScript.
  3. React(.js) — a client-side JavaScript framework used to build the user interface.
  4. Node(.js) — the premier JavaScript web server.
• MEAN Stack: Made up of Angular (front-end framework), Express (back-end framework), Node.js (back-end run-time environment), and MongoDB (database), MEAN Stack is a full-stack JavaScript open-source solution that helps developers use better practices while working with popular JavaScript components.
• Full Stack .NET: It refers to the practice of utilizing the .NET framework across both the front-end and back-end components of a web application. It involves working with various technologies and frameworks within the .NET ecosystem to develop end-to-end solutions.
• Full Stack Java: A full-stack Java developer writes code in all three layers of a web-based application: the front-end, the back-end, and the database layer.

Read More - Full Stack Net Developer Salary

2. Front-end Technology Roadmap

A Full Stack developer must be familiar with key front-end technologies and frameworks such as:

Front-end languages

• HTML: Used to structure a webpage.
• CSS: Used to style a webpage.
• Javascript: Used to make the webpage interactive.
• TypeScript: A Superset of JavaScript that adds more helpful features to program robust programs.
• JQuery: A javascript library with various functions to make front-end development easy.

Front-end Frameworks

• React: Also known as ReactJS, React is a famous front-end JavaScript toolkit for creating user interfaces and associated components.
• Angular: It is a component-based framework for building scalable online applications and a collection of well-integrated tools and modules for developers.
• VueJs: Suitable for both simple as well as complex applications.

Read More: Frontend Developer Roadmap: The Ultimate Guide 2024

3. Backend Technology Roadmap

A Full Stack developer must be familiar with key back-end technologies and frameworks such as:

Back-end languages

• Java: A programming language used for developing enterprise-scale web applications.
• Python: It is one of the most popular languages among developers and has been used in a variety of fields.
• Node.js: It allows developers to use JavaScript to write server-side code, through which they can write APIs.

Back-end Frameworks

Some of the common frameworks that are used in backend development are:

• ASP.NET Core
• Node.js
• Spring Boot
• Laravel
• Ruby on Rails
• Django

Read More: Backend Developer Roadmap: The Ultimate Guide 2024

4. Databases

Databases are collections of organized data stored on a computer system. There are several types of databases, including relational, NoSQL, object-oriented, hierarchical, network, and graph databases. Relational databases use a tabular structure to organize data, while NoSQL databases are designed to handle large volumes of unstructured data.

5. Version Control System

A version control system is a tool that helps both the backend and frontend developers collaborate and control the changes made over time. It also gives details about what kinds of changes should be made and by whom. Therefore, a version control system enhances the project speed by allowing developers to interact, remove the possibility of errors, and recover the code if any accident occurs.

The following are the version control platforms that are often used for backend development.

• Git
• GitHub
• GitLab
• BitBucket

6. Understand Web Security

Along with developing websites and applications, it's also important to secure them. Learn about common web security vulnerabilities and how to prevent them. Understand concepts like cross-site scripting (XSS), cross-site request forgery (CSRF), and secure authentication practices.

7. Get Familiar with DevOps

Learn about deployment processes and tools like Docker and Kubernetes. Understand Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) practices to automate build and deployment workflows.

8. Get Certified

Earning a certification may improve your chances of getting hired or promoted.

ScholarHat offers you various certification courses to make your dream of becoming a full-stack developer true.

• Angular Certification Training Course
• React JS Certification Training
• Frontend Foundations Certification Training
• Frontend Developer Certification Training
• HTML & CSS Course
• Node.js Course
• Angular Course
• JavaScript Programming Course
• Full-Stack .NET Developer Certification Training Program
• Advanced Full-Stack .NET Developer Certification Training
• Java Programming Course
• C++ Programming Course
• Data Structures with Java Certification Training

9. Build a Nice Portfolio with Projects

As a software developer, building a strong portfolio with projects is crucial for demonstrating your skills and experience to potential employers or clients. Focus on creating high-quality projects that solve real-world problems and demonstrate your expertise.

10. Take an Internship

Internships are an amazing opportunity to gain real-world experience, learn new skills, and network with industry professionals. Through internships, you get to work on real projects and collaborate with experienced developers, explore different industries and technologies, gain valuable experience, expand your network, and increase your chances of success as a software developer.

11. Develop a Good Network

Developing a good network is crucial for finding job opportunities and advancing your career. Networking involves building professional relationships with people in your industry, such as colleagues, mentors, recruiters, and alumni. Networking can be done both in-person and online through social media platforms such as LinkedIn.

Read More:

• Full Stack Developer Salary
• Top 50 Full Stack Developer Interview Questions and Answers

Summary

So, now I hope that you have a complete vision regarding the journey of becoming a full-stack developer. The only requirement here is dedication and consistency. There may come many a time that you won't be able to understand many concepts. Just remain patient and try to understand calmly. You will surely get through it.