What Is A Full-Stack Developer?

From the website you’re reading right now to all of your favourite apps, developers are the key that unlocked the digital age. Full-stack developers are the jack of all trades of the development world; they can create, update, and manage all parts of an app or website.

Full-stack developers provide businesses with a rare and valuable resource: The ability to take a holistic view of the apps and websites they’re developing, see how the front-end and back-end of an app or site will interact, and use these insights to improve development.

A full-stack developer is never bored; there is always something new to work on, update, or learn. The career path of a full-stack developer might include learning multiple coding languages, developing consumer-facing applications, project management, and more.

In this article, we cover everything you need to know about the life of a full-stack developer, from the roles and responsibilities you’ll take on to a detailed roadmap on how to start your career in this in-demand field:

Key Takeaways

• A full-stack developer creates, updates, and manages all parts of a website or app—both the front-end and the back-end.
• Full-stack development provides a holistic approach to web and app design and development, improving security, functionality, and aesthetics across the board.
• Full-stack developers learn front-end languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, back-end languages like C#, Python, and Ruby, and database technologies like MySQL and MongoDB.
• Understanding cloud platforms like Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud is essential for some full-stack work.
• The full-stack developer role may include version control, security, UX/UI, database management, project management, and more.
• Full-stack web developers in Calgary earn a median wage of $38.80 an hour.
• With our 40-week course and 3-week practicum, you can become a full-stack developer in less than a year.

What Is Full-Stack Development?

Web development and software development are grouped into two categories: Front-end development (the things a user sees and interacts with) and back-end development (the things that impact structure, speed, security, and functionality).

A full-stack developer is someone who has expertise in both front-end and back-end development. Full-stack development is the process of developing both the front-end and back-end of a website or application.

Full-stack developers play many roles in an organization. They may develop prototypes, build apps and websites from the ground up, troubleshoot and fix problems, shore up security, and even manage whole projects. Full-stack development is one of the most versatile disciplines in computer science. 

Full-Stack Development Benefits

Full-stack development allows companies to take a holistic approach to their web and software development process. Full-stack developers are jacks of all trades; they can see exactly how back-end changes will affect the front-end, and how front-end changes can affect speed and security.

This holistic approach means that full-stack developers can improve user experience and user interfaces (UX/UI) without sacrificing the functionality of a site or application. They can also fill gaps in teams, helping both front-end and back-end developers, and liaising between the two. 

Want a minimum viable product developed at breakneck speed? Hire a full-stack developer. They handle all layers of application development and web development. For agile and lean environments where products will go through multiple iterations in a development cycle, full-stack developers are crucial.

Specialized developers are an incredible resource, but they might not be able to see problems that occur due to conflicts between front-end and back-end code. The broad understanding that full-stack developers bring to the table makes them incredible problem-solvers; if you have bottlenecks and inefficiencies weighing your project down, full-stack developer skills could be just the thing to get the project unstuck.

Full-stack developers can also provide companies with a cost-effective alternative to hiring two developers—one for front-end development, and one for back-end development. For companies with multiple developers, full-stack developers

 can act as communications experts, liaising between departments to give everyone a more holistic understanding of the project. 

Common Technologies Used In Full-Stack Development

Full-stack developers must understand every component of a web application or site. As such, they must learn to use a number of different technologies and programming languages to work on the front-end and back-end components of a site or application: 

Front-End Technologies

The front-end technologies used in full-stack development focus on graphics and layouts; most or all elements of a graphical user interface (GUI) can be designed by a full-stack developer. To do this, full-stack developers commonly learn the following languages:

• Hypertext Markup Language (HTML): The core language for website development
• Cascading Style Sheets (CSS): A language used to style content and create layouts
• JavaScript: A language used to add interactive elements to webpages

Learning the React library, the Angular framework, and TypeScript can also be extremely beneficial for full-stack developers. 

Back-End Technologies

Back-end technologies connect the front-end of a webpage or application with the server. There are several commonly used back-end languages, including:

• PHP
• Ruby
• Java
• Python
• C#

These are just a 

few of the most common back-end languages; several other languages exist, and different companies and projects will leverage different languages to achieve their goals. Full-stack developers can benefit tremendously from learning multiple programming languages. 

Back-end technologies are typically grouped into three layers:

The API layer: Application programming interfaces (APIs) are software interfaces that connect two or more pieces of software together. You can think of the API layer as the connection between front-end and back-end technologies.

The storage layer: This layer stores application data, communicates with databases to write and read data, and provides access to data. 

The business logic layer: This is the core layer of the back-end, in which back-end logic is configured and responses to API requests are configured. 

Database Technologies

Full-stack developers should have a thorough understanding of the servers they’re working on, as well as database management systems (DBMS), in order to gain a truly holistic understanding of the websites and apps they work on. Full-stack developers may learn:

• MySQL
• MongoDB
• PostgreSQL

A full-stack developer should al

so familiarize themselves with the most popular cloud computing providers; many modern applications are deployed to the cloud, and these platforms provide essential services, including hosting, databases, storage, and scaling.  The most popular cloud computing platforms are:

• AWS
• Azure
• Google Cloud

Education

There are many paths to becoming a full-stack developer, and continuing education is a must to thrive in this career. At Robertson College, we offer a comprehensive course designed to give you everything you need to begin your career as a full-stack developer. Our course prepares students for the following certifications:

• AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals
• 1Z0-819 Java SE 11 Developer
• 1Z0-071 Oracle Database SQL

Full-stack developers typically begin their education by learning stacks. Stacks are sets of programming languages and technologies that enable full-stack developers to create and update apps and websites; they give full-stack developers all of the tools they need for front-end and back-end development.

Our full-stack development course is centred on the .NET ecosystem; you will learn C# and ASP.NET Core for back-end development, and modern JavaScript frameworks, including Angular and React, for front-end development. These tools will give you the power to build scalable apps and websites for businesses of any size. 

Roles And Responsibilities

Full-stack developers can be responsible for the front-end and the back-end of a website or app. As such, the roles and responsibilities of a full-stack developer vary significantly depending on the project they are working on. Generally, a full-stack developer can expect to take on some or all of the following responsibilities:

• Front-end development

• • Designing and developing user interfaces (UIs) using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, and Angular
  • Performing UX/UI audits
  • Updating UX/UI when necessary

• Back-end development

• • Creating and managing databases using MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and similar technologies
  • Developing server-side logic using Python, Ruby, Java, PHP, and other programming languages
  • Developing and integrating APIs for client-server communication

• Version control (using Git and other platforms to log changes and collaborate)

• Implementing security

• Performing security audits

• Deploying apps and websites

• Real-time troubleshooting

• Optimizing apps and websites across platforms

• Testing

• Quality assurance

• Updating and maintaining apps and websites

• Project management

Average Salaries

The Government of Canada’s Job Bank lists the median salary for full-stack developers in Calgary as $38.80 an hour. This translates to an annual salary of $80,704, assuming 40 hours of work each week. 

Road Map To Becoming A Full-Stack Developer

Our full-stack developer program in Calgary follows a roadmap that allows you to learn front-end and back-end languages and tools in succession, with skills building on the tools you have learned previously. You will learn:

1. HTML
2. CSS
3. JavaScript
4. Java, including object-oriented programming, structured programming, inheritance, and polymorphism
5. SQL
6. Version control (Git and GitHub)
7. C# (using Visual Studio and the .NET framework)
8. .NET Core
9. ASP.NET Core
10. Angular
11. React

Throughout our course, you will also learn a number of soft skills, including business communications, as well as software testing and quality assurance best practices.

The stack we have created gives our students incredible career opportunities; by introducing you to both Java and C#, you will learn two powerhouse back-end languages in our course. This enables students to work for any number of employers; Java is often used by large enterprises and for Android development, while C# is crucial for development in Microsoft ecosystems. The back-end is rounded out with .NET Core and ASP.NET Core modules to help students learn two of the most valuable frameworks in the industry.

Our stack also includes two of the most commonly used front-end resources—Angular and React. Coupled with the core web development languages you will learn at the beginning of the course, these resources will give you the power to design unique, secure, and flexible user interfaces. 

Each module of our course builds on the last. We begin with foundational web development skills, add programming logic and structure, then take a deep dive into back-end and front-end tools. This structure reinforces what students have learned in previous modules without overwhelming them with new information—it’s a great way to learn everything you need to become a full-stack developer! 

Average Timeline To Becoming A Full-Stack Developer

You can go from having no coding experience to being a full-stack developer in less than a year. At Robertson College, we offer a 40-week course, followed by a 3-week practicum in the field. This practicum gives you valuable hands-on experience and helps you build connections in the industry. You may even secure a position with your practicum employer! 

Begin Your Full-Stack Career Today!

From developing websites for local businesses to creating apps used by millions of people around the world, full-stack developers are the source of some of the most cutting-edge, world-changing technology of the modern age.

You can join the ranks of these developers and leave your impression on the digital world. Speak to one of our Student Advisors today and take the first step toward an exciting career as a full-stack developer!