Web design and development have been continuously evolving ever since the dawn of the internet. Moreover, considering the modernization of business throughout the world, web design’s importance cannot be emphasized enough.
Web design sets the first impression for most users— not just visually, but through its fluidity, and simple yet sophisticated design. An outdated website is most likely to give a negative impression to the audience, thus hampering your business’s success. Here are our seven web technologies that are important for every web developer.
Browsers
Undoubtedly, web browsers are one of the most important tools a developer may require. Functioning as web interpreters, they allow us to view the web more pleasingly and understandably. The tool is particularly useful to the developers, allowing them to design the web correctly and use the added features each browser provides. The most commonly used browsers include:
- Google Chrome
- Mozilla Firefox
- Microsoft Edge
- Opera
- Safari
HTML & CSS
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is the core of each website. It is the most basic yet most vital segment of the page. It provides a structure and meaning to the site; therefore, it can be called the backbone of the web.
Cascading Stylesheets (CSS) is the language used to stylize the visual aspect of the website. It renders the layout and overall appearance of the page— ranging from font and color of the content to sophisticated animations.
HTML and CSS can seem daunting to a considerable amount of people. Consequently, several companies offer professional services regarding web design and development, just like companies of web design Singapore offer.
Programming Languages
Stock HTML pages are static without a programming language. Hence, these languages help the developers to make the websites more interactive and dynamic for the audience. Therefore, here is a list of languages with their defined purpose:
JavaScript is one of the most commonly used scripting languages, primarily for complex features such as interactive maps, video/music jukeboxes, and much more.
Python is a far simpler and less complicated general-purpose language, offering a versatile set of features and a robust stack of frameworks.
Ruby is similar to python, serves as a multi-purpose language. However, what sets it different from python is its Rails web framework.
PHP is a popular scripting language used for its convenience in connecting with database systems such as MySQL and Oracle.
Java may seem a bit outdated with better alternatives now, it is still the primary language for several big companies, such as Google. It offers a fast and highly secure interface for developers.
Frameworks
Web development frameworks serve as premade templates that allow developers to skip mundane tasks. They vary relative to the task and language in use. Hence, frameworks are divided into two categories:
Server-side Frameworks
These frameworks are capable of creating simple pages, landing pages, and forms. Server-side frameworks also deal with database management, as well as handling HTTP protocols. These frameworks include:
- NET (C#)
- Django (Python)
- Ruby on Rails (Ruby)
- Express (JavaScript/Node.JS)
- Symfony (PHP)
Client-Side Frameworks
Client-side frameworks are useful at the client’s end, i.e., they operate inside the browser. Hence, they can be used to optimize and create new UI. They also enable the creation of animated features used in single-page applications. All of these frameworks are designed for different tasks; however, all use the same language— JavaScript.
- Angular
- Ember.JS
- Vue.JS
- React.JS
Protocols
A web protocol, simply put, is a medium for establishing the connection, data transfer, and communication between two points on a network. The following are some of the extensively used protocols:
- HTTP – is the most commonly used client-server protocol. Users try to access a website or click a link, which sends a request to a web server that directs the user to the site. HTTP is considered an insecure protocol as the data transferred is unencrypted.
- Telnet – similar to HTTP, it is used for accessing remote servers. Unlike HTTP, however, Telnet allows the user to access and control the remote server.
- HTTPS – is primarily the same as HTTP, but with a more secure protocol called SSL/TLS.
- FTP – File Transfer Protocol, is used to transfer all kinds of files remotely between computers.
API
Application Programming Interfaces are structures that aid developers in generating complex functionality more conveniently. They provide a simpler code while keeping the complex system away from the developer. APIs exist in two subdivisions:
- Browser APIs – built right into the web browser, capable of extracting data from the browser to perform tasks on the computer. Web Audio API is a good example. It allows the API to manipulate audio on the browser.
- Third-party APIs – these APIs are not built into the browser and fetched from their particular website. Examples include Twitter and Facebook API, which allow the developers to display the latest posts on the site.
Data Formats
Data formats are used for storing data in the web structure. Some of the formats include:
- JSON – JavaScript Object Notation format is for storing and exchanging data, similar to XML.
- XML – Familiarized and used by Microsoft systems, XML is by far the most widely used data format
- CSV – Comma-Separated Values permits data to store in a tabular form. The file format can be used in most spreadsheet applications such as Excel and Google Spreadsheets.
Conclusion
Web development is a constantly evolving line of work. The web technologies used today may be considered redundant in the future. Thus, it is of high importance for web developers to have a broad spectrum of expertise regarding web development, but they must also keep themselves up-to-date with their field norms.