Articles Development What Is a Full-Stack Developer?

What Is a Full-Stack
Developer?
Written by Coursera • Updated on Jun 16, 2023 Share

A full-stack developer helps build and maintain

both the front-end and the back-end of a website.
Learn about full-stack developer skills, salary, and
how you can become one.

A full-stack developer is a developer or engineer

who can build both the front end and the back end
of a website. The front end (the parts of a website a
user sees and interacts with) and the back end (the
behind-the-scenes data storage and processing)
require different skill sets. Since full-stack
developers are involved with all aspects of the
development process, they must have expertise in
both.

A full-stack developer can work in-house or at a

computer development company that engineers
websites, software, and other components for
other businesses.

What does a full-stack developer do?

Full-stack developers design and create websites

and applications for various platforms. A full-stack
developer’s job description might include the
following:

Develop and maintain web services and

interfaces
Contribute to front-end and back-end
development processes
Build new product features or APIs
Perform tests, troubleshoot software, and fix
bugs
Collaborate with other departments on
projects and sprints

The world of full-stack development is large, and

many new and evolving technologies continually
push the limits of what a full-stack developer can
create. Staying on top of cutting-edge technology
and techniques in the full-stack development field
is one of the many exciting aspects of working in
this role.

According to LinkedIn's 2020 Emerging Jobs

Report, the industries with the most full-stack
developer jobs are:

Computer software
Information technology and services
Internet
Financial services
Higher education

Full-stack developer skills

Full-stack developers may be creative, graphically

inclined, internet- and tech-savvy, and have
excellent attention to detail. You’ll want to learn the
following skills to have a career in full-stack
development:

Front-end development is the process of

creating the interface of a website. It entails
coding details like drop-down menus, fonts,
colors, and page layouts. Full-stack
developers should also know how to work
with front-end technologies like HTML, CSS,
and scripting languages such as JavaScript to
make websites and applications visually
viable and appealing. If you want to
transition into full-stack development from
back-end development, you might consider
earning a Professional Certificate in front-end
development from an industry leader like
Meta.

Meta Front-End Developer

Professional Certificate

Beginner level · 7 month(s)

Skills you'll build: Cascading Style Sheets

(CSS), HTML, UI/UX design, React,…

JavaScript, Web
4.7 (8,706 Development Tools, User
ratings)
Interface, Front-End Web Development,

HTML and CSS, Responsive Web Design,

Back-endTest-Driven
development skills Object-Oriented
Development, entail using
back-endProgramming
programming languages
(OOP), Linux, Web like
Python, PHP, Ruby onBash
Development, Rails,
(Unixand CakePHP
Shell), Github,
and understanding how
Version Control, algorithms
Debugging, Reactand
(Web
business Framework),
logic work.Web
YouApplication,
can enhance your
Application
back-enddevelopment,
development Unitskills toWeb
Testing, prepare
Design,for a
full-stackUser
developer role
Experience with
(UX), Meta's Back-
Accessibility,
End Developer Professional
Pseudocode, Algorithms,Certificate.
Communication,

Data Structure, Computer Science

Meta Back-End Developer

Professional Certificate

Beginner level · 8 month(s)

Skills you'll build: Cloud Hosting,

Application Programming Interfaces (AP…

Python Programming,
4.7 (2,860 ratings) Computer
Programming, Django (Web Framework),

Linux, Web Development, Bash (Unix Shell),

Web design includes
Github, Version using
Control,software such as
MySQL, Database
Photoshop to create
(DBMS), and
database design graphics
administration, Build aand
themes. It’ll
databe helpful
model, toafamiliarize
Design yourself
web application,
with basicDebugging,
UI (userAuthentication
interface) design
and
principlesauthorization,
to help youREST
create
APIs,navigational
Filtering and
elements,ordering,
backgrounds,
Serializersand audio and video
and deserializers,
elements.Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), HTML,
Production environments, JavaScript, API
Databaseendpoints,
management skillsAlgorithms,
Pseudocode, are required for
full-stackCommunication,
developers, though it is part
Data Structure, of the
Computer
skills needed for back-end web development.
Science
A full-stack developer should be able to
design, understand, and manipulate
database queries and web storage.

As a full-stack developer, you may need to know

your way around some of the following
programming languages and tools:

Angular JS
Apache HTTP Server
AWS
CSS
Ember.js
JavaScript
jQuery
Laravel
Microsoft SQL Server
MySQL
Nginx
Node.js
PHP
Polymer
React
Ruby on Rails
Vue.js

Why pursue a career in full-stack

development?

A career in full-stack development combines

creativity with analysis. As a full-stack developer,
you’ll have plenty of opportunities to learn and
implement innovative principles in your work.

Average salary and job outlook

As of October 2022, the average annual salary of a

full-stack developer is $81,188, according to
Glassdoor. This figure does not include bonuses,
commissions, or other additional payments that
may be offered to a full-stack developer on a yearly
basis. The estimated additional pay for this role is
$5,915 per year [1].

The job outlook for full-stack developers is bright.

According to LinkedIn's 2020 Emerging Jobs
Report, rapid changes in technology have made
full-stack developers valuable assets in companies.
The profession has grown 35 percent a year since
2015 and appears to continue on that trend into the
near future, LinkedIn reports [2].

Read more: Full-Stack Developer Salary: Your 2022

Guide

How to become a full-stack

developer

Consider earning a degree.

72% of software developers hold a bachelor's

degree, although it’s not a strict requirement [3].
Full-stack developers typically study computer
science, computer engineering, or a related field. A
degree can hone the technical and workplace skills
necessary to be an effective full-stack engineer.

Research entry-level roles.

There are various levels of full-stack development

jobs. Search for junior or entry-level positions on
job sites to understand what skills employers are
looking for in applicants.

Develop your coding skills.

To be an effective full-stack developer, you should

acquire and continue upgrading your knowledge of
applicable programming language skills. Consider
taking courses in relevant languages like Python,
HTML, CSS, and Javascript.

Build a portfolio.

It can be challenging to showcase your skill set on a

resume without hands-on experience. A portfolio
shows potential employers what you’re capable of
by highlighting your best work. Gather projects
you’ve completed through coursework or previous
jobs. Include screenshots, and describe the
technologies you used and your role in each.

Practice technical interview

questions.

Interviews for tech-related roles often include a

technical portion. During this part of the interview,
you may be asked to complete a live coding
exercise, design challenge, or take-home
assessment.

Glossary of full-stack developer

terms

Full-stack development is full of unique terms.

Below you will find a few of the frequent ones:

Angular JS: An open-source web application

framework that Google maintains

API: Software that allows two applications to

exchange information, short for Application
Programming Interface

Bootstrap: An open-source collection of front-end

tools to create websites and apps

Flask: A micro-web application framework, written

in Python

Framework: A layered structure that provides a

foundation for developing software applications

MEAN stack: A free, open-source JavaScript

software stack to build websites and apps

Open-source software (OSS): Software that has a

source code that can be modified, distributed, or
integrated into other projects freely

PHP: Short for Hypertext Preprocessor, a server-

side (back-end) scripting language for web
development

Python: A general-purpose, high-level

programming language

Stack: A set of tools and technologies that

developers use to do their jobs

Become a full-stack developer with

Coursera

Continue building your expertise by earning a Full-

Stack Software Developer Professional Certificate
from IBM.

IBM Full Stack Software Developer

Professional Certificate

Beginner level · 4 month(s)

Skills you'll build: Cloud Native, Devops,

Iaas PaaS Saas, Hybrid Multicloud, Clou…

Computing,
4.5 (3,525Web Development, Cascading
ratings)
Style Sheets (CSS), HTML, Git (So!ware),

JavaScript, Distributed Version Control

(DRCS), open source, Version Control

Systems, Github, User Interface, React (Web

Article sources
Framework), Front-end Development,
1. Glassdoor. "How much
back-end does a Full
development, Stack Developer
Server-side

make? JavaScript, express, Computer Science,

Data Science, Python Programming, Data

https://business.linkedin.com/content/dam/me/bu
Analysis, Pandas, Numpy, Artificial
us/talent-solutions/emerging-jobs-
Intelligence (AI), Web Application,
report/Emerging_Jobs_Report_U.S._FINAL.pdf."
Application development, Flask, Relational
Accessed October 5, 2022.
Database (RDBMS), Object Relational
View
Mapping all sources
(ORM), SQL, Django (Web

Framework), Back-End Applications,

Kubernetes, Docker, Containers, Openshi!,

serverless, Microservices, Representational

State Transfer (REST), Cloud Applications,

Keep reading
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Full-Stack Developer Salary: Your 2023 Guide
5 min read · May 18, 2023

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June 16, 2023

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May 18, 2023

Written by Coursera • Updated on Jun 16, 2023 Share

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