Writing code might be one of the more complicated parts of web development, but it’s hardly the only component. You also have to build your back-end and front-end site structures and design.
Let’s start with the back-end.
The back-end handles the data that enables the functionality on the front-end. For example, Facebook’s back-end stores my photos, so that the front-end can then allow others to look at them. It’s made up of two key components:
- Databases, which is responsible for storing, organizing, and processing data so that it’s retrievable by server requests
- Servers, which are the hardware and software that make up your computer. Servers are responsible for sending, processing, and receiving data requests. They’re the intermediary between the database and the client/browser. The browser will, in effect, tell the server “I need this information”, and the server will know how to get that information from the database and send it to the client.
These components work together to build the foundation for each website.
As for building your website, backend developers will establish three things.
- Your logic code, which is essentially a set of rules for how your website will respond to certain requests and how objects of your website will interact.
- Your database management, which is how your website will organize, manage, and retrieve its data.
- Your infrastructure, which is how your site will be hosted. Hosting your own site will give you greater control, but it’s much more expensive and requires you to maintain your own server health and security.
With these components and decisions in place, your website will be ready for front-end development.