By Joey Ricard - January 18, 2022
Are you new to the tech industry and hearing about the popularity of full-stack among developers quite often?
Then, it is time that you know what it is and why developers hype it. And this knowledge will help you determine whether to go full-stack or get more specialized developers for your tech projects.
Full-stack development has indeed become one of the most sought-after job profiles for the past few years. Organizations looking for a seamless and smooth project app/website development experience are opting for full-stack developers, as the goal seems more easily achievable when one person can do both server-side and client-side coding.
But just because developers hype full-stack, it may not be what you need for your projects. Instead of full-stack developers, you might find specialized developers more appropriate for your projects.
Let us unfold the mystery revolving around this sudden hype around full-stack development right here through this article.
Web developers are programmers responsible for collaborating with UI/UX designers to build web pages or fully functional websites. It is the role of a web developer to bring the concept of a web designer to life. Based on the role a web developer plays, you can divide them into three different categories, which are:
When you hire a front-end developer, he creates everything on a website, which will be there right in front of the viewers. From the brand logo on the web application to the buttons, search bars, etc., front-end developers work on the overall layout to determine how the users interact with the website page of the web application.
They ensure that your website looks stunning and works flawlessly on different devices like mobile phones, computer screens, tablets, etc. Also, making a website design responsive is one of the many responsibilities of a front-end developer.
Back-end developers are those software experts who work for those parts of a web application that users do not see. They focus on the logic of a website, work with Application Programming Interfaces and databases and create servers.
Front-end developers on the client’s side create the layout and the content on a form. But when users fill the form, submit their information, it goes on the server-side, where it gets processed by the back-end developers. All user information, user credentials, login processes are examples of back-end development.
Full-stack developers work with both the front-end and the back-end to develop web applications. They possess knowledge of both front-end and back-end development. And because of this, they are often referred to as the “Swiss Army Knives”. Be it developing software for the server-side or the client-side of a web application – an ideal full-stack developer possesses skills in different coding niches to take care of both.
Till now, we have known that front-end processes are responsible for the visual appearance and feel of a website and back-end processes contribute to the infrastructure, logic, and other behind-the-scenes factors of a website.
Now, from graphic design to managing the UI or UX of a web app, even managing the database, full-stack developers can do it all. Performing the role of an all-rounder, these software experts can take care of works related to servers, databases, system engineering, and even clients.
Full-stack developers are developers whom employers believe capable of doing it all. Often, they help companies save a lot of money as they can deal with the different development stages, making full-stack development known as a money-saving web app development method.
The entry barrier in the field of web development has always been low. Having a basic understanding of HTML/PHP/CSS lets people work as web developers. And as with time, the field started to become saturated, the term ‘Full-Stack Developer’ caught the eye.
You can say that full-stack is the highest title a developer can have. Plus, the term ‘full-stack’ often is a way to attract more employers and make the resumes more attractive to them by filling them up with word salads. It also helps developers differentiate themselves from the crowd while becoming more appealing to employers.
As per the US Bureau Labor Statistics, the availability of jobs in full-stack development will increase from 135,000 to 853,000 by 2024. And this makes it very natural for developers to crave the title of Full-Stack more than ever now.
But, alas, the irony! While trying to distinguish themselves from the crowd, developers become indistinguishable under the term ‘full-stack developers’. Wondering how? Well, a full-stack developer often turns out to be a jack of all trades, master of none.
You see, many companies, especially startups, due to budget limitations, end up hiring full-stack developers. They assume that it is better to hire one who can do the job of two different developers, i.e., front-end and back-end. But what they forget is that specialization matters and is significant.
Yes, the industry from the employee side seems to be pushing full-stack development. But from the employers’ side, there is a lot more to be said to be very specialized in a particular technology. A good database administrator can be far more valuable to a company than a full-stack developer if the company needs very well-written queries and logic. A full-stack developer may know how to get things functioning but not truly optimize the technology for performance.
Given the hype over full-stack among developers, companies assume that full-stack developers can handle the complexities of the development environment when and as necessary. But all full-stack developers do not possess the same intense level of knowledge and learning aptitude to become an asset for a company.
Every developer has different strengths and weaknesses. Some prefer working on the back end with a basic understanding of what is happening at the front end. Some prefer the other way around. And then some developers specialize on any one end.
Only a very few developers turn out to be experts on both front-end and back-end. And for a full stack developer to become invaluable to your organization, he needs to have distributed strengths and an understanding of all stacks and frameworks.
Full-stack developers cover a wide span of knowledge. But specialized developers better understand the complexities in the fields they specialize in. Hence, while full-stack developers may be a better fit for small projects, for complex and big projects, it’s specialized developers you need.
Sometimes, a company needs developers with in-depth specialized knowledge about a language/framework and not an overall understanding of every programming language. Even developers who opt for the “full-stack developer” tag ignore that many stacks demand knowledge about specific components and specific technical expertise more than others. And when organizations hire such full-stack developers lacking actual proficiency, their projects suffer.
At times, specialization becomes crucial to create quality products. And when more and more companies continue hiring general full-stack developers, it may flood the pipeline without being of any help to the actual job responsibilities.
Is it confusing for you to assess whether a full stack developer will be ideal for the role you want him to play in your projects? Or, is it that you are looking for more specialized developers? Then we, Klizo Solutions, can be a one-stop solution for all your app/software development needs.
Tapping into the right specialized people, we boast a team of expert developers, designers, and copywriters. Especially for those who lack a completely agile enterprise development environment, we offer an experienced team of developers specializing in different frameworks and languages. We also have full-stack developers with real expertise and years of experience in the field.
Get in touch with us today and get your applications built by the best developers in the industry.
Joey Ricard
Klizo Solutions was founded by Joseph Ricard, a serial entrepreneur from America who has spent over ten years working in India, developing innovative tech solutions, building good teams, and admirable processes. And today, he has a team of over 50 super-talented people with him and various high-level technologies developed in multiple frameworks to his credit.
