Hi there, welcome back to developer series, today I will be writing about two Parts of any software or application. They are the backend and the frontend. I will tell the differences and the purpose of separating into frontend and backend. Application or software are similar terms, wherever Application is used mostly, and I will be using Application everywhere below.
The part of the software that end-user access mostly is the frontend, and the data is provided by the backend services.
So let’s understand each to know the difference between Backend vs Frontend with simple examples.
Backend Development
Backend simply says the part at the back or isolated from the user. The backend is the Backbone and crucial part of any application. It contains the data storage. All processing, retrieval, and manipulation of data are done at this part. You must have heard of databases. Databases are not backend but a part of backend + the code for processing this database. We use specific technologies for backend part like JAVA, PHP, NodeJS and more. We use databases like MySQL, Cassandra, MongoDB and more.
You must have heard of Client Server; the backend is the Server for an application where requests are processed to send and query data. The Server or the backend part is controlled and accessed only by the system administrators or owners. Separating this makes the system secure and safe as the user does not know or see what is there.
Frontend Development
Frontend is the part what an end user sees. You can say, in normal terms the GUI part or the graphical part the end-user access to control a web application. It is the Client Side of the Client-server architecture where the Client interacts with the system. It is the most accessed part, from where the user submits and receive data. The Design part you can say is the frontend part + the control and inputs for interacting with the system.
All the data is displayed on the front end by technologies like HTML, CSS, ReactJS, AngularJS, NodeJS, jQuery, Twitter Bootstrap and more. We can have dynamic GUI using JavaScript or jQuery, Styling with Bootstrap and CSS. Graphics and text are a part of frontend.
Why This separation of frontend and backend?
You must be thinking why this separation needs to be done, what is the benefit, why do extra work. Reasons being :
- Information is sensitive and need to be safe from unwanted access.
- To make sure data reaches to database by providing error logging to check if it occurs at user end or application end.
- To allow individual to work with their part like System admins can work on Backend and Designer can work on frontend.
- For efficient Data Handling by using API’s, we just need API for data access and need not have same architecture and language at both ends
- For providing freedom to use different languages on both parts of PHP for server and HTML for client
- By reducing dependence and easy to change technologies in future without disturbing each part like if we are using PHP for the backend with HTML for the frontend, we can easily move to NodeJS for backend and keep the same HTML for the frontend.
- Bug fixing and error finding becomes easier
- Security layers in between
- Employers can hire people based on code required whether at the front end or back end.
- Development can be done independently for each end
You can go and try whatever backend technologies you like from PHP, JAVA, Python, NodeJS and more. Or frontend Technologies like ReactJS, VueJS, Angular or just HTML/CSS. That is all for now for Backend vs Frontend Development, more under this category will be coming. Feel free to comment and share your views and favorite technologies and let us know if you like. Keep visiting and stay connected for more updates coming. Be a part of tekraze and share, as sharing is caring.
I like your article. Each and each tip of your post is amazing. Great job!
Thanks, do share and keep visiting.