Web developer

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Image:Webdevwkstn.jpg
A web developer's workstation.

A web developer is a software developer or software engineer who is specifically engaged in the development of World Wide Web applications, or distributed network applications that are run over the HTTP protocol from a web server to a web browser. Many web developers are also skilled in web design, information architecture, usability engineering, web content management systems, web server administration, and search engine optimization.

Due to the increasing complexity of web applications in recent years, developers often specialize in either frontend or backend work. Frontend developers focus on the user interface and typically work with technologies such as ECMAscript and its variants (JavaScript, JScript, ActionScript), CSS, and the DOM. Backend developers usually focus on the interaction between server-side frameworks and databases. Some backend developers maintain databases directly on their web servers, while in other situations the backend developer calls data, managed by a database administrator, on an external system.

Contents

[edit] Tools of the trade

[edit] Setting a standard

Web developers are the gatekeepers of the Web. They are supposed to adhere to the open standards and guidelines created by the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) when creating any programming for the web. Often, web developers help contribute to these open standards and guidelines through their work on open source projects working to help enhance and debug web-based technologies.

However, because of the fairly low barrier to entry -- freely available development environments (web server environments and development languages), freely available tutorials and information on how to do web development -- more often than not, novice Web Developers do not "adhere to the open standards and guidelines". Additionally, poorly designed or proprietary software tools that don't follow the "open standards and guidelines" create ad hoc and de facto standards which, unfortunately must be followed in order to "make things work". This was especially true during the "Browser Wars" of the 1990s. It is becoming less true as more and better tools enter the marketplace.

[edit] Common Misconceptions

As is often misunderstood by the layperson, a Web Developer does not always create graphics, logos, or identity, or create written, video, or audio content for a website, however some do. Web Designers, Web Copy Editors and Web Content Creators are different from Web Developers.

[edit] See also

ru:Веб-разработчик

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