An illustrated guide to becoming a Web Developer with links to relevant courses
Hello Guys, I hope you are doing great in 2019. I am sure you all have already made your goals by now and thinking about how to achieve those goals. If one of your goals is to learn to code or to become a Web Developer in 2019 then I have something great to share with you today, the 2019 Web Developer RoadMap.
This is an excellent illustration on how to become a web developer in 2019 and guide you on how you can learn and master Web Development in 2019.
It’s a collection of different paths to learning front-end, back-end, and all other things a Web developer should know. You will not just know about web development but about essential programming stuff which is important for all kind of programmers.
The RoadMap is also divided into 3 sections, the first section is about common skills which every web developer should know, while the second and third section is about front-end and back-end development, two main areas of web development.
You can either learn Front-end or Back-end or both, depending upon your choice. If you want to become a FullStack Web developer then you have to learn both front-end and back-end, there is no escaping there.
In Frontend also you can choose to learn the framework you want like React, Angular or Vue.js, you don’t need to learn them all but learn the one you like. If you ask for my recommendation, Vue.js is a better choice in 2019 than the other two but again those are more used than Vue.js yet.
Btw, you might have seen this RoadMap before. This awesome visual guide to becoming a web developer was created by Kamranahmedse and posted on his GitHub repository here. It’s one of my favorite places and I have bookmarked it for a repeated visit.
Last year, while doing some internet surfing I stumble upon this excellent page. I first found the DevOps RoadMap there and become an instant fan of Kamran Ahmed. In fact, I have these RoadMap printed and stick to my Desk for regular reference.
Btw, the Roadmap tells you what to learn but doesn’t tell you how to learn and where you can learn those skills. I have tried to supplement that part by providing links of some useful courses and books you can take to learn the technologies, programming languages, frameworks, and libraries required to become a web developer and mentioned in this RoadMap.
How to become a Web Developer in 2019
Anyway, Here’s where you’ll start. As I have said before, You can choose either the Front-end or Back-end path below, depending upon your interest. Regardless, there are eight recommendations in yellow that you must learn for either path, these are the common things every programmer should know.
Recommended learning for either path
1. Git
One of the most popular version control system. It’s just not possible to live without Git anymore. You can check out The Git Complete Guide on Udemy to start with.
2. SSH
It allows you to remove login to another host, another popular networking concepts which every web developer should know.
3. HTTP / HTTPS
The HTTP protocol is the backbone of web and a good knowledge of both HTTP and HTTPS is mandatory for a web developer
4. Basic Terminal Usage Linux Command line Basics
Not just a web developer but for any programmer, the Linux command line is very very important and I strongly recommend you to spend some time to learn them. The Linux command line basics course on Udemy is a good place to start with and if you like free courses, you can use these free Linux courses to start learning Linux.
5. Data Structures and Algorithms
These are the building blocks of any program and better knowledge of Algorithms and Data Structure is key for your next job or doing well on your current job.
If you are interested in learning algorithms and data structure, I suggest you choose the course which is in the programming language you understand.
For example for Java developers Data Structures and Algorithms: Deep Dive Using Java is a good one to start with.
Similarly for JavaScript Developers Colt Steele’s JavaScript Algorithms and Data Structures Masterclass is a good one.
And, if you use Python then Algorithms and Data Structures in Python is a nice one.
And, if you don’t mind learning from resources then you can also use this list of free algorithms courses to start with.
7. Character Encodings
If you are creating global applications which shows information in many different languages across the world then you should have a good knowledge of character encodings. It basically tells your browser how to show your data.
8. GitHub
There is no doubt that every programmer should know Git and Github as they are the standard in terms of version control and code repository. If you want to learn and master Git and Github, you can check these free Git course.
The 2019 Frontend Developer RoadMap
If you want to become a front-end developer in 2019 then you should follow the below Front-end Developer RoadMap. You should focus on yellow boxes which highlight important things to learn and follow from there. Below the RoadMap, you will find additional resources like books and courses to aid your learning.
1. Web Development Basics
It’s pretty obvious that if you want to become a Web Developer then you should know the basics of internet, web applications, protocols like HTTP and web development in general. Thankfully there are a lot of courses where you can not only learn these but much more than that.
I recommend the following resources for all programmers who want to learn Web Development:
2. HTML and CSS
HTML and CSS are the backbones of any website. HTML provides the structure while CSS provides the style and help them to look better and more visually appealing. If you want to become a serious frontend developer then you must master these two and to start with, you can check these free HTML and CSS courses to learn online.
3. JavaScript
Just like four pillars of object-oriented programming, I mean Abstraction, Encapsulation, Polymorphism, and Inheritance, there are three main pillars of web development, namely — HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
The first two provides structure and style but it’s the JavaScript which makes them alive by adding interactiveness. It’s extremely important for a modern Java developer to learn JavaScript and thankfully there are many courses which you can look to learn both beginner and advanced JavaScript, here are some recommendations:
4. TypeScript
Just like we have C and C++, TypeScript can be considered as JavaScript++ though it’s not as popular as C++.
The good part of TypeScript is that it adds type-safety in JavaScript code which means you can catch nasty JavaScript type related errors in the development phase.
It also makes developing object-oriented code easily for JavaScript. If you want to learn TypeScript, Understanding TypeScript is a great course to start with and if you need more choices or free alternatives, here is another list of some free TypeScript courses to start with.
5. Angular
Gone are the days when people build websites using plain HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Nowadays most of the work is done by a framework like Angular, React JS or Vue.js.
They not only provide a structure for storing your code but also makes it easy to develop a web application in quick time.
Angular is backed by Google, hence learning Angular is a good choice for any modern Web Developer. If you want to learn Angular there is no better course than Max’s Angular 7 (formerly Angular 2) — The Complete Guide on Udemy.
7. React JS
Similar to Angular, React is also a popular library for developing web applications. It allows you to write reusable components which you can then use to create modern looking interactive web pages.
Like Angular is backed by Google, React is backed by Facebook and hence quite popular. If you want to learn React then you either join Stephen Grider’s Modern React with Redux or Max’s React — The Complete Guide on Udemy. Both are excellent courses to learn to React online.
Here are the links:
8. Vue.js
The Vue or Vue JS has really picked up speed last year and more and more people are recommending and using Vue.js. I am still a beginner on Vue and probably take some time to learn and migrate into Vue based application. But, if you have already made a decision you can start with Vue.js Essentials course on Udemy.
The 2019 Backend Developer RoadMap
If you want to become a back-end developer in 2019 then you can follow this Back-end Developer RoadMap. Again, you can start with yellow boxes which highlight key technologies you need to learn and then grow from there. Below the RoadMap, you will find some supplementary material and links to courses and books to aid your learning. I will also earn some commission if you end up buying any non-free courses.
1. Node.js
There are many choices to develop your web application’s backend e.g. you can use Java and Spring or maybe Python + Django but in recent year Node.js has come up as the preferred option.
The best thing about NodeJS is that it allows you to develop a complete web application using just one programming language — JavaScript.
If you want to go Node route, then The Complete Node.js Developer course by Rob Percival and Andrew Mead is best to start with.
2. Java
I am primarily a Java developer who have learned Web Development and other programming languages, hence when it comes to developing backend my preferred choice is Java. You can either use Core Java or Java + Spring Boot to write a cutting edge, high-performance backend. If you want to go Java and Spring route, here are a couple of courses you can join to get up-to-speed.
3. Python
Python is another awesome language, full of powerful framework and libraries. If you want to develop backend using Python then you can use Django, a full-stack web development framework for Python programmers.
To start with here are a couple of courses to learn Python and Django:
4. Ruby
Ruby is another powerful language perfect for web development. It has got a great framework called Rails which makes creating Web applications really easy and fast. If you want to start with Ruby you can check out The Complete Ruby on Rails Developer Course on Udemy.
It’s one of the best resources and if you need more choices and don’t mind learning from free resources, you can also take a look at these free Ruby and Rails courses.
5. PHP and MySQL
Forget about whatever negative things people say about PHP. It is still the easiest way to write the server side code and many, almost 50% of the internet runs on PHP and MySQL stack.
If you are interested in learning PHP, you can check out PHP for Beginners course on Udemy. If you need more choices and free resources, you can also check my list of free PHP and MySQL courses to start with.
That’s all about how to become a Web Developer in 2019. This is an excellent resource to start with as it highlights several paths to become the Web developer you always wanted to be.
Though, if you stuck somewhere and if there is any confusion, you can always ask here and we’ll try to answer your queries as best as possible.
If you are new into the programming world, don’t let this illustration and a lot of technologies scare you. It’s just a guideline and you can take a different path to learn Web Development and become a Web Developer, you can choose the path you like and stick to that.
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Top 5 Java Frameworks to Learn in 2019
10 Reasons to Learn Python in 2019
10 Testing Libraries Every Java Developer Should Know
Closing Notes
Thanks for reading this article so far. You might be thinking that there is so many stuff to learn, so many courses to join, but you don’t need to worry.
There is a good chance that you may already know most of the stuff, and there are also a lot of useful free resources which you can use, I have also linked them here and there along with best resources, which are certainly not free, but worth of money.
I am a particular fan of Udemy courses, not because I will get paid if you end up buying any course but because they are very affordable and provides a lot of values in a very small amount, but you are free to choose the course you want.
At the end of the day, you should have enough knowledge and experience about the things mentioned here.
Good luck with your Web Development journey! It’s certainly not going to be easy, but by following this roadmap and guide, you are one step closer to becoming the Web Developer, you always wanted to be
If you like this article then please consider following me on medium (javinpaul). if you’d like to be notified for every new post and don’t forget to follow on Twitter!
All the best for your Web Development Journey and a Big thanks to Kamran Ahmed for producing such awesome content.
The 2019 Web Developer RoadMap was originally published in Hacker Noon on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
