Stack and Tools You Should Learn to Become a Full-Stack Developer Faster

Master these tools to become a full-stack developer faster.

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Level Up Coding

8 min readApr 15, 2022

A full-stack developer is a programmer that understands, designs, and codes every aspect of a program, from the user interface to the server.

The full job description may appear frightening, but don’t be put off by it. The more you grow as a person and begin to create a product, the more you will enjoy it.

Rather than employing many tightly specialized people, many firms are looking for developers who can work across multiple areas and positions.

This is highly cost-effective, but it also allows one person to oversee and comprehend all aspects of a project, preventing misunderstandings and knowledge barriers.

This post will discuss the stack and tools for learning to become a full-stack developer faster and increasing your market demand for suggestions; I hand-picked the tech stack and tools that will drive you there.

Full-stack developers must be aware of the three layers.

Presentation Layer — The layer is responsible for the application’s front end or user interfaces.
Business Logic Layer — The business logic layer is the bridge between the presentation and data layers. It dictates how the application will behave, and the data exchanged.
Database Layer — This layer handles the database connectivity with the application’s back end.

JavaScript

“JavaScript is the duct tape of the Internet” — Charlie Campbell

Javascript is used to develop most of the features and apps that make the Internet so important in modern life. It is a programming language utilized mainly by Web browsers to provide users with a dynamic and interactive experience.

The following are the reasons why you must learn JavaScript:

JavaScript is a very flexible programming language. The options are unlimited after you’ve mastered it: you can use Vue.js on the client-side (frontend) and Node.js on the server-side (backend).
You can also use React.js, React Native, and Electron to create web, mobile, and desktop apps and dive into machine learning.
In Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2021, JavaScript ranked the 1st most popular programming language. In addition, 72 percent of businesses require the services of a JavaScript developer. The average annual salary for a JavaScript developer in the United States is roughly $112,000.

Why should you learn vanilla JS before learning frameworks?

I’m not the only one that thinks so. If you look at The Odin’s project path, you’ll notice that they prioritize JS above frameworks or freeCodeCamp, a large learning site with a vast focus on JS.

One of the reasons for this is that frameworks utilize many iteration methods, so it’s not just about syntax.

Knowing vanilla JavaScript will enable you to comprehend — and even contribute to — JS frameworks and assist you in selecting the best one for your needs.

Presentation Layer — Front End

HTML5/CSS3/Bootstrap

HTML5 and CSS are the foundations of the Internet.

HTML defines the core structure of a web page. It is a markup language that your browser can understand and use to arrange various elements of a web page where they are needed. It is not a programming language.

CSS assists you in making your websites more stylish. Additionally, Bootstrap aids in making them mobile-friendly responsive designs.

Vue.Js

If you want to create engaging, distinctive, and seamless experiences for your users, Single Page Applications (SPAs) are the way to go.

A single-page application (SPA) is a single page that interoperates continually by dynamically modifying the current page instead than loading completely new pages from the server.

Vue Js is one of the most popular SPA-building libraries. Although React and Angular (framework) are choices, I recommend starting with Vue because it is beginner-friendly and easier to grasp than React or Angular. While React employs more JS+html (JSX) mixed type syntax, it has a more familiar JavaScript-like syntax that is easier to learn. Only basic HTML, CSS, and JS knowledge is required to get started.

It’s easy to work with React or Angular after you’ve learned Vue. Underneath it all, they’re all based on the same notion.

Back End — Application Layer: Node.js + Express

Node.js is a JavaScript runtime environment that is open-source and cross-platform. It is regularly regarded as one of the best starts for beginner programmers.

It is user-friendly — Because of its syntax and the fact that JavaScript is an interpreted language, developers may work full-stack anytime they need to without learning additional languages.

Offers practical, real-world applications — It provides a rapid synchronization process. It can be used on both the server and client-side of a web, allowing for two-way interactions to communicate and share data freely. Best known for developing IoT, real-time applications, and microservices.

High demand — Ready-made modules, the requirement for fewer servers, and exceptional scalability are the top reasons why many companies nowadays employ Node.js in their tech stack. Netflix, for example, reduced startup time by 70% using Node.js.

Check out Express, the most popular prebuilt Node.js framework, which can help you build server-side web apps more rapidly. It simplified Node.js programming and provided developers with added server-side tools.

Databases — Data Layer

You’ll almost certainly require a database when designing applications because you’ll need to store data.

Relational databases (such as MySQL/Postgres SQL) store data in tables, whereas non-relational databases (such as MongoDB) can store data in the form of key-value pairs, graphs, columns, and documents.

MongoDB has cemented itself as one of the go-to databases in JavaScript and Node.js, and I would personally suggest it.

It’s the “M” in the famous MEAN and MERN stacks, and it’s often regarded as more scalable and versatile than traditional database systems like MySQL. You can, however, learn anyway. Both have their own set of advantages and disadvantages and market demand.

It’s also important to be familiar with various tools, such as:

Browser developer tools

It works, but I don’t know why…

As an aspiring software developer, I’m always on the lookout for new tools and techniques that will make my job easier and more efficient. It took me a while to grasp the full scope of the DevTools when they were first introduced to me. In the course of using them, it became self-evident that they were a tremendous time-saver.

Every modern web browser comes with a robust set of developer tools, allowing developers to access the browser and web app’s internal workings. You can examine the styles, scripts, API calls, and so on that are being used. Debugging the page can help you figure out what’s wrong with it. If you want to examine how different designs affect your website, you may turn them on and off or alter them entirely.

Git for Version Control System

As a project increases in size and more individuals begin to contribute, it becomes difficult to keep track of all the modified files. We need a version control system to solve this problem, and Git is the most popular one.

Git makes it simple to keep track of all the changes you and your team make while working on your project. You all have access to the same code repository, which is updated individually and then merged back together. You don’t need to be connected all the time because the project is stored both locally and remotely.

Let’s imagine you’re working on a new website feature. You create a branch to avoid affecting the main source code. You get a request to resolve an issue on a live website while functioning on this new feature, and that’s before it’s done. You establish a separate branch from the main branch, finish your work, and merge this fixed branch into the central unit. You may now work on your new feature branch without worrying about the modifications you made in the repair branch.

Please don’t skip this final piece of advice!

Even though there are so many professionals with these skill sets on the market, I’ve seen firms struggle to find the right person, and there is also a significant scarcity of people with these skills.

I have been a part of many technical interview processes when hiring developers. I’ve often seen folks leaning toward becoming full-stack engineers tend to learn too many things at once and list them on their résumé (to enter the market soon or to look competitive). As a result, they know only half of everything. Such attempts are unnecessary because you will find it difficult to debug or generate solutions efficiently. You may think you can get things done, but that isn’t enough!

Master one, and you’ll be able to comprehend the rest. It should be sufficient to learn how to operate them.

To end things off…

Learning all of this won’t be easy, but it will be worthwhile, and Full-Stack Development is enjoyable!

I selected the stack I explained above when I intended to become a full-stack developer, and if I set out to write about everything around full-stack development, I would have to write a book.

Testing, security, best practices, deployment, cloud, and other topics are beyond the scope of this paper.

At the very least, seek out standard data structures and algorithms to employ, as they are required while designing applications. However, I will undoubtedly write another piece about them soon.

If there’s anything more you’d like to know and learn — reach out to me.