Picking up a career in software technology or switching to tech is now a global trend but most times, confusion lies in selecting which aspect of tech to focus on. Although there are other areas of tech that require zero coding such as Graphics Design, Program Management, Tech Recruitment etc, in this article we'd focus on becoming a professional in software development by choosing a suitable tech stack.

It is always advised that building a career, you should endeavor to go for those that you have some foundational knowledge in. For instance, if you are not good with statistical operations, you may not be able to cope with some skills such as Data Science or Data Analysis. If you're good with colors and designs, it gives, you have an edge in Front End Development over one who doesn't.

Therefore, becoming a professional in software development requires being efficient at ,one or more software development stacks. It is only after then, that you can boast of your prowess as a developer.

Now, let's talk about software development stacks.

Software Development Stack: Meaning

A Technology Stack refers to a group of similar technologies such as architecture, programming languages and frameworks used together to achieve the same purpose. Software Development involves using a combination some technology stacks to create a product either Application or Website.

Every application, website or technology product is made up of two ends; that which you see and the "magic" going on in the background. The part you see and interact with is known as the front end while the other part in the background is the backend.

These terms are also referred to as Client side and server side respectively

Front-End (Client Side)

As stated earlier, the friend end deals with the user experience and functionality of the product. Front End deals with the client side and ensures the user is able to navigate within the site or App and the aim of developing the site or App is achieved. Depending on the product, the popular Front End Technologies are HTML, CSS AND JAVASCRIPT alongside the frameworks of user interface.

Back-End(Server Side)

Developers on this flip side are often referred to as the "big quiet guys", maybe due to the logical structures and algorithms they have to deal with. The Back End deals with the server side i.e how the site or App interacts with whatever database the site or App is hosted and its response. In fact, the backend is the engine room of any Application or site as it determines the functionality of your product else what you have is a static product available to you alone and cannot interact with the real world. The back end technologies consists of frameworks, Database management system,operating system, servers etc.

Full-Stack

Full stack is a term referring to a combination of back end, front end and a database technology. Some developers pick up a few technologies each of back end and front end respectively so that they can take charge of both client and server side operations. This is not bad at all but requires a lot of learning and practice. Some full stack Technologies are:

• MEAN

  MongoDB, EcmaScript6, Angularjs, Nodejs. This stack uses the above listed technologies to build dynamic sites and web Applications, which means you have both the front end and back end technologies in one. The MEAN stack is JavaScript development stack, and is used by most startups. Being a full stack developer in MEAN requires learning and applying each of the individual technologies in your project.

• MERN

  MongoDB, EcmaScript6 Angularjs, Nodejs. This stack is almost the same as MEAN but the difference is the replacement of Angularjs from Google with ReactJs from Facebook. The MERN stack enables you to perform CRUD operations i.e Create, Read, Update & Delete and it uses a Virtual DOM which enhances user experiences and saves time in coding. The MERN stack has a downside of being just a JS open source library and not a full fledged framework.

• LAMP

  Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP/Python/Perl. This stack is used for delivering high performance web Applications. Although it is not commonly used, it remains one of the oldest methods for developing software. The Linux OSin this stack can also be replaced with Windows to give WAMP.

• Other full stack technologies are MEVN(MongoDB, EcmaScript6 Vuejs, Nodejs),Flutter for Web, Ruby on Rails.

There is also the Server less stack where applications are built on the cloud, awesome right? Read more

Guide to Choosing a Stack

There are no strict guidelines on choosing a tech stack but bearing in mind what you are good at and what will be easier to understand is key.

• To be a Front-End Developer, you'd concentrate on coding awesome user interface and experience to the client. This means you have to learn HTML, CSS,JS and some UI framework.

  Although, there is still some argument about Front End Developer being the same with UI/UX designer. What do you think?

• Going for Back End development requires that you learn Databases, APIs, servers and indeed everything that goes on behind the scenes. Depending on the technology you want to work with, you can go for Python, PHP, Perl etc.

• You could also opt for Full-Stack. This is quite awesome but very tasking as you need in-depth knowledge of both Front and Back End technologies. More work needs to be done but, it's worthwhile and brings good returns, you know what I mean?😊

  Some developers opine that you can only be best in one aspect either client side or server side and not both at the same time 🤷

Conclusion

Just as learning never ends, new trends on technology skills will never end too. It is better to pick a stack and focus on it. That way, you can be a professional at what you do instead of being half-baked at different things.