Front-end development is essentially concerned with what users can see on a particular webpage or application. On the other hand, Back-end development works on the infrastructure that supports these applications and web pages.
Thus, both these layers are essential for a high-functioning application or website. In software engineering, these two components work as two wheels of a bicycle. The bicycle will not be a bicycle without any one of its wheels.
Overall, the term “front-end” is specifically coined to refer to the user interface, i.e., what you see in the front. Conversely, “back-end” means the server or the database that works behind the scenes to deliver information to the user.
Another easier way to understand these concepts is to take an example of your current web page. Both these components are responsible for your interaction with the webpage and its elements. Front-end development is currently using front-end programming languages to create what you see on the browser.
Whereas, Back-end development is using back-end programming languages to fulfill your requests on the server-side. Thus, these two opposite forces combine to create a seamless experience for you. However, to fully understand the difference, one must know the concept of site rendering.
Site rendering is essentially the generation of HTML output. HTML is a markup language used in web development for creative web pages. Site rendering can now take place at the server-side (back-end) and the client-side (front-end).
A while back, server-side rendering, i.e., back-end development, was the only option available to create websites and applications. Users would visit a page and send a content request. After that, the server would process this request and create a response sent back to their browser.
During this process, the server-side creates an HTML page that the user’s web browser can understand. This takes place on a remote server. In this scenario, the web browser (visible to the user) is idle. They are simply waiting for the server to finish processing the request and sending a response. Thus, when the response is finally received, web browsers would interpret it and display the content on the screen.
Conversely, modern technology has enabled a new form of site rendering called client-side rendering. This is essentially known as front-end development. Client-side rendering eliminates the element of a remote server. The entire rendering process takes place on the user’s computer. This means that a server is only needed to serve the raw web application. At the same time, the browser is in charge of rendering this application in its final form, i.e., HTML.
Thus, the difference between front-end and back-end development is pretty straightforward. In summary, front-end means the browser. On the other hand, the back-end is the server or, as we now know it, ‘the cloud.’
Therefore, anything to do with user interfaces, sound design, and visual aspects is the front-end. Solving business problems, writing algorithms, working in the cloud, and creating services and APIs all come under the umbrella term we know as the ‘back-end.’
