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Founder & CEO
Struggling to tell your APIs from your CDNs? Read our comprehensive cloud computing glossary covering the most common terms.
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The Front End is the component of a software application or web site that is the portion users use most. It encompasses all you touch or view graphically on a screen like buttons, text, images, menus, animations, and so forth. Consider the Front End to be the storefront of a company, it may not necessarily indicate all the workings within but is a reflection of the initial impression and lays the groundwork for user experience and user interaction.
HTML (HyperText Markup Language): HTML is the underlying layer of the web page. HTML is a framework which builds structure and layout – headings, paragraphs, tables, images and other material we see on each web page we browse. Each web page on the internet is built with HTML as the elementary skeleton.
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets): Whereas HTML structures a page, CSS makes it look good. CSS can be used to manipulate fonts, colors, spacing, positioning, and responsiveness. CSS makes the User Interface visually appealing and works as expected on all devices and screen sizes.
JavaScript: JavaScript gives web pages interactivity. Whether it is a dropdown menu, slider, or anything involving live content updates on a page or validation of a form, JavaScript is what animates the page. It is a key component of a dynamic front-end application and interacts with front-end resources in a responsive manner.
React: Developed by Facebook, React is a component-based JavaScript library for building user interfaces. Its fast, scalable, and a good option for building complex web applications.
Angular: Angular was created by Google and is a full-fledged framework for building single-page applications (SPAs). It comes with built-in tools for data binding, routing, and state management.
Vue.js: Vue is a lightweight and flexible JavaScript framework known for being easy to use and integrate. While Vue is manageable for beginners, it is also powerful and capable of handling large projects.
User Experience (UX): The front end is how users encounter software. A well-designed front-staff means users can navigate the interface easily, and they have a good experience. A poorly designed interface will make users unhappy and frustrated, and lead to high bounce rates.
Brand Identity: The front end is often a representation of the brand. Color schemes, logos, typography, and more goes into creating a familiar look and feel. Consistency with a good design can contribute to a brand’s identity and credibility.
Performance & Accessibility: One critical aspect of good front-end design is letting the visuals perform while ensuring the fastest load times. Another aspect is accessibility for those with disabilities. Improving usability practices allows for more users and access.
Mobile Responsive: Part of front-end development is ensuring applications perform well no matter the device: smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktops.
Take online retail, for example. The front end of an online retail web site like Amazon is the search bar, product images, customer reviews, and checkout page. Everything the user clicks on and scrolls through is made possible by front-end code. The back end, however, does the heavy lifting without the user being aware of it—payment processing, inventory level checking, etc. Without a clean, responsive front end that allows customers to easily interact with the site, they would instead either have a challenging time using the site or simply abandon the site for other alternatives.
