The modern software development, especially web development is extensively influenced by the use of JavaScript language, artificial intelligence, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR). The demand for experienced MEAN stack developers and full-stack developers is expected to remain very high in 2019. The total global IT spending is expected to cross $3.8 trillion in 2019 with more than a 3.2% increase as compared to the previous year, according to Gartner’s prediction.
The enterprise software development is expected to grow at about 8.3% and the cloud software products powered by the SaaS model of business are expected to grow with over 22% in 2020. The demand for the web stack developer will remain very high not only in 2020 but in many years to come. The trend of hiring full-stack developers is continuously increasing owing to the comprehensive software development capabilities that a full stack developer provides to the employers.
Let’s have a look at the major full-stack web development trends and how to become a good full stack developer in this article, and also talk about the useful tips to maintain pace with the modern trends.
What is full-stack web development?
The technologies are changing very fast, especially in software development; numerous developer languages have emerged in the marketplace. Hiring a new software developer for every new technology is costly and difficult to manage. That’s why employers prefer to hire full stack web developers that can offer you a comprehensive web development solution.
A full-stack developer is a software developer or engineer that is able to work with the frontend, backend, database, and system software development and their respective tools. Full-stack development gained traction mainly due to the popularity of JavaScript technology. The JavaScript technology is the most popular technology with over 71.5% of the professional developers like it, according to the Stack Overflow Survey 2018.
The JavaScript has become a trend for the full-stack development nowadays due to the popularity, efficiency, features of Node JS, Angular JS, React JS, Express JS, and other popular frameworks and libraries. In other words, 2019 full stack developer trends are highly influenced by JavaScript technologies and frameworks.
Full-stack development is gaining significant popularity in mobile app development. If you are thinking to create your first full-stack app, choose JavaScript technology for both front-end and back-end. It is easy to learn and open source technology to use it for free.
Top 4 trends in full-stack development in 2019
With the advent of new technologies and new business models, the trends of software development change continuously. Let’s have a look at the top 4 trends in full-stack development in 2019.
JavaScript technology
The concept of full-stack development matured through the power of JavaScript technology. Numerous JavaScript platforms for both frontend and backend development emerged in the marketplace. The capabilities of JavaScript technology enabled developers to work on both the front-end and back-end web development domains; otherwise, they have completely isolated domains from each other. The JavaScript is going to remain a top trend for full-stack web development.
The MEAN stack development is a popular example of a full stack developer based on JavaScript technology. Thus, the MEAN stack development is gaining popularity in the market for smooth and efficient web development in 2019.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial intelligence has become an integral part of all kinds of professional-grade web development. It has a very powerful role in the development of chatbots, which have revolutionized the customer support field. A powerful chatbot is able to respond to the customer queries through text and even voice. It will remain a top trend in web development, especially in retail sales, SaaS services, eCommerce, and other domains. The chatbot is expected to handle over 85% of the total customer support interactions by the next year, which will save over half of the customer support cost.
Progressive Web Applications (PWA)
The progressive web app precisely WPA is a new trend in the development of lightweight, efficient, mobile-friendly, and interactive web pages. These kinds of apps work smoothly like a native mobile app as well as a web app simultaneously. They are also capable of running offline. These apps adjust in the browsers automatically without any delays and glitches. The progressive web applications will remain one of the top trends in 2019 and beyond.
Blockchain technology
The cybersecurity of the websites, web applications and mobile applications is one of the topmost challenges in the web development industry. The blockchain technology is going to become a boon for the developers to cope with the security concerns regarding web development. Blockchain is the most powerful technology that can be used in online purchases, financial transactions, digital certificates, and many other software development fields.
Blockchain technology is extensively used in cryptocurrency networks, which are considered as the most powerful and secure networks. It is a distributed lager technology, which is suitable in healthcare, finance, banking, and even government sectors.
Major tips to stick with contemporary trends
Any shift in technology trends creates both opportunity and challenge for the businesses. New trends open up a new arena of opportunities if we stick them properly. Let’s have a look at the top tips that help us stick to contemporary web development trends.
- Always maintain a culture to accept changes quickly
- Keep a close eye on the emergence of newer technologies
- Review and assess technical aspects of the new technologies and trends regularly
- Keep learning newer technologies in the company
- Attend seminars, conferences, and technology launching programs
- Always remain proactive and think creatively
How to become a full-stack developer?
A full-stack developer is a more complex role as compared to specialized roles. In this role, the developer has to gain command over front-end, back-end, databases, system software development. So, it will need consistency and hardworking to become a good full stack developer. Let’s figure out the major steps to become a full stack developer.
Learn frontend technologies
First of all learn the web development frontend technologies like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, UI, UX, and other technologies. You should also learn about software development methodologies and web designing. It is very important to note that there are numerous frontend technologies that are also used in web development, but JavaScript stands out of the others.
Learn backend technologies
There are a large number of backend software development languages. Those languages include server-side scripting, backend software, and databases. You can choose the most popular technologies for that purpose. If you want to become a full stack developer to work with JavaScript technology only, choose the Node JS, Express JS, MongoDB, and related technologies.
Testing & QA
The role of tester and QA is continuously merging into the developer’s role. So, it is a great idea to have command over some basic as well as advanced testing types and tools used for that purpose.
Gain professional experience
As we know, there is no alternative to experience. So, you should either take some assistive roles with the professional full-stack developers or get an internship so that you can gain exposure to practical web development.
Final takeaway
The software development trends change continuously so do the trends of full-stack web development. The top four trends include JavaScript and blockchain technologies and artificial intelligence and PWA. Developing a professional, progressive, adaptive environment at work will help maintain pace with the changing trends. Any person interested in becoming a full-stack developer can also take four major steps as mentioned above in this article.
