Front End vs Back End: What’s the Difference?

Software can be confusing sometimes. Do you know about these terms front end and back end in software development? You might have probably heard it. Yet, you may be confused about what they really mean. No worries, this article clarifies about front end and back end development, and to know their difference. Talking about software development – technology has become personal to us in recent days. It is by our side from the time we wake up until we go to bed. Isn’t it? Talking to friends, booking a cab for a ride to the office, getting work done efficiently are all things backed by technology. It makes our lives so much easier and convenient. Although what’s behind the scenes of these software isn’t as easy as you think. There is a whole realm of science and logic underneath. All of this can be overwhelming and hence this article simplifies these terms for you. The terms front end back end is key in developing a software. To say in a nutshell, the front end refers to the client-facing or using-facing side of a website. Whereas, the back end is placed behind as business logic to run your software application. Both the front end and back end are needed to form a functional software application or website. Let’s dive deeper for better understanding by answering a few questions for you. 1) What is front end software development? 2) What is back end software development? 3) What is the difference between front and back end? Here we go.

What is Front End Software Development?

Front end of a software system refers to the part where the user interacts with the system. Or in simple terms you can say whatever the user sees in front of the computer system. Say if a user is shopping on a website, he may be interacting with a website. Front end includes the design elements like buttons or images of a website. A good website is one which has aesthetic looks, is easy to use and offers a rich user experience. The web designers who develop websites are called the front end developers. The web developer’s role is to bring concepts to life. He does it through designing visually stunning websites. In order to sketch designs, software like Photoshop are used by designers. Once the designs take shape, the developer can then build the website by coding in HTML. The front end languages used in software development are HTML, CSS and JavaScript. The HTML language handles the structure and form of a webpage. The Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) is responsible for styling a website, and lastly the JavaScript computer language adds interactive functionality to a website with popups and other interesting functionalities to engage with the user.

What is the Back End in Software?

The users cannot see the back end of a software system as they sit behind the software rack hidden. The back end systems provide the business logic to run the applications. Back end systems are powered by servers and databases. The common languages used for backend are Java, PHP, Ruby, Python, SQL and many more. For example, if you want to add someone as your friend in Facebook – a request is sent to the Facebook server residing at the back of the systems to fulfil this operation. Databases are also part of the back end operation.

Difference Between Front End and Back End

Now, you understand about front end and back end development. Let’s take a look at the difference between these two practices.

Different Sides of a Website

Front end and back end belong to different sides of a website. While the front end represents the client side, the back end represents the server side. The combination of the front end and back end development forms a dynamic website. Some examples include Netflix, banking websites, Facebook and any dynamic website that you may use.

Functionalities are Different

The functions of the front end and back end vary. The role of the front end is to design the website. User experience, usability, graphics are part of front end development. The back end is all about business logic and runs the application.

Different Languages

The computer languages used to code are different for the front end back end systems. Front end systems use languages like HTML, CSS and JavaScript. They are fairly simple languages to learn and use. The backend languages are Java, PHP, Ruby, Python and SQL. These languages are sophisticated and high end, used to code business logic. In conclusion, both the front end and back end are equally important while developing software for your business. Each has their own functionality in software development. Placing the front end and back end systems together forms a complete functional website. We hope this article was helpful to understand about front end and back end, and to know their differences. Colan Infotech has been successful in developing software systems for their clients across the globe with front end and back end development, and please let us know how we can help you.