We at Salt. dev think “software” when you say “developer.” Not like “real estate,” say. However, even narrowing the focus to computers and code offers plenty of room to describe different kinds of developers.

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Developers might be categorized according to the programming language they use, such as “Python developer” or “JavaScript developer,” however it would hide their contributions to the process and what they are working on. Additionally, it’s typical for engineers to be multilingual.

Thus, we will examine the tasks and tools that underpin the developer kinds using some commonly used (and more descriptive) terminology.

A Developer: What Is It?

We now know that the story of our engineers revolves around software. That might manifest in several ways.

A developer is a person who works on the programming team that creates Microsoft SQL Server database software. A developer is also someone who works with data contained in such a database using Structured Query Language.

A circuit board-integrated computer operating system is developed by one developer. Someone else creates Bash scripts to automate communication between several other software applications.

How Many Different Kinds of Developers Exist?

A collection of “official” job definitions for developers does not exist. Using some common language, we will examine what developers perform. We will even divide the broad category of “web developers” into three different positions. (We’ll admit it: We have a special place in our hearts for web developers.)

1. Front-end Web Developer

The user interface of a website is the primary emphasis of a frontend developer. They control the appearance and feel of a website using their knowledge of HTML and CSS, frequently adjusting it to fit different screen sizes on desktop and mobile devices.

JavaScript is commonly utilized by frontend developers to generate a user experience that is responsive. These developers frequently have experience with JavaScript frameworks and libraries, which helps expedite the development of dynamic, client-facing apps.

The frontend developer optimizes JavaScript, graphics, and markup to speed up browser loads in an effort to improve website performance. The majority of frontend developers also prioritize website accessibility and search engine optimization.

Numerous abilities are needed for all of this, and a frontend developer’s pay may reflect that.

Are Frontend Developers Web Designers?

It’s not necessary for frontend developers to be designers, though many of them do. Similarly, a lot of web designers don’t think of themselves as developers even if they are proficient in HTML and CSS and may even utilize them in mock-ups.

Design is a component of branding for many firms, and branding extends beyond the web.

Frontend developers are responsible for bringing a design to life on a web page and transforming a user experience concept into a working application, regardless of who created the design.

2. Backend Web Developer

Building server-side applications requires a backend developer to be knowledgeable with databases, web servers, and the operating systems they operate on. The Linux operating system, the Nginx or Apache web server, and the MariaDB or PostgreSQL database are three examples of all-open-source software.

The distinction between frontend and backend development is becoming more hazy due to technologies like as PHP, which is a single server-side programming language that provides HTML to browsers.

The most widely used server-side programming language on the web is PHP, which also powers development frameworks like Laravel and WordPress and other well-known content management systems. Nevertheless, backend developers may work using Python, Java, Ruby on Rails, Node.js, C#, and Microsoft’s.NET framework.

When working on a website, backend engineers might anticipate collaborating with team members that handle the client-facing aspects. Application programming interfaces (APIs) that provide frontend services with less requirement for close connectivity between the two sides can also be created as part of server-side development.

Should all of above seem like a profession that interests you, you may want to check out average wages for backend developers.

3. Full-Stack Web Developer

As one might expect, a full-stack developer handles both front-end and back-end development tasks. (Sadly, this does not imply that a full-stack developer often makes twice as much as the others.)

Nonetheless, there appear to be benefits to becoming an expert in every aspect of web building. When asked to identify their roles, “full-stack developer” was the most common response (almost 47%), according to a 2022 StackOverflow survey of developers.

Are WordPress Developers Full-Stack Developers?

Anyone proficient in PHP may perform significant programming using the advantages of our managed WordPress hosting at salt.dev without having to go too far into the server side of things.

Easily installed on any device, WordPress is developer-friendly and provides a vast array of built-in PHP functions and methods that provide a higher level of abstraction over basic server-side activities. For instance, WordPress developers don’t need to know SQL to save and retrieve data from relational databases. Without being familiar with the essential PHP functions that enable it all, they are able to store media uploads to a server’s file system.

We could have created a separate category for “WordPress Developer” here, but then we would also need to create one for developers that use frameworks like Laravel,.NET, and Django, as well as CMS solutions like Drupal, Joomla, and DNN.

Many WordPress developers possess impressive full-stack skills, especially those who create themes and plugins. It depends, then, is the response to the query, “Are WordPress developers full-stack developers?”

4. Developer of Mobile Applications

In software development, the word “application” refers to a broad range of concepts. Applications are the tools that help users accomplish their goals, whether they are on the desktop or the web.

When the term “app” is abbreviated to just “app,” as in “There’s an app for that!”, we usually immediately think of the apps that operate on tablets, smartphones, and other mobile devices. And specialized developers are needed to create mobile apps.

Software development kits (SDKs) and related tools are known to mobile app developers. These are used to create apps for mobile operating systems such as Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS.

For iOS, Swift is the native programming language; for Android, the most popular languages are Java and Kotlin. Moreover, a vast ecosystem of tools for creating apps, such NativeScript and Apache Cordova, can convert web-friendly JavaScript, HTML, and CSS code into native mobile applications.

The average salary of an app developer was found to be somewhat higher for those who developed for mobile platforms than for desktop or web.

5. Desktop Software Developer

Software for workstations and personal computers is developed by desktop developers.

Developers often create desktop apps for certain operating systems, therefore activity in this industry reflects the relative market shares of operating systems including Microsoft Windows, Apple’s macOS, Google Chrome OS, and the open-source operating system Linux.

In August 2022, Statcounter predicted that Windows possessed a 74% market share among desktop operating systems based on information gathered from website visits globally.