Web development is the overall process of designing, building, and maintaining websites and web applications for the internet or a private network. It involves a blend of technical skills, using programming languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and creative problem-solving to ensure functionality, responsiveness, and user interaction on the web. Web development includes both the front-end (what users see) and back-end (server-side logic and databases) development, as well as broader project management and content creation aspects.
To start web development, learn the core front-end technologies: HTML for structure, CSS for styling, and JavaScript for interactivity. Then, build a portfolio by working on personal projects and use version control with Git and GitHub. You can also learn back-end technologies, databases, and frameworks to become a full-stack developer, using resources like freeCodeCamp and MDN Web Docs to guide your learning journey.
To create a website, first define its purpose and target audience, then choose a website building platform (like a builder, CMS, or custom code) and a domain name. After securing a web hosting plan (if not included with your platform), select a template and customize its design to add your content, photos, and branding. Finally, optimize the site for search engines, conduct thorough testing, and then publish and promote it to build your online presence.
The best software for web development depends on your skill level and project goals, but generally includes a code editor like Visual Studio Code, a version control system like GitHub, browser developer tools, and frameworks like React, Angular, or Vue.js. For beginners or those preferring no-code options, platforms like WordPress, Wix, or Webflow are excellent.
Web development is the work involved in developing a website for the Internet (World Wide Web) or an intranet (a private network). Web development can range from developing a simple single static page of plain text to complex web applications, electronic businesses, and social network services. A more comprehensive list of tasks to which Web development commonly refers, may include Web engineering, Web design, Web content development, client liaison, client-side/server-side scripting, Web server and network security configuration, and e-commerce development.
Among Web professionals, “Web development” usually refers to the main non-design aspects of building Web sites: writing markup and coding. Web development may use content management systems (CMS) to make content changes easier and available with basic technical skills.
For larger organizations and businesses, Web development teams can consist of hundreds of people (Web developers) and follow standard methods like Agile methodologies while developing Web sites. Smaller organizations may only require a single permanent or contracting developer, or secondary assignment to related job positions such as a graphic designer or information systems technician. Web development may be a collaborative effort between departments rather than the domain of a designated department. There are three kinds of Web developer specialization: front-end developer, back-end developer, and full-stack developer. Front-end developers are responsible for behavior and visuals that run in the user browser, while back-end developers deal with the servers. Since the commercialization of the Web, the industry has boomed and has become one of the most used technologies ever.
Evolution of the World Wide Web and web development
Origin/ Web 1.0
Tim Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web in 1989 at CERN.
The primary goal in the development of the Web was to fulfill the automated information-sharing needs of academics affiliated with institutions and various global organizations. Consequently, HTML was developed in 1993.
Web 1.0 is described as the first paradigm wherein users could only view material and provide a small amount of information. Core protocols of web 1.0 were HTTP, HTML and URI.
Web 2.0
Web 2.0, a term popularised by Dale Dougherty, then vice president of O’Reilly, during a 2004 conference with Media Live, marks a shift in internet usage, emphasizing interactivity.
Web 2.0 introduced increased user engagement and communication. It evolved from the static, read-only nature of Web 1.0 and became an integrated network for engagement and communication. It is often referred to as a user-focused, read-write online network.
In the realm of Web 2.0 environments, users now have access to a platform that encourages sharing activities such as creating music, files, images, and movies.The architecture of Web 2.0 is often considered the “backbone of the internet,” using standardized XML (Extensible Markup Language) tags to authorize information flow from independent platforms and online databases.
Web 3.0
Web 3.0, considered the third and current version of the web, was introduced in 2014. The concept envisions a complete redesign of the web. Key features include the integration of metadata, precise information delivery, and improved user experiences based on preferences, history, and interests.
Web 3.0 aims to turn the web into a sizable, organized database, providing more functionality than traditional search engines. Users can customize navigation based on their preferences, and the core ideas involve identifying data sources, connecting them for efficiency, and creating user profiles.
This version is sometimes also known as Semantic Web.
Semantic Web
The Semantic Web, sometimes known as Web 3.0, is an extension of the World Wide Web through standards set by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The goal of the Semantic Web is to make Internet data machine-readable.
To enable the encoding of semantics with the data, technologies such as Resource Description Framework (RDF) and Web Ontology Language (OWL) are used. These technologies are used to formally represent metadata. For example, ontology can describe concepts, relationships between entities, and categories of things. These embedded semantics offer significant advantages such as reasoning over data and operating with heterogeneous data sources.These standards promote common data formats and exchange protocols on the Web, fundamentally the RDF. According to the W3C, “The Semantic Web provides a common framework that allows data to be shared and reused across application, enterprise, and community boundaries.”The Semantic Web is therefore regarded as an integrator across different content and information applications and systems.
The term was coined by Tim Berners-Lee for a web of data (or data web) that can be processed by machines—that is, one in which much of the meaning is machine-readable. While its critics have questioned its feasibility, proponents argue that applications in library and information science, industry, biology and human sciences research have already proven the validity of the original concept.
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web (also known as WWW or simply the Web) is an information system that enables content sharing over the Internet through user-friendly ways meant to appeal to users beyond IT specialists and hobbyists. It allows documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet according to specific rules of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).
The Web was invented by English computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee while at CERN in 1989 and opened to the public in 1993. It was conceived as a “universal linked information system”. Documents and other media content are made available to the network through web servers and can be accessed by programs such as web browsers. Servers and resources on the World Wide Web are identified and located through character strings called uniform resource locators (URLs).
The original and still very common document type is a web page formatted in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). This markup language supports plain text, images, embedded video and audio contents, and scripts (short programs) that implement complex user interaction. The HTML language also supports hyperlinks (embedded URLs) which provide immediate access to other web resources. Web navigation, or web surfing, is the common practice of following such hyperlinks across multiple websites. Web applications are web pages that function as application software. The information in the Web is transferred across the Internet using HTTP. Multiple web resources with a common theme and usually a common domain name make up a website. A single web server may provide multiple websites, while some websites, especially the most popular ones, may be provided by multiple servers. Website content is provided by a myriad of companies, organizations, government agencies, and individual users; and comprises an enormous amount of educational, entertainment, commercial, and government information.
The Web has become the world’s dominant information systems platform. It is the primary tool that billions of people worldwide use to interact with the Internet.
