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The 2024 Web Development (Frontend + Backend) RoadMap

Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links; I may receive compensation if you purchase products or services from the different links provided in this article.

The Complete Web Developer (Frontend + Backend) RoadMap

Hello Guys, I hope you are doing great in 2024. I am sure you all have already made your goals by now and thinking about how to achieve those goals. If one of your goals is to learn to code or to become a Web Developer in 2024 then I have something great to share with you today, the 2024 Web Developer RoadMap.

This is an excellent illustration of how to become a web developer in 2024 and guide you on how you can learn and master Web Development in 2024.

It's a collection of different paths to learning front-end, back-end, and all other things a Web developer should know. You will not just know about web development but about essential programming stuff which is important for all kinds of programmers and software developers.

The RoadMap is also divided into 3 sections, the first section is about common skills which every web developer should know, while the second and third sections are about front-end and back-end development, two main areas of web development.

You can either learn Front-end or Back-end or both, depending upon your choice. If you want to become a FullStack Web developer then you have to learn both front-end and back-end, there is no escaping there.

In Frontend also you can choose to learn the framework you want like React, Angular or Vue.js, you don't need to learn them all but learn the one you like. If you ask for my recommendation, Vue.js is a better choice in 2024 than the other two but again those are more used than Vue.js yet.

Btw, you might have seen this RoadMap before. This awesome visual guide to becoming a web developer was created by Kamranahmedse and posted on his GitHub repository here. It's one of my favorite places and I have bookmarked it for a repeated visit.

Last year, while doing some internet surfing I stumbled upon this excellent page. I first found the DevOps RoadMap there and become an instant fan of Kamran Ahmed. In fact, I have these RoadMaps printed and stuck to my Desk for regular reference.

Btw, the Roadmap tells you what to learn but doesn't tell you how to learn and where you can learn those skills. I have tried to supplement that part by providing links of some useful courses and books you can take to learn the technologies, programming languages, frameworks, and libraries required to become a web developer and mentioned in this RoadMap.

An Illustrated Guide to Becoming a Web Developer in 2024

Anyway, Here's where you'll start. As I have said before, You can choose either the Front-end or Back-end path below, depending on your interest. Regardless, there are eight recommendations in yellow that you must learn for either path, these are the common things every programmer should know.

The fullstack web developer roadmap

https://github.com/kamranahmedse/developer-roadmap

Recommended learning for either path

1. Git
One of the most popular version control system. It's just not possible to live without Git anymore. You can check out The Git Complete Guide on Udemy to start with.

2. SSH
It allows you to remove login to another host, another popular networking concepts which every web developer should know.

3. HTTP / HTTPS
The HTTP protocol is the backbone of web and a good knowledge of both HTTP and HTTPS is mandatory for a web developer

4. Basic Terminal Usage Linux Command line Basics
Not just a web developer but for any programmer, the Linux command line is very very important and I strongly recommend you to spend some time to learn them. The Linux command line basics course on Udemy is a good place to start with and if you like free courses, you can use these free Linux courses to start learning Linux.

5. Data Structures and Algorithms
These are the building blocks of any program and better knowledge of Algorithms and Data Structure is key for your next job or doing well on your current job.

If you are interested in learning algorithms and data structure, I suggest you choose the course which is in the programming language you understand.

For example for Java developers Data Structures and Algorithms: Deep Dive Using Java is a good one to start with.

Similarly for JavaScript Developers Colt Steele's JavaScript Algorithms and Data Structures Masterclass is a good one.

And, if you use Python then Algorithms and Data Structures in Python is a nice one.

And, if you don't mind learning from resources then you can also use this list of free algorithms courses to start with.

7. Character Encodings
If you are creating global applications which shows information in many different languages across the world then you should have a good knowledge of character encodings. It basically tells your browser how to show your data.

8. GitHub
There is no doubt that every programmer should know Git and Github as they are the standard in terms of version control and code repository. If you want to learn and master Git and Github, you can check these free Git course.


The 2024 Frontend Developer RoadMap

If you want to become a front-end developer in 2024 then you should follow the below Front-end Developer RoadMap. You should focus on yellow boxes which highlight important things to learn and follow from there. Below the RoadMap, you will find additional resources like books and courses to aid your learning.

The frontend developer roadmap

https://github.com/kamranahmedse/developer-roadmap/blob/master/images/frontend.png

1. Web Development Basics

It's pretty obvious that if you want to become a Web Developer then you should know the basics of the internet, web applications, protocols like HTTP, and web development in general. Thankfully there are a lot of courses where you can not only learn these but much more than that.

I recommend the following resources for all programmers who want to learn Web Development:

  1. The Web Developer BootCamp by Colt Steel
  2. The 2024 Complete Web Developer Bootcamp by Angela Yu
  3. The Advanced Web Developer Bootcamp

2. HTML and CSS

HTML and CSS are the backbones of any website. HTML provides the structure while CSS provides the style and helps them to look better and more visually appealing. If you want to become a serious frontend developer then you must master these two and to start with, you can check these free HTML and CSS courses to learn online.

3. JavaScript

Just like four pillars of object-oriented programming, I mean Abstraction, Encapsulation, Polymorphism, and Inheritance, there are three main pillars of web development, namely --- HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

The first two provide structure and style but it's the JavaScript that makes them alive by adding instructiveness. It's extremely important for a modern Java developer to learn JavaScript and thankfully there are many courses which you can look to learn both beginner and advanced JavaScript, here are some recommendations:

  1. The Complete JavaScript Course 2024
  2. A Beginner's Guide to Advanced JavaScript and ES6

4. TypeScript

Just like we have C and C++, TypeScript can be considered as JavaScript++ though it's not as popular as C++.

The good part of TypeScript is that it adds type-safety in JavaScript code which means you can catch nasty JavaScript type-related errors in the development phase.

It also makes developing object-oriented code easy for JavaScript. If you want to learn TypeScript, Understanding TypeScript is a great course to start with and if you need more choices or free alternatives, here is another list of some free TypeScript courses to start with.


5. Angular

Gone are the days when people build websites using plain HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Nowadays most of the work is done by a framework like Angular, React JS or Vue.js.

They not only provide a structure for storing your code but also makes it easy to develop a web application in quick time.

Angular is backed by Google, hence learning Angular is a good choice for any modern Web Developer. If you want to learn Angular there is no better course than Max's Angular - The Complete Guide on Udemy.

best online course to learn Angular


7. React JS

Similar to Angular, React is also a popular library for developing web applications. It allows you to write reusable components which you can then use to create modern looking interactive web pages.

Like Angular is backed by Google, React is backed by Facebook and hence quite popular. If you want to learn React then you either join Stephen Grider's Modern React with Redux or Max's React --- The Complete Guide on Udemy. Both are excellent courses to learn to React online.

Here are the links:

  1. Modern React with Redux
  2. React --- The Complete Guide

8. Vue.js

The Vue or Vue JS has really picked up speed last year and more and more people are recommending and using Vue.js. I am still a beginner on Vue and probably take some time to learn and migrate into Vue based application. But, if you have already made a decision you can start with Vue.js Essentials course on Udemy.

best course to learn Vue.js


The 2024 Backend Developer RoadMap

If you want to become a back-end developer in 2024 then you can follow this Back-end Developer RoadMap. Again, you can start with yellow boxes that highlight key technologies you need to learn and then grow from there. Below the RoadMap, you will find some supplementary material and links to courses and books to aid your learning. I will also earn some commission if you end up buying any non-free courses.

The backend developer roadmap

https://github.com/kamranahmedse/developer-roadmap/blob/master/images/backend.png

1. Node.js

There are many choices to develop your web application's backend like you can use Java and Spring or maybe Python + Django but in recent year Node.js has come up as the preferred option.

The best thing about NodeJS is that it allows you to develop a complete web application using just one programming language --- JavaScript.

If you want to go Node route, then The Complete Node.js Developer course by Rob Percival and Andrew Mead is best to start with.

2. Java

I am primarily a Java developer who have learned Web Development and other programming languages, hence when it comes to developing backend my preferred choice is Java. You can either use Core Java or Java + Spring Boot to write a cutting edge, high-performance backend. If you want to go Java and Spring route, here are a couple of courses you can join to get up-to-speed.

  1. The Complete Java Masterclass
  2. Spring Framework 5: Beginner to Guru

3. Python

Python is another awesome language, full of powerful framework and libraries. If you want to develop backend using Python then you can use Django, a full-stack web development framework for Python programmers.

To start with here are a couple of courses to learn Python and Django:

  1. The Complete Python Bootcamp
  2. Python and Django Full Stack Web Developer Bootcamp

4. Ruby

Ruby is another powerful language perfect for web development. It has got a great framework called Rails which makes creating Web applications really easy and fast. If you want to start with Ruby you can check out The Complete Ruby on Rails Developer Course on Udemy.

best course to learn Ruby for web devlopment

It's one of the best resources and if you need more choices and don't mind learning from free resources, you can also take a look at these free Ruby and Rails courses.

5. PHP and MySQL

Forget about whatever negative things people say about PHP. It is still the easiest way to write the server side code and many, almost 50% of the internet runs on PHP and MySQL stack.

If you are interested in learning PHP, you can check out PHP for Beginners course on Udemy. If you need more choices and free resources, you can also check my list of free PHP and MySQL courses to start with.

best PHP online courses for web development

That's all about how to become a Web Developer in 2024. This is an excellent resource to start with as it highlights several paths to becoming the Web developer you always wanted to be.

However, if you are stuck somewhere and if there is any confusion, you can always ask here and we'll try to answer your queries as best as possible.

If you are new to the programming world, don't let this illustration and a lot of technologies scare you. It's just a guideline and you can take a different path to learn Web Development and become a Web Developer, you can choose the path you like and stick to that.

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Closing Notes

Thanks for reading this article so far. You might be thinking that there is so much stuff to learn, and so many courses to join, but you don't need to worry.

There is a good chance that you may already know most of the stuff, and there are also a lot of useful free resources which you can use, I have also linked them here and there along with best resources, which are certainly not free, but worth of money.

I am a particular fan of Udemy courses, not because I will get paid if you end up buying any course but because they are very affordable and provides a lot of values in a very small amount, but you are free to choose the course you want.

At the end of the day, you should have enough knowledge and experience about the things mentioned here.

Good luck with your Web Development journey! It's certainly not going to be easy, but by following this roadmap and guide, you are one step closer to becoming the Web Developer, you always wanted to be

If you like this article then please consider following me on Twitter (javinpaul). if you'd like to be notified of every new post don't forget to followjavarevisited on Twitter too

All the best for your Web Development Journey and a Big thanks to [Kamran Ahmed] for producing such awesome content.

P.S. - If you are overwhelmed by the information given here and just want to do one thing and come back later to the RoadMap, just join The Web Developer Bootcamp by Colt Steel, it's gist of everything and there is no better resource than this one for learning Web Development in 2024.

Top comments (129)

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pramanadiputra profile image
Ida Bagus Gede Pramana Adi Putra

Here I am in 2019...

Still using Laravel/PHP, MySQL, and jQuery.

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prahladyeri profile image
Prahlad Yeri • Edited

That's an excellent stack in my humble opinion. I use a similar stack, except flask and django instead of laravel and the database could by anything by virtue of sqlalchemy (which is an ORM similar to php's doctrine).

You shouldn't change your working stack just for the sake of modernization. Modernist frameworks like angular, vue.js & react are meant for solving a single problem which is that of single page applications. If your app doesn't need that, then I don't think there's any benefit of using or even learning it.

And contrary to populist trend, I think jquery is awesome, there's nothing wrong with it! The javascript world is plagued with zillions of npm packages that do the same thing more or less. When one useful library like jquery tends towards a semblance of standardization, I don't get why many devs start hating it in unison. We should appreciate jquery, not abandon it!

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timkor profile image
Timkor • Edited

I do not agree with this. Although it is possible to create single applications with frameworks like Vue.js, it is also perfectly able to render serverside. You do not have to generate client side code at all. You could even combine it: render serverside, hydrate client side and from that point on it can behave like a SPA. You can also just generate static websites with Vue.

For all above, it is easiest done with Nuxt.js.

In my opinion, developing in a component based framework is much more productive and future proof. Especially in Vue.js I think every part of your application/website is more isolated.

I agree though, that it is also possible with other stacks and that it might be a matter of preference and experience.

Though, I highly recommended trying out Vue.js.

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pawail profile image
Pawail A. Qaisar

Calling anything 'futureproof' in this field is the height of hubris.

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timkor profile image
Timkor • Edited

Agree, I meant: more futureproof, but you might have interpreted it already as that.
Javascript is certainly more future proof than PHP, same goes for Vue for jQuery. Regarding the usage and popularity.

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javinpaul profile image
javinpaul

Well.. what I can say... you are not alone :-)

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pramanadiputra profile image
Ida Bagus Gede Pramana Adi Putra

I know, I was a game developer, wrote C# codes and worked with Unity Engine. Thanks for your post and that roadmap.

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johncrumpton profile image
John Crumpton

Why did you switch? I'm going the other way!

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loiclaudet profile image
Loïc Laudet

I exactly have the same question! Why did you make the move from game development?

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maraspin profile image
Steve Maraspin

Nice overview. I also think .NET Core should be more prominent in the back-end section.

Furthermore, among NoSQL databases, I would add InfluxDB and/or Timescale (for time series) and especially Redis (swiss army knife).

Good job nevertheless, keep it up!

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javinpaul profile image
javinpaul

Yes, I agree .NET Core is still an important backend technology and there is a good market for them. thanks for your comments and reminder.

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saqibramzan profile image
Saqibramzan

Thanks for providing such a useful and informative platform. I am on this site for the first time, and find it very helpful. Keep doing the great work. Shout out from our entire Chillitos Team

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changal123 profile image
Alex Chang

This is my first time here as well! Good luck on your journey!

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dmahely profile image
Doaa Mahely

Welcome :)

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chewieez profile image
Greg Lawrence

Thank you for creating this post! I am looking forward to digging in to it.

I did notice there is a typo in your title image at the very top. It currently says "Moder Web Developer" where I think it should be "Modern Web Developer".

Thanks!

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javinpaul profile image
javinpaul

Yes, you are correct, thanks for pointing out.

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ren profile image
ren

Amazing post, thank you very much!
Just would like to say that th background in the backend image is transparent, so it is kind of uncomfortable to read if you download the image as I did :)

Keep up the good work!

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javinpaul profile image
javinpaul

Thanks @ren

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siko279 profile image
Sijmen Koffeman

I think ASP.NET Core (Linux/OSX/Windows) is missing from this recommendation!

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javinpaul profile image
javinpaul

Yes, but you are right, it's worth including.

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itisdouglas profile image
Douglas Cueva

I'm a big fan of this developer roadmap. I have the backend roadmap printed, and I carry it around with me everywhere I go. I'll be saving this post to go back to it and review the resources you link to. Thanks!

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pcsoftkit profile image
PC Soft Kit

I like your post very much it is very informative and interesting. Your posts always inspire me. Keep sharing such wonderful posts, it motivates a lot. winrar

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kpennell profile image
Kyle

Everytime these maps get shared on reddit/hackernews, I've seen dozens of experienced laugh and mock at them, saying they are WAYYYY overkill. I'm not sure who to believe.

Javin, is there some proof you have that these skills are indeed necessary vs. just a subset of them?

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imperialisms profile image
Achilles Imperial

I think it all depends on the demands of prospective employers and clients. The more/deeper you learn, the more marketable you are. You can certainly find jobs knowing solely html and css, but your options open up if you know a lot more.

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cescquintero profile image
Francisco Quintero 🇨🇴

Technology fatigue xD

I like and also dislike developer roadmaps.

I like they show how diverse can be working in software development but don't like how they could feel like there's only one path.

Is there a roadmap described in terms of software domain technology stack? I mean like this is the roadmap if you'd like to build/work doing the next Uber-like app.

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toddcoulson profile image
Todd Coulson

A roadmap, does not mean "the one true path". It means it is a common path. I think any single tech in this stack could take someone a lifetime to perfect, and there are niches all over this roadmap. Roadmaps are NEVER, "this is the only way".

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molecula451 profile image
Paul

Using no-way as the way. YOU are the way.

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cubiclebuddha profile image
Cubicle Buddha

Yes, there are careers available in software for people of all interests and disciplines. There is no one way.

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