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MakendranG
MakendranG

Posted on • Originally published at makendran.hashnode.dev

13 Types of Software Development

Types of Software Development

Front-End Development

It is the part of software development that is most available to the user. This type of software development is visible to the users as it consists of the graphical elements of any system, application, or website.

It involves building UI and managing client-side behavior. The user interface is an important part of making software appealing to the end user. The user interface is where users click, scroll, and enter information the way they want. With the help of an aesthetically pleasing interface and a properly functional back-end, users will easily navigate your software.

The UI is where the user clicks, scrolls, and enters information however they want. When it comes to front-end web development, JavaScript, CSS, and HTML are the core technologies. But mobile app development technologies are often different especially when it comes to native app development. And of course, operating systems, web browsers, and virtually all software frameworks also rely on graphical components.

Although some software has a different overall structure, front-end development plays an important role in most types of software development.

Back-end development

Back-end development refers to the type of development that takes place behind the scenes. In other words, you can't see it. This is because back-end development includes server-side behavior that correlates with servers, databases, application programming interfaces, and other internal structures that power for the software application itself.

All this happens behind the screen. A user interface is a kind of abstraction that simplifies the part of software development that the user must necessarily access. For this purpose, the end user does not need to see what is happening in the backend to take advantage of its functionality.

The server is processing requests. The database stores user data and other related information. Related software integration API. Usually, back-end development drives software development in general, although each type of development is important. There are a number of languages and tools for back-end development, inside and outside the web development landscape. The most popular back-end programming languages today are Ruby, Python, and Java.

Full Stack Development

Ultimately, the user browsing the user interface determines how well the software application performs. And yet, the back-end ensures nothing breaks in the process. Basically, back-end and front-end development work together to provide the best of both worlds.

In this sense, full stack development defines a combination of client & server-side development.

Application Development

Basically, application development characterizes the creation of any computer program or set of programs to perform a task towards business goals. By definition, application development always follows the same steps:

  1. Gather requirements.
  2. Design prototype or a minimum viable product.
  3. Programming and testing the application.
  4. Launch the application.

These guidelines apply to the application development, including:

  1. agile application development
  2. low-code application development
  3. mobile application development
  4. web application development
  5. or any kind of general software development

API development

It allows developers to extend software beyond traditional boundaries. An API or application programming interface acts as a link between software. Do you know how the user interface provides the foundation for the user to interact with the software? APIs provide a platform for software to connect with other software. API integration is an essential part of the software development puzzle.

Data Science

It is a field of study at the junction of programming and data analysis. Any significant amount of data should and can be analyzed to identify trends and behavioral patterns.

Data itself may not seem like the most compelling subject, but there are many useful applications in data science. You can use data science to detect fraud in banking companies, perform medical image analysis, and even advertise. Everything from local retailers to NASA relies on data science.

Mobile Development

Mobile or mobile app development is probably the most frequently encountered type of software development. If you don't understand, mobile app development describes building applications that run on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

In fact, mobile development uses a completely different set of tools than most types of software development. For example, Android applications require Java or Kotlin programming to develop native apps. iOS applications require Objective C or Swift programming.

To solve the resource complexity of mobile development, others are opting for hybrid or cross-platform development, which relies on a toolset for multi-platform compatibility. Of course, there is a problem with this convenience. Most software experts claim that native development is more powerful than hybrid or cross-platform development.

Desktop development

Desktop development is the creation of applications that run only on desktop operating systems such as Windows, Mac, and Linux distributions. Until now, desktop development has been a major mode of software development in the industry. However, desktop development has become extremely rare since the advent of smartphones and mobile apps.

Cloud technology is another obstacle to the popularity of desktop development. Installing the powerful Microsoft Office suite seems to be a lot more work than using Google Workspace, which is conveniently built into every Google account. Still, people use desktop applications every day. For those who access this website from a computer, your web browser is a desktop application!

Software Tool Development

Software tool development sounds just like that. In software tool development, developers create tools for other developers to create software. The Software Development Tool is a computer program for writing, debugging, and maintaining code. An integrated development environment (IDE) for writing, executing, and testing code probably constitutes the mainframe of software tools.

The Code Editor is similar to the IDE, but much simpler. They basically work like a text editor, but use code. There are also version control systems (VCS) such as GitHub for online collaboration between developers. But you get the point. Developers use many tools to create software, and just writing code isn't everything.

Security software development

Security professionals develop software to secure personal information. A big part of developing secure software is actually testing the security of a software system. Using this method, penetration testers - well-known hackers whose professional mission is to try to circumvent the system's security protocols - can identify vulnerabilities.

Once the security team identifies these vulnerabilities, they can work to fix them. As the new digital age makes technology increasingly intelligent, ignoring the importance of cybersecurity can be more costly than ever.

Cloud computing development

Cloud technology encompasses many types of software, from storage solutions like Google Drive to software tools like GitHub. Cloud computing generally includes on-demand provisioning of resources without dealing with complex physical infrastructure or internal systems.

The mechanics of cloud technology tend to involve abstracting the back end of the software system, so the user only has to manage the front-end interactions. For businesses of all sizes, cloud computing can provide technology that is too expensive or complex to deploy on its own. As a result, businesses can scale more easily and quickly.

Video game development

Video game development is a type of software development that will remain an integral part of society for many years to come. Video game software development may involve one person or several hundred people around the world.

Likewise, video games can take months to years to build, depending on the complexity of the game. In video games, visual feedback is essential to the user experience. Regardless of device, video games have been a booming industry since its inception.

Embedded System Development

It refer to computer systems that exist within a larger mechanical device. In order for digital cameras to extend specialized functions such as image storage, developers need to create an embedded system in the device.

Contemporary vehicles, smartphones and even manufacturing machines use embedded systems. In fact, most of the technology you use outside of your computer is probably embedded in some way. The development of embedded systems often involves middleware, which describes software tools that can work closely with hardware.

To be more specific, hardware is the physical basis of computers and machines, and software is the internal programs. Since embedded systems are by definition internal to mechanical hardware, expertise in middleware is critical to the development of embedded systems.

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Top comments (6)

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makendrang profile image
MakendranG

@andigokas
Great explanation for software development

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drickz_igwe profile image
Igwe_Fredrick

Nice read

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johnram98468527 profile image
JohnRamsey

For ordinary people, software development is indeed a very difficult task, so many people prefer to hire experienced professionals for their business. For example, I used Sirin Software firmware development services. And in my opinion it was really the right decision. Because their specialists took into account all my requirements and did the job quickly, as well as efficiently.

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sterlingtechnolabs profile image
Sterling Technolabs

Everyone knows what the software development industry is and how valuable it is for an economy at both macroeconomic and macroeconomic levels. However, did you know that even software development is further divided into 13 branches? The 13 types of software development are as follows -
Front end development
Back end development
Full stack development
Data Science
Application development
API development
Mobile development
Software tool development
Desktop development
Security software development
Cloud computing development
Embedded system development
Video game development
Each of these types has its own features and brings something different to the table. Usually, software development firms often specialize in one Or two of these types of developments. More can be learned about these types of development online

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hrenmalin profile image
hrenmalin

To be honest, I don’t understand the types of development and I don’t see the point in it for me as a business owner. Now I needed software to transition to a digital workflow, and I just found custom enterprise software development company, whose experts help me create the best software so that my team can work better and more efficiently. My only wish was that I needed not just an ordinary software, but something like an infrastructure that integrates all systems into a single software.

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andrewharpin profile image
Andrew Harpin

For embedded, to be good you need to also understand bare metal programming.

There isn't always a stack/OS to sit on, or driver's available for what you are trying to achieve.