Front-end, back-end or full-stack developers: Whom should you hire for your project? admin July 12, 2024

Front-end, back-end or full-stack developers: Whom should you hire for your project?

Research on 200 successful software startups like Uber, Airbnb, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn revealed that there are 5 factor that affects most any software startup’s success, and timing is the single biggest reason that contributes 42% of success.

It has always been observed that, after business idea conceptualisation, entrepreneurs at an individual level face hiring challenges, & often wrong hiring can delay your timing to market.

When it is about software project development, quite naturally, the foremost questions come to mind about the types of developers and technology.

Anyhow, technology decisions can be taken with respect to project features, based on end-user involvement, and sometimes with respect to current tech trends.

The big question an entrepreneur faces is to whom should I hire? Front-end, back-end, or full-stack developer?

The aim of this blog is to dive deep to understand front-end, back-end, and full-stack developers in detail. So that you can answer the question- whom should you hire? While saving your time and ensuring 42% success by just entering the market at the right time.

Types of web app developer: Front-end, Back-end, and Full-stack

A web app software project builds upon two type of technologies- front-end and back-end and there –

Front-End developer:
One who works on the visible elements, what end users see on screen developed by the front-end developer.

Back-End developer:
Back-end developer works on database, infrastructure, and APIs to support front-end functionality, back-end developers work behind the scenes.

Full-stack developer:
Full-stack developer one who works on both visible parts as well as behind-the-scenes functionality.

Front-end developer

A front-end developer who works on the font-end interface and develops the entire visible elements where a user interacts & accomplishes the desired activity.

For example, on Netflix, a user can see a video on the screen, and on FB a user messages friends this is all happiness on the front end and this visibe parts developed by the front-end developer.

Before hiring a Front-end developer what do you have to check?

At this point, your first priority is to use the market insight that you collected via market and customer research and to get develop an exceptional user experience of the front-end interface that leads to higher customer engagement.

HTML & CSS: These two are the building blocks of the user interface, and the developer should be an expert in both.

jQuery: jQuery provides an easy way to use JavaScript on your website to make it more interactive and attractive.

Javascript: Javascript is the most used programming language among developers worldwide as of 2023, used by 65% of developers. And Javascript is used by 98% of websites on the client side.

Front-end frameworks: There are some popular front-end frameworks, AngularJS, ReactJS, VueJS,Next, Ember and Backbone.js, etc.

Back-end Developer

The back-end developer is the expert who builds and maintains the mechanisms that process data and perform actions on the website’s front end.
For example- A user sends a request to watch the video, then the back-end developer makes sure the video will display on the screen.
Back-end developers code and focus on database, APIs, and pages architecture only.

What should you check before hiring a back-end developer?

A back-end developer should be proficient in any one of the below coding languages frameworks, and databases.

  1. Coding languages-
    • Python: Django, Flask, FastAPI, TurboGears, Web2Spy
    • Ruby: RoR, Sinatra
    • Node: EpressJS, NextJS, SailsJS, KoaJS
    • Java: Spring, Hibernate, GWT, Struts
    • PHP: Symfony, CakePHP, Laravel, CodeIgniter
  2. Knowledge of databases: MySQL, MongoDB, SQLite, PostgreSQL
  3. Knowledge of APIs: RESTful services and APIs
  4. Knowledge of Middleware: Front-end back-end connectors
  5. Understanding of design architecture and service management.
  6. Deep understanding of project management & version control services Git, Gitlhub

Why should you hire a front-end and back-end developer & their teams?

Easy to hire: It is undoubtedly much easier to hire a dedicated team of developers. There are thousands of developers available, so you have the option of hiring developers from reputable web development companies or going with independent solo front-end & back-end developers.

High-quality work: Hiring specialized front-end and back-end developers can ensure the delivery of high-quality work because they are experts in their field and technology compared to Full-stack.

Faster development time: Hiring specialized front-end, and back-end developers or their teams will reduce development time compared to a single person who will work on the same project as a full-stack developer.

Expertise with new trends & technologies: It is easier to stay up to date with the most recent advancements & technology trends when a developer, whether front-end or back-end, is concentrating on a single interface- front-end or back-end than a full-stack who works on both sides.

Some challenges in hiring front-end and back-end developers and their teams

Development Cost: When you have a low budget, hiring a specialized developer will cost you more than hiring a single developer who will work on the entire project.​​

Inter-Dependency: Web developers depend on each other to deliver the entire project. To make them independent and to reduce the overall timing of project development, you have to hire a super amazing project manager who will plan the project development sprints in a way that will overcome dependency.

Coordination: When more than one developer works on the project coordination is crucial. It can also be somewhat difficult to maintain proper synchronization at times. You may have to hire a project manager to overcome it.

Full-stack developer

A full-stack developer who works on both front-end and back-end, Full-stack developer helps build and maintain the client side as well as the server-side or behind projects.

Full-stack developers develop website user interfaces, APIs, and database architecture and plan the entire project with respect to the project feature requirements.

Before hiring a Full-Stack developer, you have to make sure the developer has experience with technologies-

Know any one Programming Languages: Python, RoR, Java, Node, PHP, JS

Language Frameworks: Symfony, Laravel (PHP), Django, Flask (Python), Ruby On Rails (Ruby), Spring (Java), .NET (C#), JS-React, Angular, VueJS, Javascript, etc.

MarkUp: HTML,CSS, Tailwind (3rd party)
CMS: WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Magento, PrestaShop,Shopify
Database: MongoDB, MySQL,SQlLite

There are some standard combinations of front-end, back-end, and database technology that work in synergy and give better results, you can also hire an experienced full-stack developer of these stacks.

MERN: MongoDB, ExpressJS, React, Node
MEAN: MongoDB, ExpressJS, Angular, Node
LAMP: Linux Apache MySQL, and, PHP

Why should you hire a full-stack developer?

Jack of all trades: A full-stack developer alone can work on the entire project single-handedly, a developer can do front-end development, back-end development, QA testing, and helps in designing, planning and project execution.

Quick-learner: They have a wide range of knowledge of front-end and back-end so they can easily grasp new things.

Quick-learner: They have a wide range of knowledge of front-end and back-end so they can easily grasp new things.

Saves development costs: Hiring one developer who will do the front-end and back-end, instead of two developers working separately on the front-end and back-end, will save you costs on a monthly basis

Better implementation & communication: When it comes to single person working, there will be less dependency on others and no communication gap, so execution will be fast.

A few challenges with the Full-stack developer

Lack of Mastery: A Full-stack developer is a jack of all trades, then there is more chance to master none. It is very difficult to stay updated with the new trends and technology of multiple things.

Poor Management: When one person works on an entire project, management will definitely be affected. Multiple developers work on specific modules, and a project is broken down into smaller chunks, so task management & monitoring become easy.

Reliability: In an adverse situation or in any emergency, one developer dependency affects project delivery time and even costs you more than hiring two developers or their team.

Whom to hire for my project? Front-end, Back-end or Full-stack developer

There are some criteria invented by many successful startups & followed in the past at their early stages of developer hiring and team building: you must check them here-

How big the project is?
Hiring a single developer with both front-end and back-end skills is usually a solid choice for small projects. But when your project is big, going to compete with the existing players, or has complex functionality that will require perfection, you will have to hire individual front and back-end developers or teams.

What is the Project’s level of Complexity?
One individual full-stack developer should be able to handle modest projects with basic functionality, but for projects that are really complicated, it is advisable to work with a team of front-end, back-end, and database engineers. For a complex level of functionality, the wise decision is to hire a specialist for the individual section.

What is your budget?
Budget is the last line of defence. Your team should be composed of front-end and back-end engineers who are committed to providing high-quality work. Yet, if money is tight, a full-stack developer with due diligence will be your best bet.