Web Development Technologies

Gone are the days when only plain old HTML, CSS, JavaScript was used in the web front-end while Java Applets or ASP.NET Web Forms were used to support the back-ends. Today, HTML has become a lot more advanced in the form of HTML5. CSS is used in the form of a wide range of frameworks while JavaScript has opened a new can of front-end frameworks.

Thus, as a web developer, the web scene has transformed massively. Whether you are an experienced developer who still uses out-dated web technologies or you have just entered the web development industry as a beginner, it is necessary to get yourself acquainted with the latest web development technologies. The following are some of them.

Programming Languages

No matter which web tool you use to power your website, you need a programming language that can solve the problem at hand. Currently, these languages rule the web world.

• JavaScript: JavaScript is being used heavily in the front-end in the form of React JS, Vue JS, Angular JS, etc. Moreover, JavaScript is part of a modern web stack which is particularly adopted by startups. This stack is referred to as MEAN (MongoDB, Express, Angular, Node JS) or MERN (MongoDB, Express, React, Node JS) Stack—JavaScript in used to create both the front-end and back-end. 
• CoffeeScript: It is a modified version of JavaScript which offers easier syntax.
• Python: Python is widely cementing itself as one of the most popular general purpose languages. Considered by many as the go-to-language for data science, machine learning, and scientific computing, Python is making inroads in the web industry with its Django framework. 
• Java: Java powers millions of smartphones via Android. Additionally, a wide number of enterprises and governments have stick to it because of its security, performance, and scalability. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the language continues to be used despite the success of other languages.
• C#: When it comes to enterprises, Java competes with Microsoft’s brainchild: C#. C# is today used in ASP.NET MVC. With the release of ASP.NET CORE, Microsoft has open-sourced its web framework, thereby increasing its adoption.

Progressive Web Apps

Since the past few years, PWA or progressive web apps have enjoyed significant success in the web development market. PWA is hassle-free, easily installable, and convenient; it uses service workers to enhance the existing technologies on the web infrastructure. You can use it to interact with users by making use of the website push notifications or share them with a URL. They are not too dissimilar to the conventional websites; the difference is its noticeably improved functionality. This means that they are quick to load—it does not matter which browser is used or what is the state of the network, this approach focuses on the content of the core webpage. As a result, progressive web apps offer a reliable, autonomous, and fast user experience, devoid of caching complications. Moreover, PWA’s speed does not compromise on security. The HTTP protocol ensures that any attempt of data tampering and content snooping is foiled in their tracks.

Single Page Application

The influx of front-end JavaScript platforms gave birth to an intuitive and creative approach for creating web applications, known as SPA or single page applications. Usually, SPAs are created with Angular JS and React JS. SPAs offer three useful applications.

• They restrict interruptions which are caused when web pages are reloaded. As a result, performance is markedly improved.
• They reduce the time required to create web applications; this is done by addressing the navigational functionalities, hence avoiding the use of a request for interacting with the back-end for fetching a new HTML page. 
• It especially shines when designing websites for desktop, tablet, and mobiles .i.e. it is a wise choice if you plan to work with responsive design.
  

Motion UI

Motion UI is a SASS-based library. It allows developers to add animations and transitions at a rapid pace. When you download Motion UI, you can find an already modified CSS file in it that comes up with the code of built-in slick animations and transitions. By making tweaks in the SASS file, you can easily design your own visual elements.

It may surprise you but flashy animations have become a thing of the past. Latest websites prefer simple websites—consisting of classy motions, transitions, and other modern design components. All you need is to brush up your core CSS basics and animations, helping you to design a cutting edge website. Right now, the trend is to use Motion UIs for three purposes: animations for infographics, animations for background, and transitions for on-page headers.

Other Tools

Apart from the above-mentioned technologies, following web development trends have also gained wide adoption.

• Git remains the irreplaceable version control tool, although SVN is gaining some traction. 
• Pick up some command line basics. It will not only help you to manage Linux for your web applications but it is also being used in the configuration for JavaScript frameworks like React and Angular. With these frameworks, CLIs handle front-end services, files, and folders. Perhaps, the most popular of these tools is the Node Package Manager that is used with CLIs for JS-based frameworks. 
• On the security side, customers are becoming more and more concerned regarding the safety of their online transactions and interactions. Since the past few years, cyber attacks are on the rise—malware like botnets, banking trojans, ransomware, crypto-jacking software increased the need for protocols like HTTPS and SSL to ensure that user data remains protected with TLS. In this way, any data that is exchanged between the client-side and back-end remains encrypted. Similarly, this data is impervious to alterations during data transfer. Lastly, data authentication ensures that the right web page is accessible to the end user. 
• Other than security, HTTPs-based website also excel in terms of SEO—they are ranked better—because Google and other search engines have updated their search algorithms to support these security measures. 
• On the API domain, JavaScript’s Fetch API and the REST APIs are being used extensively.