01. HTML/CSS
HyperText Markup Language (HTML) is the standard markup language which
is used to create web pages. For website development, HTML is a critical
skill. Therefore, it is a basic requirement for a front end developer.
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is the language used to make a digital
document alive and communicable. A web page is created with HTML first
and then CSS is used to put elements such as layout, format, colour,
fonts etc on the page. It makes the web page interactive and presentable.
you create with HTML.
02. RESPONSIVE DESIGN
Today, websites are not simply viewed on desktops but across other devices,
such as tablets, phones etc. A good website is one that offers suitable
viewing experience across all devices. This is essentially a responsive
website. Another must-have skill for any front end developer is to be able
to create websites that are responsive using design elements as well as
coding.
03. CSS PREPROCESSING
CSS as a stand alone skill may not be as beneficial for career growth and
for attaining versatility in your portfolio. One of the drawbacks of only
using CSS is that you can’t define variables, functions, or perform
arithmetic operations.
When a project grows or becomes more complex, using just CSS may become
redundant and repetitive as codes will have to be written every time,
which is time-consuming. CSS Preprocessing takes care of this limitation
and any smart front end developer would definitely want this skill in
his/her toolkit.
04. JAVASCRIPT
Another must-have skill for any front end developer is JavaScript (JS).
Where HTML is a markup language and CSS enhances the web page, Javascript
is a programming language that makes the website functional.
HTML and CSS are used to make websites that look fairly simple but most
websites today are expected to have enhanced interactive features such as
audio, video, animations etc. In such cases, Javascript comes in handy.
05. CSS AND JAVASCRIPT FRAMEWORKS
While we have talked about CSS and Javascript, their frameworks can be
considered an upskill from that. These frameworks are bundles of CSS or
JS files that provide added functionality to a website.
A good front end developer needs to gauge the pros and cons of the
frameworks being considered for instance some frameworks help make
searching content easier while some are good at displaying content more
effectively. Whatever be the case, to excel at front end development,
knowledge of these frameworks is a must.
04. VERSION CONTROL/GIT
This is an important time-saving skill and also helps a front end
developer deliver a customised product. Throughout the project development,
many unforeseen changes or errors might come along. Version control helps
in fixing the errors or making the necessary changes without having to
start over from scratch.
Though it doesn’t need to be made explicitly clear this is a critically
helpful skill to have for any front end developer.
05. TESTING/DEBUGGING
A very important aspect of website development is to make sure that the
end result is error-free, free of bugs and seamless experience for the user.
Therefore, the ability to test and debug a website is another essential
skill set any front end developer needs to have. There are various methodologies
that can enable the front end developer to make sure that the website or product
not only looks good but also functions smoothly.
06. WEB PERFORMANCE
By now, you must have understood that HTML, CSS and Javascript are the foundational
skills required by all front end developers. The other skills that have been
listed are basically required to make sure that the website or product you are
building is efficient, error-free, interactive and easy to use. Web performance
is a skillset that makes sure that the user experience is excellent. It is basically
the loading time of your website. Naturally, if it is too slow, the users won’t
be happy with the experience. As front end developers, you would be expected
to have knowledge of how to use building and automation tools that enhance web performance.
07. REACT.JS
Being a part of the JavaScript language, using React spawns lots of advantages.
Products built with React are simple to scale, a single language used on the
server/client/mobile side of things grants outstanding productivity, there are
workflow patterns for convenient teamwork, UI code is readable and maintainable,
and more. World-leading companies have used React and other JS technologies in
some of the top market-defining products out there (Instagram, Reddit, and
Facebook being the most vivid examples).