Web Development Explained: What Web Developers Actually Do

What Web Development Is

Web development is the work of building and maintaining websites and web applications so people can use them through a web browser (like Chrome, Safari, or Firefox). It includes what users see and click, plus the behind-the-scenes systems that load content, process forms, save data, and keep everything working reliably over time.

Website vs. web application

A website primarily delivers information—think marketing pages, blogs, help centers, or a restaurant site with menus and contact details. It may still include interactive elements (a contact form, a newsletter signup), but the main goal is usually to inform.

A web application is a tool you use in the browser—think online banking, project management, booking systems, or an email inbox. Web apps are typically more interactive and personalized: you log in, your data is saved, and the app responds to what you do in real time.

How people “use” a site through a browser

When you type an address or click a link, your browser requests a page. It then displays what it receives and lets you interact: clicking buttons, filling in forms, searching, filtering, uploading files, and more. Good web development makes these interactions feel smooth—fast loading, clear feedback (like “Saved”), and behavior that matches what users expect.

Client and server (high-level)

Web development is often described as two sides working together:

• Client: the user’s device and browser. This is where the interface appears and where many interactions happen (menus opening, form validation, page updates).
• Server: computers that store the website/app and its data. The server handles requests, applies business rules (like checking a password), talks to databases, and sends results back to the browser.

Even simple sites usually involve both: the client shows the page, and the server delivers content and receives any information the user submits.

What Web Developers Do Day to Day

A web developer’s day is less about “typing code nonstop” and more about turning ideas into working, reliable features. Some days are focused on building; others are about fixing, refining, and coordinating with the people shaping the product.

Turning requirements into features

Most work starts with a goal: “Let users book an appointment,” “Show the right pricing,” or “Send a confirmation email.” Developers break that goal into smaller tasks, clarify edge cases (What if payment fails? What if the user is logged out?), and implement the feature so it behaves correctly on real devices and browsers.

Typical responsibilities

Across projects, daily responsibilities often include:

• Planning work, estimating effort, and prioritizing what ships next
• Building pages and interactive components, or server-side functionality
• Connecting features to data (forms, databases, dashboards, analytics)
• Testing changes, fixing bugs, and reviewing teammates’ code
• Preparing a release: verifying requirements, writing notes, and coordinating timing

Collaborating with the team

Web developers rarely work in isolation. They sync with designers on layout and usability, with writers on content structure and tone, and with stakeholders on what success looks like. A lot of the job is making trade-offs clear: what’s quick vs. what’s best long-term, and what can be safely postponed.

Maintaining what’s already live

After launch, the work continues. Developers handle updates and small improvements, respond to bug reports, and keep performance and security in good shape. That might mean optimizing slow pages, patching dependencies, adjusting to new browser behavior, or making content-related changes without breaking existing features.

Front-End Development: The User-Facing Side

Front-end development is the part of web development people actually see and interact with: pages, buttons, menus, forms, and the way everything adapts to different screens. If you’ve ever clicked “Add to cart,” opened a dropdown, or filled out a checkout form, you’ve used someone’s front-end work.

The core building blocks

Most front-end work is built on three essentials:

• HTML: the structure and meaning of the page (headings, paragraphs, images, form fields).
• CSS: the design and layout (colors, spacing, fonts, responsive grids).
• JavaScript: the behavior (interactive menus, form validation, loading new content without refreshing).

A front-end developer combines these to make interfaces look good, feel consistent, and stay usable across devices.

What “good” front-end looks like

A big part of the job is turning a design into a real interface that’s fast and easy to use. That includes responsive layouts (so a page works on mobile, tablet, and desktop), smooth interactions, and a clear visual hierarchy so users know where to look next.

Common front-end features include navigation menus, search bars, onboarding flows, forms with helpful error messages, subtle animations (like button feedback), and components such as cards, tabs, and modals.

Accessibility basics developers build in

Front-end developers also make sure the site is usable for more people, including those using assistive technology. Practical basics include:

• Full keyboard navigation (you can tab through links and buttons)
• Readable color contrast and text sizing
• Clear labels for form fields and controls

These choices improve usability for everyone—not just a subset of users.

Back-End Development: Servers, Data, and Logic

Back-end development is the part of web development you don’t directly see. It’s the “behind the scenes” work that makes a website behave correctly—saving information, checking permissions, calculating totals, and sending the right data to the page.

What a server does (in plain English)

A server is a computer (or a group of computers) that waits for requests from your browser.

When you visit a page, click “Buy,” or submit a form, your browser sends a request to the server. The server then:

• Runs the website’s back-end code (the rules and logic)
• Talks to other services if needed (like a payment provider)
• Returns a response (data or a full page) back to your browser

Think of it like a restaurant kitchen: the menu is the website’s interface, but the kitchen is where the actual work happens.

Databases: where your site’s information lives

A database is where the website stores information so it’s available later. Back-end developers design how that information is organized and how the site reads and writes it.

Examples of what’s commonly stored:

• Users (accounts, passwords in encrypted form, roles)
• Products (prices, inventory, categories)
• Posts (articles, comments)
• Orders (items purchased, shipping status, receipts)

Real-world back-end examples

Back-end logic powers everyday features, such as:

• Logins: verifying a user, starting a session, enforcing “admin vs. regular user” access
• Payments: creating a checkout request, confirming payment success, recording an order
• Search: finding relevant products or articles quickly, filtering results, sorting
• Dashboards: pulling reports (sales, signups, usage), showing the right data to the right person

A good back end is reliable and predictable: it returns the correct result every time, even when thousands of people use the site at once.

APIs and Integrations

Most modern websites don’t work alone—they connect to other services. The main way they connect is through APIs (Application Programming Interfaces). Think of an API as a set of rules that lets two systems “talk” to each other: your website asks for something, another service replies with the data or action you need.

What an API looks like (without the jargon)

When your site requests information from another system, the response usually arrives in a simple, structured format. The most common is JSON, which is basically a tidy way to package data using names and values (for example, a customer name, an order total, and a status).

Developers spend a lot of time making sure these requests and responses are handled correctly: sending the right information, validating what comes back, and showing clear messages when something goes wrong.

Common integrations you’ve probably used

Web developers often integrate services such as:

• Payments (Stripe, PayPal) to charge cards, handle refunds, and confirm transactions
• Email (SendGrid, Mailchimp) for order confirmations and newsletters
• Maps (Google Maps) for store locations, directions, and address lookup
• Analytics (analytics tools) to understand traffic and conversions
• CRMs (Salesforce, HubSpot) to sync leads, contacts, and sales activity

Reliability: the part users don’t see

APIs have limits and quirks. Many providers enforce rate limits (how many requests you can make in a short time). Developers plan for this by batching requests, caching results, and avoiding unnecessary calls.

They also design for reliability: timeouts, retries, and fallback behavior (for example, letting a checkout continue even if a non-critical analytics call fails). In production, integrations are monitored so failures are caught quickly—because a great website can still break if a key API is down.

Full-Stack and Team Roles

A full-stack developer is someone who can work on both the front end (what users see and interact with in the browser) and the back end (servers, databases, and the logic that powers the site). In practical terms, that might mean building a checkout page and also wiring it up to payments, user accounts, and order storage.

Why teams still specialize

Even though full-stack skills are valuable, most teams still split work into focused roles. Specialization helps because:

• Speed: people who do the same type of work daily move faster and make fewer avoidable mistakes.
• Depth: front-end performance, accessibility, databases, and security each have lots of details to master.
• Ownership: clear responsibility makes it easier to maintain features long-term and troubleshoot issues.

Common roles on a web project

Depending on the size of the site, a team may include:

• Front-end developer: builds layouts, UI behavior, and ensures pages work across devices.
• Back-end developer: creates APIs, database models, authentication, and server-side features.
• Designer (UI/UX): plans page structure, visual style, and user flows.
• QA (Quality Assurance): tests key journeys (sign-up, checkout), catches regressions, and verifies fixes.
• DevOps / Platform engineer: manages hosting, deployments, monitoring, and scaling.

When one person wears multiple hats

A solo developer might cover multiple areas for a smaller marketing site, an early-stage startup, an internal tool, or a quick proof of concept. It’s efficient—but it also means trade-offs: less time for deep testing, polish, documentation, or long-term maintainability unless the project budget and timeline allow for it.

How a Website Is Built: From Idea to Launch

Building a website isn’t a single “make it pretty” task—it’s a sequence of decisions and checkpoints that reduce risk, keep costs predictable, and help you end up with something people actually use.

1) Discovery: clarify the goal and constraints

This step is about asking the unglamorous questions early: Who is the site for? What should visitors do (buy, book, sign up, read)? What pages are required? What systems need to connect (newsletter, payments, CRM)?

Discovery often produces a simple plan: key features, a rough timeline, and what “done” means.

2) Structure and UX: wireframes first

Developers and designers often start with wireframes—basic, low-detail page layouts that focus on structure and user flow, not colors and typography. Wireframes help you agree on things like navigation, page sections, and calls to action before spending time polishing visuals.

Then come visual designs (high-fidelity mockups) that show what the site will actually look like.

Sometimes teams also create prototypes—clickable versions of key screens. A prototype is useful when you need to test a flow (for example, checkout or onboarding) before building it for real.

3) Content: copy, images, and required pages

A common bottleneck is content. Even the best design can’t launch without:

• Page copy (headlines, product/service descriptions, FAQs)
• Images and brand assets (logos, photos, icons)
• Legal pages (privacy policy, terms, cookie notice if needed)

Good developers will flag content requirements early so the project doesn’t stall right before launch.

4) Development: turning plans into a working site

This is where web development happens: building templates, forms, interactive elements, and connections to databases or third-party tools. If the site uses a CMS, developers set up content types so non-technical people can update pages later.

5) Testing: catch issues before users do

Testing covers more than “does it load.” Teams check:

• Layout on different screen sizes (mobile, tablet, desktop)
• Forms, emails, and error messages
• Speed and basic accessibility
• Broken links and edge cases

6) Launch: deployment and go-live

Launch usually means moving the site to its production hosting, connecting the domain, enabling HTTPS, and running final checks. Many teams do a short “soft launch” to validate analytics and real-world behavior.

7) Iteration: expect changes as you learn

It’s normal for priorities to shift once you see real user behavior. After launch, developers often make improvements based on feedback, support requests, and performance data—because you learn more from a live site than from any planning document.

Common Tools and Technologies Web Developers Use

Web developers don’t start from scratch every time. They rely on a toolkit that helps them build faster, catch mistakes earlier, and collaborate without stepping on each other’s work.

Code editors and browser tools

Most coding happens in a code editor—think of it as a specialized writing app for code. Popular choices include VS Code, WebStorm, and Sublime Text. Editors help with formatting, auto-complete, and spotting errors as you type.

For anything that runs in the browser, developers also use browser developer tools (like Chrome DevTools). These let them inspect page elements, tweak styles, watch network requests, and debug JavaScript without guessing.

Version control (Git)

Git is version control: a safe way to track changes over time. If a new change breaks something, Git makes it easier to:

• see what changed and when
• revert to a known-good version
• work as a team using branches and code reviews

Git is commonly used with hosting platforms like GitHub or GitLab.

Frameworks: pre-built building blocks

A framework is a set of patterns and tools that makes common tasks easier. Instead of inventing the same solutions repeatedly, developers use frameworks as building blocks—for example:

• Front-end: React, Vue, Angular
• Back-end: Express (Node.js), Django, Ruby on Rails

Libraries and package managers

A library is reusable code that solves a specific problem (dates, forms, charts, animations). A package manager (like npm, yarn, or pnpm) installs and updates these libraries consistently, saving time and reducing “it works on my machine” issues.

Faster prototyping with vibe-coding platforms

For early prototypes or internal tools, some teams speed up delivery with vibe-coding platforms like Koder.ai, where you can describe the app in chat and generate a working React front end with a Go + PostgreSQL back end (and Flutter for mobile). It can be a practical way to validate a workflow quickly—and if you need to take it further, Koder.ai supports source code export, deployment/hosting, and snapshots with rollback.

Testing, Debugging, and Quality Checks

Shipping a website isn’t just about adding features—it’s about making sure those features work reliably for real people. Testing helps catch bugs early, reduces costly fixes after launch, and lowers the risk of breaking something important during updates.

Common types of testing

Developers typically mix a few approaches depending on the project:

• Manual testing: clicking through key pages and flows (sign-up, checkout, forms) to confirm everything behaves as expected.
• Automated tests: small programs that check the code for regressions. These might cover individual functions (unit tests) or simulate user actions (end-to-end tests).
• Cross-browser and device checks: verifying the site works on Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and common mobile devices—since what “looks fine” in one browser can break in another.

Debugging: finding the real cause

When something goes wrong, debugging is a structured process:

1. Reproduce the issue consistently (what steps cause it?).
2. Isolate the source (front-end UI, API request, database, or third-party tool).
3. Fix the bug with the smallest safe change.
4. Verify the fix and confirm nothing else was accidentally affected.

Developers often use browser developer tools, server logs, and error monitoring to pinpoint what happened and why.

Team quality steps

In many teams, changes go through code review before they’re merged. Another developer reads the update, looking for mistakes, security issues, performance problems, and clarity. Combined with testing, code review is one of the best ways to keep a site stable as it grows.

Deployment, Hosting, and Performance Basics

A website isn’t “live” just because it works on a developer’s laptop. To make it accessible to everyone, it needs hosting (a computer on the internet that stores and serves your site) and deployment (the process of putting the latest version of your site onto that hosting).

Hosting: where your site lives

Hosting is like renting space for your website. Depending on what you’re building, that “space” might be a simple static host for files (HTML/CSS/JS), or a server that can run code, connect to a database, and handle logins and payments.

Developers also set up essentials around hosting, such as:

• A domain connection (yourname.com)
• HTTPS certificates (the padlock icon)
• Environment settings (production vs. staging)

A basic release flow (how updates go live)

Most teams follow a predictable loop:

1. Build: compile and package the site (and run automated checks).
2. Deploy: upload/release it to the hosting platform.
3. Verify: confirm key pages and forms work, and error logs look clean.
4. Monitor: watch uptime, performance, and errors after release.

That last step matters: many problems only show up with real traffic, real devices, or third-party services.

Performance basics that make sites feel fast

Speed is often more about smart basics than fancy tricks:

• Image sizes: serving a 4000px photo to a phone wastes time and data.
• Caching: browsers and servers can reuse unchanged files instead of re-downloading them.
• Page speed: reducing heavy scripts and unnecessary fonts helps pages load quickly and feel responsive.

If you want help with launch support and ongoing releases, see options at /pricing.

Security and Privacy: What Developers Watch For

Security and privacy aren’t “nice-to-haves” on a website—they’re part of building something people can trust. Developers think about how your site could be misused (intentionally or accidentally) and put guardrails in place.

Common risks developers look for

A lot of real-world problems are surprisingly simple:

• Weak passwords and poor login protection (easy-to-guess passwords, no rate-limiting, reused credentials)
• Outdated software (old plugins, frameworks, or server packages with known vulnerabilities)
• Insecure forms and inputs (contact forms, sign-up forms, search boxes—anywhere users can type—can be abused to inject malicious code or spam)

Practical best practices (high level)

Developers typically aim for a few fundamentals:

• Keep things updated: dependencies, CMS plugins, and server components should be patched regularly.
• Backups and recovery: automated backups with a tested restore process, so an incident isn’t catastrophic.
• HTTPS everywhere: encrypt traffic using TLS so logins and form submissions aren’t exposed in transit.
• Least access: give each user/service only the permissions it needs (for example, not everyone should have admin access).

Privacy basics

Privacy starts with minimizing what you collect. Many sites don’t need a date of birth, phone number, or full address—so don’t ask for it. When you do collect data, developers help ensure you:

• request clear consent (especially for marketing cookies or email)
• explain what you collect and why in plain language
• store data securely and delete it when it’s no longer needed

Security is ongoing, not a one-time checkbox. Threats change, software changes, and your site changes—so maintenance, monitoring, and periodic reviews are part of responsible web development.

Skills to Learn and How to Choose a Web Developer

Whether you want to learn web development yourself or hire someone, focus on the skills that lead to reliable, maintainable websites—not just flashy demos.

Core skills that matter

A good web developer combines technical know-how with strong working habits:

• Problem-solving: breaking a feature into steps, diagnosing bugs, choosing practical trade-offs.
• Communication: asking clarifying questions, explaining options in plain language, giving timely updates.
• Attention to detail: catching edge cases, consistency across pages, clean handoffs and documentation.

How to evaluate a developer (without being technical)

Start with evidence and clarity:

• Portfolio: look for projects similar to yours (e-commerce, booking, marketing site, internal tool). Ask what they personally built.
• References or testimonials: especially helpful for reliability, meeting deadlines, and post-launch support.
• Clear estimates: they should explain scope, assumptions, what’s included, and what could change the price or timeline.

Questions to ask before you hire

A short set of questions can prevent most surprises:

1. What’s the timeline and what are the milestones? (design, build, testing, launch)
2. What maintenance is expected after launch? (updates, backups, security patches, content changes)
3. Who owns the code and assets? Confirm you get access to the repository, hosting, domain, designs, and any paid accounts.

If you want more guides on planning and managing a website project, browse related articles at /blog.