Web development

{{Short description|Development of websites and web apps}} {{pp-semi|small=yes}} {{Use American English|date=March 2026}} '''Web development''' is the process of designing, developing and maintaining websites and web apps.<ref name="definition">{{Cite web |title=What Is Web Development? (Definition, Types, Career) |url=https://builtin.com/software-engineering-perspectives/web-development |access-date=2026-03-08 |website=Built In |language=en}}</ref> Web development encompasses several different fields, most commonly referring to the programming of websites. Front-end development is the act of developing the user interface and client-side code, while back-end development focuses on the infrastructure behind a website, mainly server-side code.

Since the World Wide Web was released publicly in 1993, web development has evolved greatly, with websites changing from a collection of static HTML pages to complex projects using frameworks, servers, and databases.

== Overview == Web development includes many individual tasks, including web design, web content development, networking, and coding.<ref name="forbes-what-is">{{Cite web |last=Cole |first=Ryah Cooley |date=29 December 2023 |title=What Is Web Development, And Why Might You Pursue It? |url=https://www.forbes.com/advisor/education/it-and-tech/what-is-web-development/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230803193155/https://www.forbes.com/advisor/education/what-is-web-development/ |archive-date=3 August 2023 |access-date=8 March 2026 |website=forbes.com}}</ref> Among web professionals, "web development" usually refers to the main non-design aspects of building websites: writing markup and coding.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Campbell |first=Jennifer |title=Web Design: Introductory |publisher=Cengage Learning |year=2017 |pages=27}}</ref>

Web development is generally split into two fields: front-end development and back-end development. Front-end developers create the user interface of websites, turning web designs into HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code. Front-end developers must also make sure that websites work consistently across different browsers and devices.<ref name="front-end-back-end">{{Cite web |last=Missman |first=Kayla |date=22 May 2023 |title=Front-End Vs. Back-End Developers: What's The Difference? |url=https://www.forbes.com/advisor/education/front-end-vs-back-end-developer/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230523043811/https://www.forbes.com/advisor/education/front-end-vs-back-end-developer/ |archive-date=23 May 2023 |access-date=8 March 2026 |website=forbes.com}}</ref> Back-end development, also known as server-side development, focuses on the infrastructure behind a website, including APIs, database management, and security.<ref name="definition" /><ref name="front-end-back-end" /> Some choose to be full-stack developers, meaning they work on both the front-end and back-end.<ref name="forbes-what-is" />

==History== {{Further|History of the World Wide Web}} thumb|300x300px|Timeline of web development The World Wide Web is often categorised into three generations: Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0 (or Web3).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Essex |first=David |date=9 September 2023 |title=What is Web 3.0 (Web3)? Definition, guide and history |url=https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/Web-30 |access-date=19 March 2026 |website=techtarget.com}}</ref> It was invented in 1989, and released to the public in 1993.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 March 2020 |title=World Wide Web (WWW) launches in the public domain {{!}} April 30, 1993 |url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/world-wide-web-launches-in-public-domain |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250206200329/https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/world-wide-web-launches-in-public-domain |archive-date=6 February 2025 |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=HISTORY |language=en}}</ref> In the early years of the web, restrospecitvely referred to as Web 1.0,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Balachander Krishnamurthy |first=Graham Cormode |date=2 June 2008 |title=Key differences between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 |url=http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2125/1972 |url-status=dead |journal=First Monday |volume=13 |issue=6 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025113431/http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2125/1972 |archive-date=25 October 2012 |access-date=23 September 2014 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> websites were simply a collection of static HTML files, and had limited interactivity.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Balachander Krishnamurthy |first=Graham Cormode |date=2 June 2008 |title=Key differences between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 |url=http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2125/1972 |url-status=dead |journal=First Monday |volume=13 |issue=6 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025113431/http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2125/1972 |archive-date=25 October 2012 |access-date=23 September 2014 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> After the introduction of JavaScript in 1995,<ref>{{cite web |title=Chapter 4. How JavaScript Was Created |url=https://exploringjs.com/es5/ch04.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227184037/https://speakingjs.com/es5/ch04.html |archive-date=2020-02-27 |access-date=2017-11-21 |website=speakingjs.com}}</ref> websites could contain logic, allowing for interactivity.<ref name="evolution-and-future-trends">{{Cite journal |last=Fahad |first=Md Amir Hossain |last2=Chowdhury |first2=Redoyan |last3=Hasan-Al–Shabbir |date=2022-05-19 |title=Evolution and Future Trends in Web Development: A Comprehensive Review |url=https://pathfinderpub.com/index.php/pathfinder-of-research/article/view/35 |journal=Pathfinder of Research |language=en |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=13–13 |doi=10.69937/pf.por.3.1.35 |issn=3007-3863}}</ref> The following year CSS was released,<ref name="w3c-css1">{{cite web |title=Cascading Style Sheets, level 1 |url=https://www.w3.org/TR/1999/REC-CSS1-19990111 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140409234430/https://www.w3.org/TR/1999/REC-CSS1-19990111 |archive-date=2014-04-09 |access-date=2014-03-07 |publisher=World Wide Web Consortium}}</ref> allowing greater control over the styling of web pages.<ref name="evolution-and-future-trends" />

In 1999, the term ''Web 2.0'' was coined by Darcy DiNucci.<ref name="DiNucci">{{cite journal |last=DiNucci |first=Darcy |year=1999 |title=Fragmented Future |url=http://darcyd.com/fragmented_future.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Print |volume=53 |issue=4 |page=32 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111110143942/http://darcyd.com/fragmented_future.pdf |archive-date=2011-11-10 |access-date=2011-11-04}}</ref> The term later resurfaced in the early 2000s,<ref name="graham">{{cite web |last=Graham |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Graham (programmer) |date=November 2005 |title=Web 2.0 |url=http://www.paulgraham.com/web20.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010024704/http://www.paulgraham.com/web20.html |archive-date=2012-10-10 |access-date=2006-08-02 |quote=I first heard the phrase 'Web 2.0' in the name of the Web 2.0 conference in 2004.}}</ref> as websites started to increase in complexity, requiring server-side services in addition to JavaScript. This led to the emergence of various new programming languages and frameworks designed for backend services, such as PHP, Active Server Pages, and Jakarta Server Pages. This enabled websites to do additional server-side processing, such as accessing databases.<ref name="evolution-and-future-trends" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Shukla |first=Devendra Kumar |last2=Maurya |first2=Akash |last3=Pal |first3=Madhav |last4=Shivahare |first4=Basu Dev |title=A Survey on Exploring the Evolution and Trends of Web Development |url=https://www.authorea.com/doi/full/10.36227/techrxiv.23976048.v1?commit=8cacb5f6d16fff639067ac0b5ff426b909a1a674 |journal=Authorea Preprints |doi=10.36227/techrxiv.23976048|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Another shift in web development was the release of the iPhone in 2007. This created a new medium for accessing the web, requiring a new approach to web development, and resulting in responsive web design,<ref name="20-years">{{Cite web |last=Momunaliev |first=Adilet |date=31 October 2025 |title=How has web development transformed in the last 20 years? |url=https://www.cuinsight.com/how-has-web-development-transformed-in-the-last-20-years/ |website=cuinsight.com}}</ref> which allows a single website to appear different depending on the device running it.<ref name="fluid_grid">{{cite web |last=Marcotte |first=Ethan |date=May 25, 2010 |title=Responsive Web design |url=http://www.alistapart.com/articles/responsive-web-design/ |work=A List Apart}}</ref> Later, progressive web apps were introduced, allowing websites to be installed on a device as an independent application.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Progressive Web Apps {{!}} Software AG |url=https://techradar.softwareag.com/technology/progressive-web-apps/ |access-date=2020-09-25 |website=techradar.softwareag.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250323074519/https://techradar.softwareag.com/technology/progressive-web-apps/ |archive-date=2025-03-23}}</ref>

In the 2010s, JavaScript frameworks began to emerge, creating new ways to manipulate web pages, and increasing compatibility between web browsers.<ref name="20-years" /> JQuery was popular in the early 2010s, but was later surpassed by other frameworks such as React and Vue.js.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Morehead |first=Jason |date=2026-01-22 |title=jQuery Turns 20 |url=https://opus.ing/posts/jquery-turns-20 |access-date=2026-03-06 |website=Opus |language=en}}</ref>

In the mid 2020s, use of AI became prevalent among web developers, with the 2025 Stack Overflow survey showing over 80% of developers saying the use AI at least monthly in their development process.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kundariya |first=Harikrishna |date=2025-07-18 |title=Can AI Replace Web Developers: A Practical Look at Current Tools and Limitations |url=https://www.sitepoint.com/can-ai-replace-web-developers/ |access-date=2026-03-10 |website=www.sitepoint.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=AI {{!}} 2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey |url=https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2025/ai |access-date=2026-03-10 |website=survey.stackoverflow.co |publisher=Stack Overflow |language=en}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist|2}}

Category:Web development Category:Software development Category:Website management Category:World Wide Web Category:Web applications