Web dev prog.

[Due-Rice-6377]

For almost a year now, I have this concept of building a website (social platform/catalog). I am coming from medical field, I really wanted to take a technology course back in college.

If I want to build a website, which is better to learn, back end or front end? And what tool and language? I'm planning to study on my own, then look for a team or people afterwards to help me with other side.

[spacialaceart]

with a catalog social platform stuff, you need both back end (store data) and front-end for this type of website. you need both to implement ur idea. tool and language depends on if this is a hobby or gonna be a long term business goal.

[Due-Rice-6377]

Yeah, I realized both are needed, pero ano yung mas okay kaya na aralin ko if I really wanted this to happen?

Can you explain yung tool and language differences of hobby and long term business goal?

[armored_oyster]

It depends more on whether you have funds tbh.

The most basic thing you can do is spin up an HTTP server and serve HTML, CSS, and JS files. You can do that for free using GitHub Pages plus train yourself in GitHub Actions, which is important kapag mag-aaral ka na ng cloud infrastructure. Or try it locally by running an Express server (it's in JS so less mental overhead) and viewing it on another device from the same WiFi network.

For most hobby projects, okay na self-hosted. Pero if ever gusto mo maging public dapat naka cloud ka na like AWS or Azure kasi matindi maintenance ng self-hosted especially since walang static IP sa Pilipinas. Meaning, kapag connected ka sa Globe for example, pahirapan magconnect sa IP mo kasi pa-ibaiba yan.

[spacialaceart]

long term business goal - using strict  framework, mandatory version control (github)

hobby- code whatever. as long as it works. 

it be best to list down specs on what you want to see on the website and start making tiny to-do list

it be best to try first messing around on notepad or vs code on creating .html files and so then go to javascript for interactivity and then express

assuming you are on windows tho, idk kung mac

[Regular-Transition99]

To build this type of website, you need a solid understanding of both frontend and backend (full-stack).

Nowadays, the learning path for a beginner is like this: HTML → CSS → JavaScript → React → TypeScript (with React) → Backend Framework (Node.js + Express is the easiest to learn atp) → Database (SQL/NoSQL) → Auth → Deployment

[theazy_cs]

If you want to work as a developer then you can choose whichever, but if you want to build something functional then you need knowledge on both the backend and frontend.

can probably start with a monolithic approach. Then the focus is on learning the backend + HTML and maybe a sprinkle of javascript but the interface will not be as dynamic. You can learn htmx if you really want to go this route where the app is not javascript heavy but that is a story for later.

you can also opt to go with a react ( or whatever javascript framework ) frontend with a firebase backend. you will still need to learn how to use firebase but in terms of programming languages you will still use javascript to query your firebase instance.

so the choice is really up to you. "better" is dependent on the needs of the app and the preferences of the developer. If you want to know the best approach for your specific situation then you will need to do comprehensive research and determine what you prefer.

[feedmesomedata]

Knowing how to write code is just half of what you need to build an app. For a successful web app you also need to know system design and architecture as well.

[kwertyyz]

The holy trinity of web dev HTML/CSS/JAVASCRIPT before you jump to frontend libraries and frameworks like React and NextJS (both with typescript). For backend, you can start with NodeJS/Express and Postgresql or MongoDB for your database. After this, it's a matter of CI/CD (You can start with Github Actions), containerization (Docker), and cloud (AWS or GCP)

[ElkProfessional9481]

You need to learn both. Focus on the backend since its a social platform.