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Study Guide

Web Development Made Simple Study Guide

Web Development Made Simple Study Guide

1. Introduction to Web Development

1.1 What is Web Development?

Web development is the process of creating websites and web applications for the internet or an intranet. It involves a combination of coding, design, and content creation.

1.2 Front-End, Back-End, and Full-Stack

  • Front-End (Client-Side): Deals with the user interface and user experience. Technologies include HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
  • Back-End (Server-Side): Manages the server, database, and application logic. Technologies include Python, Java, Node.js, and databases like MySQL and MongoDB.
  • Full-Stack: Encompasses both front-end and back-end development.

2. Front-End Development

2.1 HTML (HyperText Markup Language)

HTML is the foundation of web pages. It provides the structure and content.

  • Tags: Elements that define the structure (e.g., <p> for paragraph, <h1> for heading).
  • Attributes: Provide additional information about elements (e.g., <a href="https://example.com">).
  • Basic Structure: <!DOCTYPE html>, <html>, <head>, <body>.
Example:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>My First Web Page</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Hello, World!</h1>
<p>This is a paragraph.</p>
</body>
</html>

2.2 CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)

CSS is used to style the visual presentation of HTML elements.

  • Selectors: Target HTML elements (e.g., element selectors, class selectors, ID selectors).
  • Properties: Define the styles (e.g., color, font-size, margin).
  • Ways to Include CSS: Inline, internal, and external stylesheets.
Example:
/* External CSS (style.css) */
h1 {
   color: blue;
}
p {
   font-size: 16px;
}

2.3 JavaScript

JavaScript adds interactivity and dynamic behavior to web pages.

  • Variables: Store data (e.g., var x = 5;).
  • Functions: Reusable blocks of code (e.g., function myFunction() { ... }).
  • DOM Manipulation: Modifying HTML elements with JavaScript.
  • Events: Respond to user actions (e.g., onclick, onload).
Example:
<button onclick="myFunction()">Click Me</button>
<script>
function myFunction() {
   alert("Hello!");
}
</script>

3. Back-End Development

3.1 Server-Side Languages

Examples: Python, Java, Node.js, PHP, Ruby.

3.2 Databases

Store and manage data. Examples: MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB.

3.3 APIs (Application Programming Interfaces)

Enable communication between different software systems.

4. Key Concepts

4.1 Responsive Design

Creating websites that adapt to different screen sizes and devices.

4.2 Version Control (Git)

Tracking changes to code and collaborating with others.

4.3 Web Hosting

Storing website files on a server to make them accessible on the internet.

5. Important Resources