Web Development for Beginners

Web development is a field that is constantly growing in popularity. There are many tools and techniques that a beginner could use to get started and in this guide we will offer a comprehensive overview of what web development is and also provide tips for getting started.

The first step in starting any web development project is understanding the different kinds of software that are available to help you create your website or application. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are the three most common programming languages used on the web. With these languages, you can create basic structures for your website or application using tags and code blocks. You can also use various libraries and frameworks to make developing websites or applications easier.

Once you have a basic understaning how to use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, it is time to learn how to improve the design process with wireframes, ui-mockups and prototypes. Lets get started!

What Is Web Development?

Web development is the process of creating a website or web application from start to finish.

In this process a web developer will take a business or organization’s desired website or web application concept and turn it into a reality.

Web developers can design, build, maintain, and optimize websites and web applications using any number of programming languages and platforms.

Web development has many different sub-disciplines, including front-end development, back-end development, mobile development, and eCommerce development.

Web Development for Beginners – Learn the Basics and Common Terms

If you’re new to the world of web development, or even if you’ve been working with web design for a while, it can be hard to know where to start. This guide is designed to help you get started by introducing you to the basics of web development and some common terms.

First things first: a website is just a collection of HTML (HyperText Markup Language) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) code that tells your computer how to display whatever content is on the page. When you create a website, you’ll need a web hosting service provider and an editor like Visual Studio Code in order to create your pages.

You can download VS Code here or run it online without downloading at vscode.dev

HTML is the basis for all websites, and it’s basically just a text document that contains tags that tell your browser what content should appear on each page.

“Hello World” in HTML:

<html>

<head></head>

<body>Hello World!</body>

</html>

In this simple html example, you can see that there are three tags: html, head, and body.

The <html> tag tells the browser to start at the beginning of the document and start parsing the code.

The <head> tag contains information about the website, like the title and author.

The <body> tag is where all the content goes! If you save this code as index.html and double click the file, it will open up in your browser and display the text “Hello World!” You have made your first web page!

Tip: If you use VS Code as a IDE you can get a basic html template by typing “html:5” in the head of the html document and press enter. In some versions like vscode.dev it also works with “!” (exclamation mark) and pressing enter.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Document</title>
</head>
<body>
    
</body>
</html>

Now that you know how HTML works, let’s look at some more tags.

The first is the A tag. The anchor thext is at the core of HTML, to be able to click on a text and jump in the text and between pages and domains is what hyper text is all about. A link is simply a text link that tells the browser what file to open when you click on it.

Example 2: The <A> tag

<html>

<head></head>

<body>
<a href="https://www.iloveit.net/guide/web-development">I love web development!</a>
</body>

</html>

In this example when you click the text “I love web development!” the browser will load this page.

Next up is some of web development’s most important elements: The paragraph and heading tags.

Example 3: H1, H2 and P tags

<html>

<head></head>

<body>

<h1>The Main Heading</h1>

<p>After the main heaing there is usually a introduction paragraph.</p>

<h2>Sub Heading Level 2</h2>

<p>A web page should only have one h1 tag but can have ininate h2, h3, h4's..</p>

</body>

</html>

The <div> tag is often used to make the design better and divide the page.

Example 4: The DIV tag

<html>

<head></head>

<body>

<div>

Here is the header

</div>

<div>

<h1>The Main Heading</h1>

<p>After the main heaing there is usually a introduction paragraph.</p>

<h2>Sub Heading Level 2</h2>

<p>A web page should only have one h1 tag but can have ininate h2, h3, h4's..</p>

</div>

<div>

Here is the footer

</div>

</body>

</html>

Basic Styling

Now that we have knowledge of the most basic tags we can start designing and styling the web page.

There are three methods of implementing styling in a HTML document.

Inline Styles

Inline styling means that we use the style attribute in the HTML tags.

Example 5: Inline Style
<html>
<head></head>

<body style="color:red;">
Hello World!
</body>

</html>

Embedded Style

Ebeded styling means that we use the <style> element in the head section of the HTML document.

Example 6: Embeded Style
<html>
<head>
<style>
body {color:red;}
</style>
</head>

<body>Hello World!</body>

</html>

External Style Sheet

External styling means that we use the element to load external CSS files.

Example 7: Styling in External CSS File
<html>
<head>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css">
</head>

<body>Hello World!</body>

</html>
styles.css:
body {
  color:red;
}

To be able to style our elements effeciently we will need to learn some basic CSS properties and how to use classes and ID:s to target HTML elements.

Class and ID selectors in CSS

CSS class and ID selectors are used to identify different elements within a document, and can be quite helpful for organizing your CSS code.

Class selectors identify classes of an element, while ID selectors identify unique identifiers for an element. Using these selectors can help you organize your CSS code more easily and make it easier to find what you’re looking for.

In the CSS code classes are identified with prepending the classname with . (.classname) and id’s by prepending with a # (#elementid)

Example 8: Class and ID Selectors

<html>
<head>
<style>
.section {font-size: 22px;}
#header {color:red;}
#main {color:green;}
#footer {color:blue;}
</style>
</head>

<body>
<div id="header" class="section">
Here is the header!
</div>

<div id="main" class="section">
<h1>The Main Heading</h1>
<p>After the main heaing there is usually a introduction paragraph.</p>
<h2>Sub Heading Level 2</h2>
<p>A web page should only have one h1 tag but can have ininate h2, h3, h4's..</p>
</div>

<div id="footer" class="section">
Here is the footer!
</div>
</body>
</html>

5 Great Ways to Get Started With Web Development

Here are some great ways you can start learning about Web Development now:

  1. Use online resources like FreeCodeCamp or Th Odin Project:  These resources offer a great way to jump start your learning process and get your feet wet with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
  2. Join an online forum or community: This is a great way to ask questions from other developers and learn from the pros.
  3. Watch introductory videos: There are many introductory videos available on YouTube that will help you get up to speed on specific aspects of Web Development.
  4. Use online coding tools: There are many free online coding tools that make it easy for you to learn how to code using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
  5. Take a course: If you want to learn more in-depth about Web Development then taking a course may be the best option for you.

Web Development Resources

To get started with your Web Development project, be sure to check out our extensive list of resources. This includes communities, articles, videos, and tools that will help you get started quickly and smoothly.

Communities and Websites

  1. Web Development on Reddit
  2. Web Development on Pinterest
  3. #webdevelopment on Twitter
  4. Web Development on Youtube

Beginner Guides Related to Web Development

I Love Web Development

If you love web development, you're in luck! You can now download your very own 'I Love Web Development' meme from our website. We've also created some fun web apps that allow you to customize your own colorful 'I Love Web Development' text and 'I Heart Web Development' images.

Show off your passion for web development with our easy-to-use tools and share your creations with the world. Let your love for web development shine and create your own unique masterpiece today!

Web Development as a Passion

The following tips will show you why many people have a strong passion for Web Development and some ways a passion for Web Development can be celebrated:

Top 5 Reasons Why We Love Web Development

1. We can make a difference:

Web Development is one of the most impactful professions you can choose. It has the power to change the world and make a real difference in people’s lives.

2. We can be our own boss:

Web Development is a great way to build a successful career on your own terms. You have the power to control your own destiny and make a real impact in the world.

3. We get to work with amazing people:

Working as a web developer is an incredibly rewarding experience. You get to work with some of the smartest, coolest people in the world, and you learn something new every day.

4. We get to use cutting-edge technology:

Web Development is one of the most cutting-edge fields in technology. Every day we are working with new and innovative technologies that can change the way we live and work.

5. We get to be creative:

Web Development is a creative field. You get to design and build amazing websites and applications, and you get to use your imagination to come up with new ideas.

Conclusion

There are a few key points to take away from this web development guide for beginners. It’s crucial to have a solid foundation in web development before embarking on more complex projects. By understanding the basics of HTML, CSS and JavaScript, you’ll be better equipped to tackle more complex projects and as with any new skill or hobby, it’s important to be patient and consistent with your learning process. Now that you know the basics of web development a good next step should be to learn some basic JavaScript to be able to make more advanced and dynamic web development projects.