Full Stack Developer vs Front-End Developer: Key Differences Explained

Quick Summary :- In this article, we bring out the difference between full-stack developers vs. front end developers. We also discuss some points related to the development skills and the salary paid to both of these developers. Based on these points, we can come to a conclusion which developer is a perfect fit for an IT company. Let’s dive deep into this discussion.

The roles of Full Stack and Front-End developers are crucial in today’s web development landscape. Understanding their differences helps businesses build efficient teams and deliver high-quality digital experiences.

Full Stack developers manage both client-side and server-side operations, while Front-End developers focus solely on creating interactive and visually appealing interfaces. Each role requires distinct skills and expertise to ensure seamless application performance.

The global web development market size is expected to reach USD 165.13 billion by 2035, highlighting the growing demand for skilled developers who can deliver innovative and high-performing web solutions across industries.

Full Stack vs Front End: Analyzing The Differences

What Is Front End?

Whatever is visible to you on screen is called the front end of the website. It is also known as a client-side interface where users can view and access the content placed on the website like text, graphics, videos, etc.

Users can also interact with the web admin or the server-side, which we call as a backend of the website, using various features and functionalities, depending upon the niche of the website.

Hence, even when you type a keyword on any search engine and, in turn it displays a list of results, this is also classified as a front end. Having an idea of Front-End vs Back-End difference helps you a lot in the long run.

The backend process is the one that searches for the results after processing the keywords on the internet and gives a command to display it on the device’s screen.

Role Of A Front-End Developer

A front end developer has to design the website in such a way that it is smoother to operate, have a professional look, concerning its niche, and can be accessed even from mobile devices apart from laptops.

Earlier, it was only a matter of HTML plus CSS to look after front end development. Web pages built using HTML were considered to be the skeleton of any web application, while the CSS was known for its outer skin

Developers were able to design this “skin” of the web pages using various elements and attributes of CSS scripting language. Preferences for the color, style, background, etc. for the web pages were fulfilled by CSS.

With the advancement of the latest technologies, various tools and frameworks are introduced to reduce the task for the front end developers with their automated drag and drop options. This will be useful for Full Stack vs Front End difference.

You can build a website as simple as a static one or as complex as an E-commerce website with dynamic UI and UX parts using these frameworks like WordPress, Magento, WooCommerce, etc.

The user interface developers also contribute to the front end development for the website. They utilize various scripting languages like HTML, CSS, Javascript, and other similar frameworks to develop the UI.

Various skills needed to develop a front end for the website are HTML, CSS, and Javascript, Ajax, JQuery, frameworks like React, Angular, Ember, etc.

What Is Full-Stack?

Full-stack development is defined as a package containing the building of the front end as well as backend.But, knowing the Full Stack Developer vs Front End Developer difference will help you to understand these things in a better manner.

Here, with backend, we mean the server-side application development that handles all the background processes running while the user does the interaction with the front end of the website.

The front ends, as well as the backend, are known as layers to make the development process stack. Hence, the full stack can now be understood as the process of executing both of these layers to develop a dynamic web application.

Also Read: How Much Does It Cost To Build A web application In 2024?

A fullstack developer is expected to acquire the knowledge of developing both- the front end as well as the backend for an application development process. So if you’re planning to find and hire fullstack developer will help you a lot.

Role Of A Full Stack Developer

The task list of a full stack developer can include: client-side as well as server-side logic building, hosting of the application, data modeling or structuring, designing of dynamic user interface and user experience.

In addition to the fulfillment of all the requirements that can be covered with the features and functionalities as decided by the client, etc.

The bucket list of a full stack developer’s skills includes the knowledge of Javascript, PHP, SQL, HTML, CSS, JQuery, Java, HTML version 5, Ajax, CSS version 3, Linux, Python, Ruby, and many more.

Stating the roles and responsibilities of a full stack developer starts with finding efficient tools for development concerning the features and functionalities finalized with the clients. So, this can be a decisive point for Full Stack vs Front End comparison.

It continues with leading the project team, solving the issues, dividing the project into various modules according to the functionalities, assigning the same to different team members, coordinating with the client through regular communications and updates, etc.

The main advantage of becoming a full-stack developer is that one can have an overall knowledge of the web development process.

Hence, the company need not hire different people for varying layers of the development stack. This also benefits the full stack developer in terms of monthly payments.

Hence, the profile of full-stack developers is much in demand, and this is the reason why most of the web developers have been taking certified courses for the same so that they can get better opportunities in the near future.

Key Skills For Front End Development

Let’s dive deep into the pool of front end development skills. It has been well said that a front end developer has to play on the presentation part of the web application.

They need to have a strong visualization over the data that can be implemented in an application.

This could only be possible if the front end developer is well-versed with the knowledge of HTML plus the CSS scripts, along with a few preprocessors for CSS like SASS, and web development frameworks like Angular, Vue or React that is based on Javascript.

As discussed above, front end developers take care of the content that is being displayed on the screen, look and feel, and user interaction on the web page.

They mainly work on HTML as well as CSS-HTML for building the outer skeleton of the application, whereas the CSS takes the task of covering the same with a skin, whose graphics as well as designs are finalized, keeping the niche of the website and the client requirements in mind.

So, the basic skill set of a front end developer may consist of HTML, CSS, in addition to Javascript. You should have a piece of sound knowledge on these three scripting languages to have a good career in this profile.

Working With Front-End Development

From the languages mentioned above, Javascript is the most important one. This can be said to be the most needed and crucial skill for a front end developer to acquire. Remember these things for Full Stack vs Front End difference.

It works along with HTML-CSS, adding some dynamic and must-needed features to your applications, some of them being the date and time settings and the “add to favorites” button that is placed in almost all E-commerce web applications.

Apart from these three main skills, other skills that can be good to have to survive, that can get an entry in the bucket of the skills for a front end developer is jQuery, UI/UX portion in the designing module, AJAX, etc.

Also, the developer needs to have a grip and an understanding of the important aspects of developing web applications like security, performance, event-based user interactions, etc.

Various frameworks like AngularJS, Foundation, Backbone, EmberJS, Bootstrap, etc. are also helpful in building dynamic front end, and hence developers are advised to start getting sound knowledge on these frameworks.

Key Skills For Full Stack Development

Let’s summarize the key skills for the full stack development. As mentioned above, a full-stack development process is the addition of front end development and the backend development, undertaken by a single person, i.e. full-stack developer.

A full stack developer needs to observe all the aspects of building a web application from all angles.

Studying the pros and cons of the technologies, the logic for the backend and the front end development and its feasibility and scope, determining the application of the logic, etc. comes as the primary role of a full stack developer.

If you are a full-stack developer, then it doesn’t only include learning of the latest trends and technologies for developing the frontend and backend. So, the skills required can be a major difference in Full Stack Developer vs Front End Developer comparison.

Still, it also includes various managerial skills to lead the project teams. The developer needs to know each phase of the web development lifecycle.

Summing up the above discussion, the skill set of a full stack developer includes the stages like project execution planning, database management processes, building dynamic user experiences and interfaces, arranging of data into appropriate data structures, solving runtime issues faced by the team members, etc.

Full Stack Developer vs Front End Developer: Summary Table

Front End Developer vs Full Stack Developer: Salary Comparison

If you’re trying to decide between hiring a front-end developer or a full-stack developer — or figuring out which path to take as a developer — salary is often one of the first things people look at. And fair enough. It’s a major factor in shaping tech teams and career decisions. 

Let’s talk about front-end developers first. On paper, the average salary is around $115,422 per year in the U.S. — but honestly, that’s just a rough midpoint.Location, experience, and even the type of company matter more than most salary reports show.

Full-stack developers usually bring in more — about $127,291 a year on average. And honestly, it makes sense. These devs aren’t just styling buttons or handling layout; they’re in the backend too — setting up databases, writing APIs, dealing with server logic, sometimes even pushing code to production.

From what we’ve seen working with various tech companies, full-stack developers are often the go-to hire when the budget allows for only one strong developer. They fill more gaps and keep things moving — and that kind of flexibility usually comes with a higher paycheck.

For developers thinking long-term, adding back-end skills to your toolbox (if you’re already front-end focused) can open a lot of doors. It’s not just about earning more — it’s about having more control over the kinds of projects you take on and the value you bring to the table.

Also Read: Full-Stack vs Mean Stack: Which One You Should Opt For?

Chintan Gor

CTO, eSparkBiz

Enthusiastic for web app development, Chintan Gor has zeal in experimenting with his knowledge of Node, Angular & React in various aspects of development. He keeps on updating his technical know-how thus pinning his name among the topmost CTO's in India. His contribution is penned down by him through various technical blogs on trending tech. He is associated with eSparkBiz from the past 15+ years where one can get premium services.