In the post-epidemic era of shrinking economic benefits, "full stack" seems to be the ultimate goal pursued by many developers.
Technical knowledge
In the eyes of some people, full-stack engineers symbolize faster growth, more job options, and more comprehensive technical knowledge, thus paving the way for promotion into management
positions. However, there are also some people who believe that full-stack engineers are incompetent and that it is difficult for them to have deep technical expertise in a specific field, which makes them feel powerless when facing the demands of certain extreme details.
If you are currently a developer who is confused and
still exploring, and want to determine whether the full-stack path is suitable
for you, then let us systematically analyze the role of a full-stack engineer.
Full stack engineer
A full-stack engineer is an engineer with multi-faceted
skills and knowledge who can develop and manage everything from front-end to
back-end, from database to server. They master multiple programming languages
and frameworks and can independently complete the development and deployment of
entire applications.
Full-stack engineers also need to have good
communication skills and teamwork spirit, and be able to effectively coordinate
the work of various departments. They are usually the technical leader of a
project and can provide professional support in requirements analysis,
architecture design, and code writing.
The comprehensive technical capabilities of full-stack
engineers make them highly sought after in the modern software development
field. A full-stack engineer is like
a multi-talented artist who represents the different parts of a software
application on both sides of the painting.
Development technology
The essence of a full-stack engineer is to be proficient in the development technology of the front-end (that is, the visual part of the web application) and the back-end (including servers, databases, and application infrastructure). This is also the core skill that a full-stack engineer must possess.
Software development process.
While traditionally, the term "full stack"
refers to people who work on both front-end and back-end, as the tech industry
continues to evolve, so do the requirements for full-stack engineers. Full-stack
engineers are now required to be able to handle cloud services, tasks, and even
understand UI/UX principles. The goal of a full-stack engineer is to have a
holistic perspective on the software development process.
It’s important to note that becoming a full-stack engineer doesn’t mean you have to master every technology or tool in every area. Instead, a full-stack engineer needs to understand each area well
enough to formulate solutions that span the entire web application.
According to my observation, every full-stack engineer
must have a soft spot for a specific field of work. Even if they invest a lot
of time studying multiple areas (or even all of them), everyone will find that
one area is more valuable or gives them more fulfillment than others.
The development history
If you want to truly understand the nature and
significance of a full-stack engineer, you need to trace the evolution of this
role. Although full-stack development is widely defined and applied in the
contemporary era, it actually derives from its role in software development
history.
In the early days of the digital age, little concept of
professional roles existed in software development. Developers often take on
multiple tasks, such as designing interfaces, writing code, and managing data.
Fundamentally, they are the original full-stack developers. This comprehensive
approach is mainly due to the simplicity of the application and the limited
nature of the technology stack.
Complexity of software development
However, as technology advances and networks become more complex, so does the complexity of software development. Developers began to narrow their focus and formed different roles such as
front-end developers, back-end developers, and database administrators. This era emphasizes the segmentation of tasks and responsibilities, focusing on depth rather than breadth in specific areas.
Various tools
The rapid spread of various tools, frameworks and platforms combined with agile methods has created the conditions for the rebirth of full-stack development. Especially in startups, developers are expected to quickly prototype and iterate across the entire application stack. This has fueled the renaissance of the full stack—full stack engineers are able to craft end-to-end solutions, streamline the development process, and accelerate product launches.
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