INTRODUCTION
The internet is an infrastructure that has allowed the rise of technologies that have connected the world. From social media to blockchains, the internet is the backbone that makes it all possible. The world wide web is a technology built on top of the internet. There are three main components to the front-end of a modern website: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The back-end of a website can be more diverse and it involves servers and databases. The anatomy of the of a website is similar to human anatomy and physiology. These components mimic the skeletal, integumentary, and nervous system.
HTML
After gaining an understanding of how the internet functions, learning Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is a good first start on the path to learning web development. HTML is the skeletal system of a website. HTML provides structure to the web. As the skeletal system is composed of bones, HTML supports a website through HTML tags. Various HTML tags instruct a web browser how to display a website. Understanding HTML guides developers by helping connect the other components of a website.
CSS
After HTML, understanding Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is the next step to take to learn web development. CSS serves as the integumentary system of a website. Like skin and hair, CSS provides properties that render the appearance of a website. Using HTML elements, CSS applies properties to tags giving the tags an appearance that HTML alone can not achieve. Having a basic understanding of HTML and CSS is great start towards learning web development. While HTML mastery may involve memorization alone, mastery of CSS must include practice beyond memorization. Having a deep understanding of CSS can go a long way into manipulating the visual identity of a website. Since the advent of CSS, many strides of have been taken to make CSS easier to use. Two additions to CSS, Grid and Flexbox, make CSS much easier to use. Along with those additions, there are many frameworks available to apply CSS.
JAVASCRIPT
JavaScript is a programming language associated with the web. JavaScript coordinates the communication that takes place between the user and the website much like the nervous system facilitates the actions of the human body. JavaScript can sense when a user performs a certain action. With this ability, JavaScript is able to communicate with HTML and CSS altering the website as desired. While it is possible to create a website with HTML and CSS alone, JavaScript provides functionality to the web that is not possible with HTML and CSS. Mastering JavaScript is arguably much more difficult than mastering HTML and CSS. Key components of JavaScript are data types and data structures along with functions. There are also many frameworks to help implement JavaScript within a web page.
THE BACK-END
Understanding the back-end of a website is not as straight forward as the steps in learning the front-end. It is entirely possible to create a website that is only a front end. A website such as a landing page doesn’t necessarily require the complexities of a backend. However, a web application geared towards user interaction will incorporate some sort of back-end technology. There are a variety of different tools available to perform back-end tasks. The back-end may involve a server and/or a database. Beginner developers may find comfort in using JavaScript to create a server. However; servers can be written in a variety of different programming languages. Databases also come in different varieties. The back-end of a website is an entirely different world from the from the front-end. When incorporated in a coherent manner, both of these aspects of the web come together fluidly to produce modern websites.
CONCLUSION
Using the internet as a foundation, the world wide web is composed of web pages that use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript as forms of expression. Like the human body, a website has key components that function in tandem to create a working product. HTML and CSS serve aesthetic and structural purposes while JavaScript provides function. The path to learning web development begins with understanding how HTML, CSS, and JavaScript work together to create the front-end of a website. The back-end of a website is a an entirely different world. Together, the front-end and the back-end create the modern websites that compose the world wide web.