Last Updated on August 26, 2022 by Robin
According to Gartner, the worldwide end-user spending on public cloud computing services is growing from $270 billion in 2020 to $332.3 billion in 2021. It’s poised to increase further to $397.5 billion in 2022. The 47% growth in 2 years is creating an unprecedented demand for cloud computing professionals, including full stack developers.
Cloud computing requires professionals and specialists with particular expertise, such as software engineers, software architects, development operations engineers, data engineers, system engineers, and data scientists. A full stack developer has more than one area of expertise and someone who knows how to build an application from scratch and also knows how to integrate these technologies with the server-side.
The spectrum of cloud computing has more than a dozen hot jobs Tech Republic researched – the top three are specialists like software engineers, software architects, and development operations engineers. The next most lucrative job is that of a full stack developer. Read on as we discuss what full stack developers are and how they compare with cloud computing.
Full Stack Developer vs. Cloud Computing: The Key Difference
A full stack developer is an IT professional, usually with a computer science degree. They typically have hands-on experience dealing with all essential hardware, software, operating systems, business logic, programming languages, applications, and, more importantly, servers, databases, and networks.
Cloud computing isn’t a specific job or role. It’s the entire setup of IT solutions necessary to facilitate an array of services. These services include infrastructure, platform, software, business processes, application, management and security, system, and desktop.
Full Stack Developers vs. Cloud Computing Jobs
One of the most popular cloud computing jobs is that of a software engineer.
A software engineer develops programs. The program could be an operating system, an application, and even a video game.
The responsibilities of a software engineer or developer are limited to research, design, and writing the codes for the program or application.
Neither software engineers nor architects work on the entire front-end and back-end infrastructure spectrum, be it hardware, software, or other solutions. Many software engineers work only on a limited portion of the code required to run an operating system, game, or application.
Software architects have a broader role in upholding coding standards and ensuring compatibility with platforms and tools.
All other cloud computing professionals, such as data engineers, data scientists, system engineers, system administrators, or those who work with programming languages and different platforms, have specific roles in the larger scheme of things. Only a full stack developer straddles the entire ecosystem.
Two cloud computing jobs are somewhat similar to that of a full stack developer. These are front-end and back-end developers.
- A front-end developer works on all the solutions that are accessed by the end-users.
- A back-end developer works on the entire infrastructure necessary to facilitate the front-end services.
- A full stack developer works on both.
An Overview of Full Stack Development
Almost all IT solutions and indeed cloud computing services have two significant ends. The first is the server-side, also known as the back-end.
The second is client-side, also referred to as the user-end. However, this is a simplified explanation. The back-end has multiple levels or stacks, and so does the front-end.
Every IT system, process, or solution runs on stacks. A stack is an abstract data type within a more extensive setup. Any program based on PHP, Java, Ruby, or Python is a significant stack. HTTP-based communications are a different type of stack. Databases are also a kind of stack.
Multiple stacks work in synergy to run a process.
There are various stacks at the back-end, such as databases, servers, operating systems, business logic, architectures, and more. Some stacks connect the back-end and the front-end, such as an Application Programming Interface (API).
There are multiple front-end stacks, too, some of which are of the IT or cloud service provider, and the others are in the native application or interface being used by the client or customer. Full stack development covers everything in this enormous ecosystem.
Cloud computing and many other IT solutions can function uninterruptedly and as expected only when all the stacks are developed, managed, and operated flawlessly. While every department plays its part, the overall functioning and management rest with the full stack development team.
Key Responsibilities of a Full Stack Developer
These developers work with databases, web servers, architectures and frameworks, various types of hardware and software, network infrastructure, programming libraries, desktop & mobile applications, API, and UI/UX design. Full stack developers or engineers have more key responsibilities.
The comprehensive role of a full stack developer requires an eligible professional to be familiar with a combination of the following:
- Front end – Javascript, Typescript, Elm, XML, React, GraphQL, Boostrap, Angular, Gulp, Grunt
- Back end (aka server side) – Javascript, Ruby, Python, Scala, Go, Node.js, Express.js, SQL, Java, PHP, C#
These developers play a fundamental role in setting up, testing, improving, managing, functioning, and troubleshooting everything in the back-end, connecting interfaces, and the front-end of a cloud computing ecosystem.
Full stack developers usually test hardware and software, troubleshoot and upgrade them, work on data protection and security, coordinate with other teams to improve all back-end & front-end systems, and write the technical documents for all the systems.
Career Prospects for a Full Stack Developer
Full stack developers are once again in demand these days, not only in cloud computing environments. All IT-dependent sectors need full stack developers and engineers, from banking to e-commerce, social media to manufacturing.
Eligible professionals can explore jobs in Verizon, Samsung, Deloitte, Spotify, and Starbucks, among countless other organizations.
Salary.com reports that full stack developers earn between $82,430 and $109,156 per year BUT once you reach a Lead or Principal level compensation really jumps. According to Indeed.com, full stack developers or engineers with three to five years of experience make around $128,585. The latter is at par with the salaries reported on Indeed.com of software architects and senior software engineers.
Final Thoughts
A full stack developer or engineer serves as an active facilitator to ensure all departments of cloud computing or an IT environment work in tandem. It is an all-inclusive process, but the developers or engineers aren’t solely responsible for everything. Most companies have teams of similar developers.
Want to learn more skills to become a full stack developer? Check out our list of data and software training resources.
