Web Dev for Beginners Microsoft: A Step-by-Step Guide

Microsoft Visual Studio is the go-to choice for web development beginners. It's a free, all-in-one tool that includes a code editor, debugger, and project manager.

You can download Visual Studio from the official Microsoft website. The Community version is perfect for beginners, with all the essential features you need to get started.

Visual Studio has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to navigate and find the tools you need.

As a beginner in web development, it's essential to learn the fundamental programming languages that form the building blocks of the web. HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is a must-know, as it's the standard markup language used for creating web pages.

You'll also need to learn CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), which enables you to program the appearance of the web page, with things like colors and fonts. JavaScript is another crucial language, which enables website functionality on both the front-end and back-end.

In fact, the three families of programming languages – HTML, CSS, and JavaScript – form the basic tools involved in virtually all aspects of web development. You can't go wrong with starting with these three languages, as they're the foundation of any web development knowledge.

Here are some of the key programming languages you should learn as a beginner web developer:

These languages will give you a solid foundation in web development and open up a world of possibilities for creating dynamic and interactive web pages.

To become a Web Developer, you'll need to develop a comprehensive understanding of how the web works, including HTML and CSS knowledge to build and style advanced static web pages. This foundation will help you establish problem-solving practices and logic to understand advanced programming concepts.

You'll also need to learn programming fundamentals, including JavaScript, object-oriented programming, and front-end frameworks like React. Front-end frameworks like React are used to build complex and dynamic web pages and professional-level user interfaces.

Here are some essential programming languages and skills for Web Developers:

Understanding responsive design is also crucial, as it ensures a website responds to different screen sizes and platforms. With over 52 percent of global web traffic coming from mobile phones, it's essential for Web Developers to be fluent in responsive design.

As you continue to grow your skills, you'll need to choose an area of specialization. This is a crucial step in your development journey.

There are three main types of web developers: Front-End, Back-End, and Full-Stack Developers.

A Front-End Developer works on the client-side of web development, focusing on the site's layout, design, and user interaction. This is where you get to make the site look and feel amazing.

A Back-End Developer works on the server-side of web development, handling databases, servers, networks, and hosting. This is the behind-the-scenes magic that makes the site function smoothly.

A Full-Stack Developer is a jack-of-all-trades, familiar with both front-and back-end development and working with both sides of a website.

Here are the main types of web developers:

As a developer, having the right technical skills is crucial for building successful projects. HTML and CSS are the foundation of any web development knowledge, with HTML being the standard markup language for creating web pages and CSS enabling you to program the appearance of the web page.

To become a proficient web developer, you'll need to learn programming languages such as JavaScript, which enables website functionality on both the front-end and back-end. SQL is also an important language to learn, as it's designed to manage, query, and manipulate data stored in a database.

Version control is a method of tracking different versions of code, and every experienced web developer should be comfortable with tools like Git. This helps ensure you can access or restore your code at any time.

In addition to programming languages and libraries, having a solid understanding of responsive design is crucial. This means designing websites that respond to the screen size or platform used to view the content, ensuring a seamless user experience across all platforms and screen sizes.

Here are some essential technical skills for web development:

With these technical skills, you'll be well on your way to building successful web projects. Remember, as a developer, it's essential to stay up-to-date with the latest technologies and best practices to deliver high-quality results.

As a developer, you know that technical skills are just half the battle. Soft developer skills are equally important to succeed in this field. Effective communication is essential to stay on track and complete projects, especially when working with diverse teams.

Communication is key, and freelance developers need to have strong written communication skills to succeed. This involves being able to articulate complex ideas in a clear and concise manner.

Problem-solving skills are a must-have for developers, as they'll often be tasked with debugging and maintenance. This requires thinking critically and finding creative solutions to complex problems.

Time management is also crucial, as developers often juggle multiple projects simultaneously. Prioritizing tasks and accurately gauging time-to-completion can make a huge difference in project delivery.

Developers need to be analytical thinkers, able to work backward through a project to spot areas for improvement. Having a head for data can also be incredibly helpful in this regard.

Following industry-wide and company-wide best practices saves time and improves code quality. This is because problems don't need to be resolved, but rather existing solutions can be applied appropriately.

A good developer learns the best practices of their company and applies industry-wide practices to save time and improve the overall quality of the code. This allows them to build on the shoulders of giants.

Computers are extremely precise, digital machines, and the slightest deviation from what they expect can cause code to fail. A good web developer has to write code that works.

Code that doesn't work correctly is as useless as code that doesn't work at all. Wrong results can have serious consequences, from mundane UI annoyances to disastrous security breaches.

A good developer adopts a test-driven mindset, actively imagining all scenarios where errors can occur and writing tests to prove the code is correct. This ensures the code is thoroughly tested for correctness.

Writing clean code that is well-structured and uses tools to identify potential errors before it runs is essential. This helps catch errors early on, making the development process more efficient.

A good developer writes high-quality code that other web developers can easily understand and modify. This is crucial in a social endeavor like software development, where many people rely on the codebase.

Visual Studio offers a range of tools and frameworks to help you build web applications quickly and efficiently.

For client-side JavaScript, you can take advantage of IntelliSense, which provides real-time code completion and debugging.

The tool also supports popular frameworks like Angular and Bootstrap, which can increase your productivity by providing pre-built components and libraries.

Libraries can be easily managed using LibMan, NuGet, or npm, which allow you to pull in just the files you need from popular framework and library packages.

Front-end and back-end frameworks are essential for building robust web applications.

Visual Studio includes IntelliSense for your client-side JavaScript, making it easier to write and debug code.

Angular and Bootstrap are two of the most popular web frameworks, and Visual Studio provides advanced support for them, lighting up with features like code completion and debugging tools.

Django is a powerful back-end framework that helps you build scalable and maintainable web applications.

Express is another popular back-end framework that allows you to build fast and flexible web applications.

ASP.NET and .NET Core on GitHub is a great place to find and contribute to open-source code. ASP.NET and .NET Core are Apache-and-MIT-licensed code on GitHub.

The community is actively engaged and encourages contributions. Found a bug or got a new idea? Open an issue or send a pull request.

All of the ASP.NET and .NET Core CLR runtime components are available on GitHub. The Azure SDKs for any language are also available on GitHub and taking contributions.

LibMan, NuGet, and npm are three powerful tools that can help you manage libraries and dependencies in your projects.

LibMan is a lightweight client-side library acquisition tool that allows you to get just the files you need from popular framework and library packages. This makes it a great choice for projects that require specific libraries or tools.

NuGet offers rich .NET server-side libraries, giving you access to a wide range of tools and utilities. With NuGet, you can easily manage your dependencies and keep your projects up-to-date.

npm is another popular tool that pulls in great tools and utilities. It's widely used in the JavaScript community and can help you manage your project's dependencies with ease.

To run the curriculum in a Codespace, click the Code button and select Open with Codespaces. This will create a new Codespace for you to work in.

In your copy of the repository you created, you can access this feature.

Clicking the Code button will give you the option to run the curriculum in a Codespace.

Selecting Open with Codespaces will create a new Codespace for you to work in, allowing you to run the curriculum.

Visual Studio makes it easy to deploy your web application to any host, whether it's on your local machine or in the cloud.

You can publish and manage your websites and virtual machines from within Visual Studio, streamlining the deployment process.

With integrated tools, you can scale to the Microsoft Azure cloud, giving your application the flexibility it needs to grow.

Deploying your web application to any host or scaling to the cloud has never been easier. Visual Studio includes integrated tools to make this process seamless.

With Visual Studio, you can publish and manage your websites and virtual machines from within the platform itself. This streamlines your workflow and saves you time.

You can deploy your web application to any host, giving you the flexibility to choose the best option for your needs.

The curriculum offered by Microsoft Cloud Advocates is a comprehensive 12-week course, consisting of 24 lessons that dive into JavaScript, CSS, and HTML through hands-on projects.

Each lesson is carefully designed to engage learners, with optional sketchnotes and supplemental videos to supplement the written lesson.

Lessons also include a pre-lesson warmup quiz to get learners ready, followed by a written lesson, step-by-step guides for project-based lessons, knowledge checks, and a challenge.

To help learners assess their knowledge, lessons conclude with a post-lesson quiz and supplemental reading, along with an assignment to reinforce learning.

Here's a breakdown of the components included in each lesson:

Quizzes are also included, with 48 total quizzes of three questions each, contained in the Quiz-app folder.