A visual overview of useful skills to learn as a web developer
Web Skills is a visual overview of useful skills to learn as a web developer. Go to https://andreasbm.github.io/web-skills to check out the visual overview or scroll through this readme to get the overview as a list. If you like the project you are very welcome to become a stargazer 🤩
Web Skills is a visual overview of useful skills to learn as a web developer. It is useful for people who just started learning about web development and for people who have been in the field for years and want to learn new things. As a beginner, I would encourage you not to see this website as the definitive list of what you need to know but as an example of what you can learn and where you can start. The skills are arranged in chronological order based on what learning path I recommend you to take but feel free to jump around freely.
The skills are derived from a combination of 10 years of experience, a bachelor in software engineering and what I personally find to be the most useful to know on a day-to-day basis. Therefore, you’ll notice that it’s missing a lot of things. For example, I am not a PHP developer - because of this, PHP is not included. If you were a PHP developer, this overview would probably look a lot different.
I am spending my spare time building Web Skills for free because I want to help people get into web development. My motivation comes from people finding Web Skills useful, so if you like the project feel free to support me in any way you like! For example, you are more than welcome to become a stargazer, share Web Skills with your friends and followers or create blog articles linking to Web Skills. If you want to, it will absolutely make my day if you support me with a cup of coffee! ❤️
You are welcome to get involved in any way you like. If you want to, you can go to the issues page and help me fix the spelling, fix issues or suggest some new features. Any involvement is highly appreciated!
If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you will find a button that says “Sign in with Google”. If you click this button and sign in, you will be able to mark skills as completed.
I totally understand if you are a bit overwhelmed by the amount of skills on the page – but I can assure you that this overview includes much, much more than most people will ever need to know. My main goal is to provide a visual overview of web development and make people hungry for learning more. One of the things I absolute love about being a developer is learning new skills. I think it is amazing to be in a field where you can do what you do for a lifetime and still learn something new! People cannot be an expert in every skill on this page so try to find what excites you the most and become really good at that.
The skills are based on what I personally find to be the most useful on a day-to-day basis. If you think something really important is missing, you can always suggest it on the issues page.
When a skill is described as experimental, it means that the technology is immature and currently in the process of being added to the Web platform (or considered for addition). Think carefully before you start using experimental technology in any kind of production project. The definition used in Web Skills is based on the excellent definition used on MDN. You are very welcome to open an issue if you see a skill you believe should be marked as “experimental” or have the banner removed.
Reach out to me on Twitter at @AndreasMehlsen or take a look at my website if you want to learn more about what other projects I’m working on.
Learn the basics of HTML and get comfortable with it’s syntax and main concepts.
Get familiar with the basic HTML tags
Learn how to design efficient forms, validating them effectively and keeping the user informed along the way.
Learn how to make your content search-friendly.
Learn how to structure your HTML in a way that provides a rich experience when sharing it online.
Learn how to work with SVG files to make graphics look crisp across all screen resolutions.
Learn the best practices of writing HTML.
Learn the basics of CSS and get comfortable with it’s syntax and main concepts.
Learn about CSS selectors and how to effeciently target DOM elements.
Learn what specificity means and how to use it when writing CSS.
Learn how to use pseudo selectors.
Learn what the CSS box model means.
Learn about margin collapsing.
Learn the different ways you can define colors in CSS.
Learn how to use the CSS calc function.
Learn the different layout types for web.
Learn how to create layouts using flexbox.
Learn how to create layouts using CSS Grid.
Learn the different ways to transform elements through CSS.
Learn how to animate elements through CSS using keyframes.
Learn how to make your website responsive so it works across different screen sizes.
Learn how use media queries to build responsive layout.
Learn how to use relative units for properties such as font sizes and spacing.
Learn how to make images responsive, always showing the best possible version for the screen size.
Learn how to define and use CSS variables.
Learn the best practices of writing CSS.
Learn the basics of Javascript and get comfortable with it’s syntax and main concepts.
Learn how the spread syntax can help you when working with arrays.
Learn how destructuring can help you when working with objects.
Learn how the HTML is represented as objects that comprise the structure and content of a document.
Learn how to query HTML elements through Javascript and manipulate them.
Learn how to dispatch and listen for events.
Learn how to create and use objects.
Learn how to extend objects and functions through its prototype.
Learn how to define and use classes. Get somewhat comfortable with some of the object oriented concepts such as inheritence and encapsulation.
Learn how to use regex to extract information from strings.
Learn how template literals and tagged templates and help you manipulate strings.
Learn how to use promises and what asynchronous code means.
Learn how to use callbacks and why they are not always a good idea.
Learn how to use the async and await keywords to make it easier to write asynchronous code.
Learn how to use the fetch API to fetch data.
Learn how to use web animations to animate elements in the DOM.
Learn how to modularize your code into ES6 modules using the export and import keywords.
Learn how to localize your website using the Intl API.
Learn how to paint graphics onto a canvas.
Learn how to create good documentation and why it is important.
Learn the best practices of writing Javascript.
Learn why web standards are important and how new specifications are standardised.
Learn what W3C are doing and how they are moving the web forward.
Learn what TC39 are doing and how they are moving the web forward.
Learn what WHATWG are doing and how they are moving the web forward.
Learn how to read specifications developed by the standards committees.
Learn what a browser engine is and get an overview of the browser landscape and market share.
Learn about the Webkit browser engine.
Learn about the Blink browser engine.
Learn about the Gecko browser engine.
Learn how data is distributed through the HTTP protocol.
Learn the basics of how the internet works.
Learn how it is possible to use polyfills to increase the browser support for your website.
Learn about the basics concepts of debugging.
Learn how to use the developer console to debug your code.
Learn what accessibility is and why it is important.
Learn about assistive technology such as screen readers that reads sections of the page aloud based on the current focus.
Learn about the accessibility tree and how assistive technology uses it.
Learn how to use ARIA descriptions an labels to help assistive technology understanding your website.
Learn how to write HTML in such as way that assistive technology better understands it.
Learn how to use the alt attribute to provide a useful text alternative to this image.
Learn how to write CSS in such as way that assistive technology better understands it.
Learn how to build accessible forms that makes it usable to as many people as possible.
Learn how to make the state of each UI element clear.
Learn how to make it easy for keyboard users to navigate your site.
Learn how to create a sensible tab order and how to make it easy for the users to locate the currently focused element.
Learn how to select colors in such a way that users, including those with visual disabilities, can perceive the content on the page.
Learn about the governmental policies related to web accessibility.
Learn how to conduct an accessibility review to improve the overall experience of using your site. Remember, good accessibility equals good UX!
Learn how to create new HTML tags with Custom Elements.
Learn how to use HTML templates to create flexible templates that can then be used to populate the Shadow DOM.
Learn how to encapsulate your CSS using Shadow DOM.
Learn how to style the inside of a shadow tree from outside of that Shadow Tree by using Shadow Parts.
Learn how to compose Custom Elements by using slots.
Get familiar with best practices when it comes to building Web Components.
Learn how the Constructible Stylesheets proposal enables reusable styles when using shadow dom.
Learn how the Form Participation API proposal enables elements, other than built-in form control elements, to participate in form submission and validation.
Learn how to store data for your web app.
Learn what routing means in single page applications.
Learn how to use the history API to add single page applicaiton routing to your web app.
Learn how to register a service worker to provide a rich native-like experience.
Learn how to make your web app working offline with an offline first approach.
Learn how to add push notifications to your web app.
Learn how to tell the browser about your web app and how it should behave when ‘installed’ by creating a web app manifest.
Learn how to make your web app installable.
Learn how to handle inputs from pointing devices such as a mouse, pen/stylus or touch.
Learn how to use an app shell to provide an instant and reliable experience to users on repeat visits
Learn about render-blocking resources and why they are bad for the user-experience.
Learn how to minimize the overall download size by optimizing and compressing resources.
Learn why it is important to measure performance and which metrics you should prioritize.
Learn about Largest Contentful Paint and how it impacts the overall performance.
Learn about Total Blocking Time and how it impacts the overall performance.
Learn about Time to Interactive and how it impacts the overall performance.
Learn how to use lazy loading to lower the initial page payload and load time.
Learn how to use dynamic import to lazy load javascript.
Learn why offscreen images increase the load time and how to avoid them by lazy loading images.
Learn about the critical request chains and how to find them in your web app.
Learn how to use tree shaking to eliminate dead code.
Learn about codesplitting an how dividing your code into multiple chunks makes your web app faster.
Learn how to use the PRPL pattern to make web apps more performant.
Learn about resource prioritization and how to inform the browser about the importance of a resource.
Learn about caching and how it can be uses to make web apps load faster.
Learn about rendering, how a page is rendered and why it is important to keep your web app interactive and smooth running.
Learn about the event loop and how Javascript simulate like it’s running our commands in a multi-thread environment.
Learn about microtasks and the microtask queue.
Learn about the stack and how to investigate the staack trace when debugging.
Learn about the heap and how to investigate the heap snapshots when debugging.
Learn how to use the RAIL model to ensure a good user experience.
Learn how to use the requestAnimationFrame API to create butter-smooth animations.
Learn how to use the requestIdleCallback to defer heavy tasks.
Learn about the critical rendering path and how to identify it.
Learn about the five key points in the pixels-to-screen pipeline.
Learn how to optimize your CSS to avoid heavy style calculations.
Learn about transforms and how it is possible to avoid both layout and paint.
Learn about paint areas and how it is possible to reduce them.
Learn about layout trashing and how to avoid it.
Learn about layers and how to promote an element to another layer.
Learn how to debounce computationally expensive code to avoid blocking the UI.
Learn how to use CSS containment to improve the performance of your web app.
Learn how to use web workers to run a script operation in a background thread separate from the main execution thread.
Learn about HTTPS and why a website should always be protected with HTTPS.
Learn about the sandbox security mechanism and how it restricts the execution environment.
Learn about the OWASP organization and how they help with web application security.
Learn about cross-site scripting and how it is possible mitigate these kind of attacks.
Learn about clickjacking and how it is possible to mitigate these kind of attacks.
Learn about content security policy and how it can help to detect and mitigate certain types of attacks.
Learn about performance budgets and how you can create one for your web app.
Learn about lighthouse and how it can be used to audit your web app.
Learn about the Chrome DevTools and how it can be used to audit your web app.
Learn about package managers and how they make managing dependencies easier.
Learn about NPM and how it can be used to manage dependencies.
Learn about Yarn and how it can be used to manage dependencies.
Learn about module bundler and how they can help bundling your code.
Learn how you can use Rollup to bundle your code.
Learn how you can use Webpack to bundle your code.
Learn how you can use Parcel to bundle your code.
Learn how Snowpack can replace the traditional app bundler during development.
Learn how you can improve your code quality with linters and formatters.
Learn how you can use Prettier to format your code.
Learn how you can use ESLint to lint your code.
Learn about task runners and how you can automate code execution.
Learn about NPM scripts and how you can run your own.
Learn what transpilers are and why we need them.
Learn about Babel and how you can use it to transpile your code.
Learn how to use Typescript and how it can help making your code typesafe.
Learn about CSS pre-processors and why we need them.
Learn about SASS and how you can use it to simplify your styles.
Learn about PostCSS and how you can use its ecosystem of plugins to extend your CSS build pipeline.
Learn how to use Node.js.
Learn how to use lit-element for creating fast, lightweight web components.
Learn about Vue and how you can use it for building web apps.
Learn about React and how you can use it for building web apps.
Learn about Angular and how you can use it for building web apps.
Learn about Svelte and how it can convert your component into highly efficient imperative code.
Learn how Stencil can be used for generating small, fast web components.
Learn about various software testing methodologies and why it is important to test your code.
Learn about unit testing and how it can be used to test individual units of code.
Learn about integration testing and how it can be used to test modules as a group.
Learn about system testing and how it can be used to test the fully integrated software product.
Learn about acceptance testing and how it can be used to test the software for acceptability
Learn about smoke testing and how it can be used to ensure that critical functionalities of the program are working fine.
Learn about performance testing and how it can be used to determine the responsiveness and stability of a program.
Learn about usability testing and how it can be used to determine if the system is easily usable for the end-user.
Learn about white box testing and how it can be used to test the software’s internal structure, design, and coding.
Learn about black box testing and how a test can be carried out without looking at the internal code.
Learn about automated testing and when it should be applied.
Learn about manual testing and when it should be applied.
Learn about continuous integration and it can enable iterative software development.
Learn about A/B testing and how it can be used to optimize your web app.
Learn about test runners and how they can help running tests.
Learn about the Karma test runner.
Learn about the Mocha testing framework.
Learn about the Jasmine testing frameworks.
Learn how to use Cypress for end-to-end-testing.
Learn about the Ava test runner.
Learn about the best practices when it comes to testing.
Learn how programming languages can be categoried into different paraigmes based on their features.
Learn about object oriented programming and how objects can make your code easier to read and debug.
Learn about the SOLID design pricinples that can make your code more understandable, flexible and maintainable.
Learn about functional programming and how it can make your code easier to read and debug.
Learn about recursion and when it can be used to make your code more readable.
Learn about higher-order functions and when it can be used to make your code more readable.
Learn about currying and when it can be used to make your code more readable.
Learn about monads and when it can be used to make your code more readable.
Learn how commonly occurring problems can be solved using design patterns.
Learn about the singleton design pattern and when it should be used.
Learn about the observer design pattern and when it should be used.
Learn about the prototype design pattern and when it should be used.
Learn about the bridge design pattern and when it should be used.
Learn about the proxy design pattern and when it should be used.
Learn about the chain of responsibility design pattern and when it should be used.
Learn about the constructor design pattern and when it should be used.
Learn how CSS can be structured using CSS methodologies.
Learn about the BEM methodology and when it should be used.
Learn about the SMACSS methodology and when it should be used.
Learn about the OOCSS methodology and when it should be used.
Learn about git and how it is used for version control.
Learn how to use Github.
Learn how to use Bitbucket.
Learn about agile development and when to use it.
Learn about scrum and when to use it.
Learn about kanban and when to use it.
Learn about waterfall development and when to use it.
Learn about test driven development and when to use it.
Learn about color theory and how you can make your own color schemes.
Learn how to use the color wheel when making a color scheme.
Learn about typography and how to describe fonts.
Learn about font sizes and how to choose the right one.
Learn about line spacing and how to choose the right one.
Learn how the C.R.A.P. design principles can help you point out the qualities (or flaws) in a design.
Learn how the principles of contrast can help you when designing.
Learn how the principles of repetition can help you when designing.
Learn how the principles of alignment can help you when designing.
Learn how the principles of proximity can help you when designing.
Learn why consistency is one of the most important building-blocks in a design.
Learn how to use space in your design.
Learn how to improve the user experience by handling errors in an intuitive way.
Learn how a loading state can improve the user experience.
Learn how the golden ratio can help you when choose measurements for your design.
Learn about designing for mobile first and why it is important.
Learn about hit targets can why they should not be neglected.
Learn what design systems are and get familiar with some.
Learn about material design and get familiar with the core principles.
Learn about fluent design and get familiar with the core principles.
Learn how and why it is important to design for accessibility.
Learn about some of the best practices when designing.
Learn about streams and how they can help you effeciently transporting data.
Learn about media streams and how it is possible to get a stream to device specific hardware such as the camera or microphone.
Learn how to use the media recorder API to record media streams.
Learn how to use Web RTC for establishing real-time communication.
Learn how to use the Screen Capture API for recording the screen.
Learn how to use generator functions to define iterative algorithms by writing functions whose execution is not continuous.
Learn how the speech synthesis API can help you converting text to speech.
Learn about web sockets and how you can push data to your web app.
Learn how to ask the user for permission to the location.
Learn how to measure the orientation and motion of the device.
Learn how to use the fullscreen API to give the user a more immersive experience when needed.
Learn how to use variable fonts and how it is possible to customize fonts without the need for loading more.
Learn about the faster and more convenient HTTP/2 protocol.
Learn about the payment request API and how it can help monetize your web app.
Learn how to use the Web Audio API to add audio to your web app.
Learn about the observer pattern and get comfortable concepts such as subjects and observers.
Learn how to use the Mutation Observer API to get informed about changes to the DOM.
Learn how to use the Intersection Observer API can help you detect when an element is visible on the screen.
Learn how to use the Resize Observer API to get informed when the element resizes.
Learn how the Performance Observer API can help you get information about the performance of your web app.
Learn about the Scrollsnapping API and how it can help you provide an intuitive experience when scrolling.
Learn about Web Assembly and how it opens up the playing field for new types of web apps.
Learn how the Beacon API can help you send data to endpoints before the user closes the page.
Learn about the Clipboard API and how it can help you copy and paste data.
Learn how the Web Share API can help users sharing your web app.
Learn about the Performance API and how it can help you monitor the performance of the device.
Learn how the Gamepad API can help you integrate with various controllers such as an x-box or playstation controller
Learn how to use the Speech Recognition API to analyze speech.
Learn how to use Interaction Media Queries to optimize the user experience for the specific type of device.
Learn how to build browser extensions to enhance the functionality of your browser.
Learn how to use the Pointer Lock API to get the raw mouse movement and lock the target of mouse events to a single element.
Learn how to use the Picture-In-Picture API to watch videos in a floating window (always on top of other windows).
Learn how to use proxies to intercept certain operations and implement custom behaviors.
Learn about the Houdini project and get excited about the future of CSS.
Learn about Project Fugu project and get excited about the future of the Web.
Learn how to use the Web Authentication API to provide a strong authentication with public key cryptography.
Learn about the Credentials Manager API proposal and how it can help authenticating users.
Learn how the Native File System API proposal enables interacting with files on the user’s local device.
Learn how the Shape Detection API proposal can be use to detect shapes such as faces or barcodes in pictures.
Learn how the Web Bluetooth API proposal can be used to connect with nearby devices.
Learn the Web USB API proposal can be used to connect with hardware through a cable.
Learn how to use Web XR API proposal for virtual- and augmented reality experiences.
Learn how the Presentation API proposal enables your web app to use the presentation display mode in the browser or at an external display device.
Learn how the Network Information API proposal can give you information about the state of the network.
Learn how and when arrays should be used.
Learn how and when queues and stacks should be used.
Learn how and when trees should be used.
Learn how and when binary indexed trees should be used.
Learn how and when heaps should be used.
Learn how and when red-black trees should be used.
Learn how and when tries should be used.
Learn how and when K-D trees should be used.
Learn how and when hash tables should be used.
Learn how and when linked lists should be used.
Learn how and when graphs should be used.
Learn about time complexity and how it can be used to analyze an algorithm.
Learn how to setup a cost model for an algorithm.
Learn how to make an order-of-growth classification to classify the cost model.
Learn how to use Big O notation to classify the time complexity of an algorithm.
Learn about space complexity and how it can be used to analyze an algorithm.
Learn about the most important sorting algorithms and figure out what challenges there are involved with implementing one.
Learn about the insertion sort algorithm.
Learn about the quicksort algorithm.
Learn about the mergesort algorithm.
Learn about the heapsort algorithm.
Learn about the most important searching algorithms and figure out what challenges there are involved with implementing one.
Learn about the binary search algorithm.
Learn about the breadth first search algorithm.
Learn about the depth first search algorithm.
Learn about dijkstra’s algorithm.
Learn about various algorithms for searching in strings.
Learn about hashing algorithms.
Learn about relational databases and how to use them.
Learn how to write SQL statements to communicate with a database.
Learn about the open-source relational database management system called MySQL.
Learn about the open-source relational database management system called PostgreSQL.
Learn about non-relational databases and how to use them.
Learn about the open-source non-relational database management system called Redis.
Learn about the open-source non-relational database management system called MongoDB.
Learn how data modelling can help your database design.
Learn how to model your data using ER diagrams.
Learn how to figure out what types of keys to use and where to use them.
Learn how to use indexing to speed up your database.
Learn how to assure the accuracy and consistency of data.
Learn how data normalization can help you decrease data redundancy and improve data integrity in your database.
Learn how to find functional dependencies to improve your database design.
Learn how normal forms can help you normalize your database.
Learn how transactions can group a set of database tasks into a single execution unit.
Learn about the ACID properties of transactions.
Learn how to determine whether a schedule is serializable and leaves the database in a consistent state.
Learn about locks and when they should be used.
Learn about deadlocks and why they should be avoided.
Learn how to create a precedence graph to test for conflict serializability of a schedule.
Learn about the fundamental architectural server models.
Learn about the client-server model.
Learn about the proxy-server model.
Learn about the peer-to-peer model.
Learn about middleware.
Learn how computers communicate with eachother using the request-reply protocol.
Learn about the UDP transport layer protocol.
Learn about the TCP transport layer protocol.
Learn how an API can be designed to be RESTful.
Learn about the CRUD operations.
Learn about the Node.js web application framework called Express.
Learn how to use the GraphQL query language.
Learn about the GNU/Linux operating system
Learn how to use Docker.
Learn how to use SSH and learn how to connect to a device using an SSH client.
Andreas Mehlsen | You? |
🔥 |
Licensed under MIT.