Courses / Module 1: Introduction to Web Development

Module 1: Introduction to Web Development

Name: Module 1: Introduction to Web Development
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.5 (2 reviews)

Course Details

Contents

5 lessons

Access

Public

Plan

FREE

Instructor

Juriel Comia

from BinaryAscent

About this Course

Understand what web development is and set up the development environment.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Lesson 1: What is Web Development?

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

Distinguish between frontend and backend development
Explain the role of each in web applications
Identify what full-stack development means

Lesson 2: Overview of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

Identify the three core techno...

# Syllabus

5 items

What is Web Development? (Frontend vs Backend)

Text

What is Web Development?

Web development is the process of building and maintaining websites and web applications. It involves creating everything from simple static pages to complex interactive applications that run in web browsers.

Frontend Development

Frontend (also called client-side) is what users see and interact with directly in their browser.

Technologies:

HTML - Structure and content
CSS - Styling and layout
JavaScript - Interactivity and dynamic behavior

What Frontend Developers Do:

Create user interfaces
Ensure responsive design (works on all devices)
Implement interactive features
Optimize user experience (UX)

Example: The buttons you click, forms you fill out, animations you see—that's all frontend.

Backend Development

Backend (also called server-side) handles the logic, database operations, and server configuration that users don't see.

Technologies:

Programming Languages: Python, JavaScript (Node.js), Java, PHP, Ruby
Databases: MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB
Server Management: APIs, authentication, data processing

What Backend Developers Do:

Manage databases
Handle user authentication and security
Process data and business logic
Create APIs for frontend communication

Example: When you log into a website, the backend verifies your credentials and retrieves your data.

Full-Stack Development

Developers who work on both frontend and backend are called full-stack developers.

Added February 3, 2026

Overview of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

Text

HTML (HyperText Markup Language)

HTML is the skeleton of a web page—it defines the structure and content.

Key Concepts:

Uses tags like <h1>, <p>, <div>, <img>
Creates headings, paragraphs, links, images, lists, and more
Provides semantic meaning to content

Example:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>My First Page</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Welcome to Web Development!</h1>
    <p>This is a paragraph.</p>
</body>
</html>

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)

CSS is the skin of a web page—it controls how HTML elements look.

Key Concepts:

Controls colors, fonts, spacing, layout
Makes websites responsive (mobile-friendly)
Creates animations and visual effects

Example:

h1 {
    color: blue;
    font-size: 32px;
    text-align: center;
}

p {
    color: gray;
    line-height: 1.6;
}

JavaScript

JavaScript is the muscles of a web page—it adds interactivity and dynamic behavior.

Key Concepts:

Responds to user actions (clicks, typing, scrolling)
Manipulates HTML and CSS in real-time
Fetches data from servers
Creates animations and effects

Example:

// Show an alert when button is clicked
document.querySelector('button').addEventListener('click', function() {
    alert('Hello, World!');
});

How They Work Together

HTML creates the structure (a button)
CSS styles it (makes it blue and rounded)
JavaScript adds behavior (shows a message when clicked)

Added February 3, 2026

Setting up the Development Environment

Text

Tools You'll Need

1. Visual Studio Code (VS Code)

VS Code is a free, powerful code editor that most web developers use.

Download: https://code.visualstudio.com/

Why VS Code?

Syntax highlighting (colorful code)
Auto-completion
Built-in terminal
Thousands of extensions
Git integration

Recommended Extensions:

Live Server - Launch a local development server
Prettier - Auto-format your code
HTML CSS Support - Better autocomplete
JavaScript (ES6) code snippets - Quick code templates

2. Web Browser

You'll need a modern browser for testing. Recommended options:

Google Chrome (most popular for development)
Firefox Developer Edition
Microsoft Edge

Developer Tools: All modern browsers have built-in tools (press F12) to inspect and debug code.

3. Git and GitHub

Git is a version control system that tracks changes in your code.

Download Git: https://git-scm.com/

Create GitHub Account: https://github.com/

Why Git?

Save versions of your code
Collaborate with others
Showcase your projects
Required by most employers

Setting Up Your Workspace

Step 1: Create a Project Folder

Documents/
  └── web-projects/
      └── module-1/

Step 2: Open Folder in VS Code

Open VS Code
File → Open Folder
Select your module-1 folder

Step 3: Install Live Server Extension

Click Extensions icon (or press Ctrl+Shift+X)
Search for "Live Server"
Click Install

Added February 3, 2026

Understanding How Web Pages Work

Text

The Client-Server Model

What Happens When You Visit a Website?

1. You Type a URL

Example: www.example.com
URL = Uniform Resource Locator (the web address)

2. DNS Lookup

Your browser asks a DNS (Domain Name System) server: "What's the IP address for example.com?"
DNS responds: "It's 192.0.2.1"

3. Browser Sends HTTP Request

Your browser (the client) sends a request to the server at that IP address
Request says: "Please send me the homepage"

4. Server Processes Request

The server receives your request
It finds the HTML file
May process backend code if needed

5. Server Sends HTTP Response

Server sends back HTML, CSS, JavaScript files
Response includes a status code (200 = success, 404 = not found)

6. Browser Renders the Page

Browser reads the HTML
Downloads CSS and JavaScript files
Displays the page to you

Key Concepts

Client (Frontend)

Your web browser
Runs on your computer/phone
Displays the webpage
Handles user interactions

Server (Backend)

A computer that stores website files
Always connected to the internet
Responds to requests
Processes data and logic

HTTP/HTTPS

HTTP = HyperText Transfer Protocol
HTTPS = HTTP Secure (encrypted)
The language browsers and servers use to communicate

Request Methods

GET - Retrieve data (viewing a page)
POST - Send data (submitting a form)
PUT - Update data
DELETE - Remove data

Response Status Codes

200 - OK (success)
404 - Not Found
500 - Internal Server Error
301 - Moved Permanently (redirect)

Local vs Remote Development

Local Development:

Files on your computer
Only you can see them
Faster for testing
Use file:// or localhost

Remote Development:

Files on a web server
Anyone can access
Requires hosting service
Uses real domain name

Activity: Create Your First Web Page

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Create an HTML File

Open VS Code
Create a new file: index.html
Type the following code:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>My First Web Page</title>
    <style>
        body {
            font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
            max-width: 800px;
            margin: 50px auto;
            padding: 20px;
            background-color: #f0f0f0;
        }
        
        h1 {
            color: #333;
            text-align: center;
        }
        
        .container {
            background-color: white;
            padding: 30px;
            border-radius: 10px;
            box-shadow: 0 2px 10px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);
        }
        
        button {
            background-color: #4CAF50;
            color: white;
            padding: 10px 20px;
            border: none;
            border-radius: 5px;
            cursor: pointer;
            font-size: 16px;
        }
        
        button:hover {
            background-color: #45a049;
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <div class="container">
        <h1>Welcome to Web Development!</h1>
        <p>This is my first web page. I'm learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.</p>
        
        <h2>What I'm Learning:</h2>
        <ul>
            <li>HTML - Structure</li>
            <li>CSS - Styling</li>
            <li>JavaScript - Interactivity</li>
        </ul>
        
        <button onclick="sayHello()">Click Me!</button>
    </div>
    
    <script>
        function sayHello() {
            alert('Hello! Welcome to web development!');
        }
    </script>
</body>
</html>

Step 2: Open in Browser

Option A - Using Live Server:

Right-click on index.html
Select "Open with Live Server"
Page opens automatically in your browser

Option B - Manual:

Find index.html in your file explorer
Double-click to open in your default browser

Step 3: Test the Interactivity

Click the "Click Me!" button
You should see an alert message

Experiment and Explore

Try modifying your code:

Change the heading text
Add more list items
Change the button color (edit the CSS)
Change the alert message (edit the JavaScript)

Added February 3, 2026

Summary

Text

What You've Learned

✅ Web Development Basics

Difference between frontend and backend
Role of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

✅ Development Environment

Installed VS Code
Set up a project folder
Installed helpful extensions

✅ How the Web Works

Client-server architecture
HTTP requests and responses
Local vs remote development

✅ Practical Skills

Created your first HTML file
Opened it in a browser
Added basic interactivity

Next Steps

Ready for Module 2? You'll dive deeper into:

HTML structure and semantic tags
Building forms and tables
Best practices for clean code

Additional Resources

Online Learning

MDN Web Docs - Comprehensive web documentation
W3Schools - Tutorials and examples
freeCodeCamp - Free coding courses

Practice

Codecademy - Interactive coding lessons
Frontend Mentor - Real-world projects
CodePen - Online code playground

Communities

Stack Overflow - Ask coding questions
Reddit: r/webdev - Web development discussions
Discord servers - Join developer communities

Quiz: Test Your Knowledge

What are the three main technologies used in frontend web development?
What does HTML stand for?
What is the difference between a client and a server?
What HTTP status code means "success"?
What tool did we use as our code editor?

Congratulations on completing Module 1! 🎉

You're now ready to start building real web pages. Keep practicing and don't be afraid to experiment with the code!

Added February 3, 2026

Module 1: Introduction to Web Development

FREE ACCESS

Current Status

Open for Enrollment

Instant access. No credit card required.

Brought to you by

BinaryAscent