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Web Development

Web development is the work involved in developing a website for the Internet (World Wide Web) or an intranet (a private network). Web development can range from developing a simple single static page of plain text to complex web applications, electronic businesses, and social network services. A more comprehensive list of tasks to which Web development commonly refers, may include Web engineering, Web design, Web content development, client liaison, client-side/server-side scripting, Web server and network security configuration, and e-commerce development.

Among Web professionals, “Web development” usually refers to the main non-design aspects of building Web sites: writing markup and coding. Web development may use content management systems (CMS) to make content changes easier and available with basic technical skills.

For larger organizations and businesses, Web development teams can consist of hundreds of people (Web developers) and follow standard methods like Agile methodologies while developing Web sites. Smaller organizations may only require a single permanent or contracting developer, or secondary assignment to related job positions such as a graphic designer or information systems technician. Web development may be a collaborative effort between departments rather than the domain of a designated department. There are three kinds of Web developer specialization: front-end developer, back-end developer, and full-stack developer. Front-end developers are responsible for behavior and visuals that run in the user browser, while back-end developers deal with the servers.

Web development takes into account many security considerations, such as data entry error checking through forms, filtering output, and encryption. Malicious practices such as SQL injection can be executed by users with ill intent yet with only primitive knowledge of Web development as a whole. Scripts can be used to exploit Web sites by granting unauthorized access to malicious users that try to collect information such as email addresses, passwords and protected content like credit card numbers. Some of this is dependent on the server environment on which the scripting language, such as ASP, JSP, PHP, Python, Perl or Ruby is running, and therefore is not necessarily down to the Web developer themselves to maintain. However, stringent testing of Web applications before public release is encouraged to prevent such exploits from occurring. If some contact form is provided on a Web site it should include a captcha field in it which prevents computer programs from automatically filling forms and also mail spamming.

Because new security holes are found in Web applications even after testing and launch, security patch updates are frequent for widely used applications. It is often the job of Web developers to keep applications up to date as security patches are released and new security concerns are discovered.

Keeping a Web server safe from intrusion is often called Server Port Hardening. Many technologies come into play to keep information on the Internet safe when it is transmitted from one location to another. For instance TLS certificates (or “SSL certificates”) are issued by certificate authorities to help prevent Internet fraud. Many developers often employ different forms of encryption when transmitting and storing sensitive information. A basic understanding of information technology security concerns is often part of a Web developer’s knowledge.

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