A full stack developer builds both the part of an app people see (the front end) and the part that stores data and runs the rules (the back end). You start by learning how the web works, then build small projects, then grow into designing whole systems. No degree is legally required. About 85% of software developers hold a bachelor's, but employers hire on proof of skill, so a portfolio of deployed projects carries a lot of weight. Everything below is free. The plan assumes 8-10 hours a week. Each stage builds on the last: HTML, CSS and JavaScript come first, then a server and a database, then
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Every stage from beginner to expert, with lessons, practice drills, projects, interview questions and free resources. Free with a Rolearch account.
Stage 1 of 4 · about 16 weeks
Understand how the web works (browser, server, HTTP). Write HTML, CSS and modern JavaScript. Use Git and the command line. Build 3 small static or interactive pages, such as a to-do app and a weather widget that calls a public API. Learn to read error messages and debug with browser DevTools.
How the web works and the command line
Every bug you will ever chase lives somewhere between a browser and a server. If you can picture what travels between them, errors stop feeling like magic. The command line is also where Git, Node and every later tool live.
Git and GitHub basics
Professional developers save and share work through version control. Git lets you try ideas safely and undo mistakes, and your GitHub profile becomes the portfolio employers actually open.
HTML and CSS
Everything users see is HTML and CSS. Clean markup makes pages accessible and easier to build on, and good layout skills let you turn a design into a working page, which is a daily task.
Modern JavaScript and the DOM
JavaScript makes pages respond to people, and it is the language you will use on both front end and back end. Strong fundamentals now make React and Node far easier later.
Async JavaScript, APIs and debugging
Real apps fetch data from servers, and that data arrives later. Reading API docs and fixing errors is also most of a developer's day, so learning to debug calmly is as important as writing code.
Then 3 more stages (about 132 weeks in all) with lessons, drills, projects, 10 interview questions with strong answers and free resources.