computer science

Web development

Web development is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Web development rather than just read about it. In short: Web development is the process of designing, developing and maintaining websites and web apps. Web development encompasses several different fields, most commonly referring to the programming of websites.

Key takeaways

Web development belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Web development to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Web development from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Web development is the process of designing, developing and maintaining websites and web apps. Web development encompasses several different fields, most commonly referring to the programming of websites. Front-end development is the act of developing the user interface and client-side code, while back-end development focuses on the infrastructure behind a website, mainly server-side code. Since the World Wide Web was released publicly in 1993, web development has evolved greatly, with websites changing from a collection of static HTML pages to complex projects using frameworks, servers, and databases.

Overview Web development includes many individual tasks, including web design, web content development, networking, and coding. Among web professionals, "web development" usually refers to the main non-design aspects of building websites: writing markup and coding. Web development is generally split into two fields: front-end development and back-end development. Front-end developers create the user interface of websites, turning web designs into HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code. Front-end developers must also make sure that websites work consistently across different browsers and devices. Back-end development, also known as server-side development, focuses on the infrastructure behind a website, including APIs, database management, and security. Some choose to be full-stack developers, meaning they work on both the front-end and back-end.

History

The World Wide Web is often categorised into three generations: Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0 (or Web3). It was invented in 1989, and released to the public in 1993. In the early years of the web, retrospectively referred to as Web 1.0, websites were simply a collection of static HTML files, and had limited interactivity. After the introduction of JavaScript in 1995, websites could contain logic, allowing for interactivity. The following year CSS was released, allowing greater control over the styling of web pages. In 1999, the term Web 2.0 was coined by Darcy DiNucci. The term later resurfaced in the early 2000s, as websites started to increase in complexity, requiring server-side services in addition to JavaScript. This led to the emergence of various new programming languages and frameworks designed for backend services, such as PHP, Active Server Pages, and Jakarta Server Pages. This enabled websites to do additional server-side processing, such as accessing databases. Another shift in web development was the release of the iPhone in 2007. This created a new medium for accessing the web, requiring a new approach to web development, and resulting in responsive web design, which allows a single website to appear different depending on the device running it. Later, progressive web apps were introduced, allowing websites to be installed on a device as an independent application. In the 2010s, JavaScript frameworks began to emerge, creating new ways to manipulate web pages, and increasing compatibility between web browsers. JQuery was popular in the early 2010s, but was later surpassed by other frameworks such as React and Vue.js. In the mid 2020s, use of AI became prevalent among web developers, with the 2025 Stack Overflow survey showing over 80% of developers saying they use AI at least monthly in their development process.

See also Outline of web design and web development Web design Web development tools Web application development Web developer

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Web development

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Web development claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Web development before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Web development ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Web development

In research: Web development appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Web development in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Web development is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Software development, Web applications, Web development, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Web development outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Web development in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Web development means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Web development out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Web development in simple terms?

Why does Web development matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Web development?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Web development.