For a Friend: From Infrastructure to Web Development in 2025

After a meetup where I delivered a talk on optimistic UI, a friend approached me with an interesting query. He primarily works in infrastructure, dealing with Linux, Terraform, and Kubernetes, and dabbled in web development years ago. He asked, "I'd like to get back into web development. Where should I start?"

The question struck me as both interesting and highly relevant. Web development is a vast and sometimes perplexing field from the outside. It evolves rapidly, with new tools, libraries, frameworks, and best practices emerging constantly. It can seem daunting, especially the JavaScript world, where JS fatigue is a common challenge.

!IMPORTANT Regardless of your background, this advice applies universally. Remember, though, this is based on my experience, vision, and opinion, not an absolute truth.

Before I offer any advice, it's crucial to understand the context. How my friend intends to use web development will influence the recommendations. I see two main paths:

1. Web development as a hobby: Creating personal projects, learning, and having fun.
2. Web development as a career: Working in a company to build products and collaborate with a team.

The approach also varies by location, as different countries have distinct markets and favored tools. Here, we're focusing on creating websites or web applications, not developing tools or libraries.

In recent years, I've experimented with numerous tools, libraries, frameworks, and languages. Finding the right stack can be challenging and time-consuming. Guidance at the start of your journey can save significant time and prevent spreading yourself too thin amid the constant influx of new tools.

Let's start with the essentials.

The basics

The foundations of web development are HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Here are some resources to learn them:

• Apprendre l'HTML with Grafikart.
• Découverte du CSS with Grafikart.
• Apprendre le JavaScript with Grafikart.
• HTML & CSS Crash Course Tutorial with the Net Ninja.
• Modern JavaScript Tutorial with the Net Ninja.
• JavaScript DOM Tutorial with the Net Ninja.

These resources will provide a solid foundation. Don't spend excessive time on them, while fundamentals are essential, they are just the starting point. Keep the Mozilla Developer Network (MDN) as your go-to reference guide.

Backend or frontend

Many newcomers prefer to explore frontend frameworks like React, Vue, or Angular. Others may opt for a Node.js backend with Express, leveraging their comfort with JavaScript.

However, neither path is ideal at the start. Using a frontend framework too early or diving into the Node.js ecosystem can be overwhelming. My recommendation is to start with PHP and Laravel.

!NOTE Laravel is a web application framework with an expressive, elegant syntax, allowing you to create apps effortlessly.

Forget any preconceived notions about PHP being outdated or cumbersome. The language has evolved significantly, making PHP development comfortable and efficient.

Here's why PHP and Laravel are recommended:

• Laravel's documentation at laravel.com is one of the most comprehensive.
• The Laravel package ecosystem is vast, well-maintained, and documented, providing resources even for niche needs.
• Laravel's community is supportive and resource-rich, with platforms like Laracasts offering extensive learning materials across web development topics. You can't find a better resource for learning web development.