Hey everyone! I find myself in a bit of a time warp, having last dabbled in web development back in 2001. Back then, I was using PHP, ASP Classic, and ColdFusion to connect to MySQL databases, and I was just getting into AJAX and JSON. I loved how jQuery sped things up on the client side, and CodeIgniter introduced me to the MVC pattern.
Now that I'm trying to catch up, I see some pretty massive changes:
1. It seems like nobody uses FTP anymore—everyone's talking about Git. How does that work with hosting?
2. The term "server" has become pretty vague with all these buzzwords like containers and droplets. What's the deal with that?
3. What hosting options do people use now? And what's up with this "cloud" stuff?
4. Which programming languages are popular on the server side these days? I feel like PHP is getting a bad rap, but I'm not sure why.
On the flip side, some things appear to be the same:
- At least JavaScript is still a mainstay, although it seems to be doing a lot more these days.
- Family and friends still ask me for tech help connecting APIs—I want to make it easy for whoever has to maintain it in case I spontaneously vanish for another couple of decades!
- And they still play Alanis Morissette a lot on the radio, which is a bit mind-boggling. What's the deal with that?
3 Answers
Welcome back to the wild world of web dev! Here’s a quick rundown on what’s changed since your last adventure:
1. **Git and Version Control**: Forget FTP! Git is the go-to for version control now. You push code to a repository (like GitHub), and automated pipelines handle deployment.
2. **Cloud Hosting**: The "cloud" means your app runs on someone else's servers. Major players include AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure. They handle scaling and infrastructure, so you can focus on coding.
3. **Programming Languages**: JavaScript is now everywhere—you can even run it on the server using Node.js. PHP still exists, but it’s often doubted. Python and Ruby are popular now too!
4. **JavaScript on the Back-End**: JavaScript isn’t just for the front any more; it’s back-end too! Frameworks like Express.js let you build full applications using JavaScript.
5. **New Trends**: Single Page Applications (SPAs) are super common. They use front-end frameworks like React or Angular to create responsive interfaces and rely heavily on APIs for data.
Couldn’t have said it better! If you're curious about resources to learn all this new stuff, hit me up!
A few other pointers:
1. **Modern Frameworks**: If you’re looking to get back into web dev, React and Vue.js are the blue chips now. They make building dynamic UIs so much easier.
2. **DevOps**: The line between development and operations has blurred. CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) practices are super common, automating testing and deployment processes.
3. **Back-End Options**: For server-side languages, Java (Spring Boot), Python (Flask, Django), and another contender, Go, are making waves. PHP is less popular for new projects but still widely used and supported with modern frameworks.
4. **APIs**: REST and GraphQL have become the main formats for APIs. Integration is seamless and won't give you headaches anymore compared to older methods.
So, get ready to dive into a lot of new concepts, but don’t forget your roots!
Lol! Some things never change—you'll definitely have a few 'what year is it?' moments!
And yeah, about Alanis—let's just say nostalgia is powerful! You might want to check out Spotify to see what's new!
Oh boy, it’s wild out here!
1. **Containers and Microservices**: You’ve got Docker now, which lets you package your app and dependencies in a lightweight container, making it portable and reliable.
2. **Cloud Providers**: The cloud is essentially powerful remote servers that service requests without you having to manage physical machines. It’s a mix of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS).
3. **JS Dominance**: JavaScript has become the backbone; almost everything is moving towards full-stack JS development. Don’t get too attached to just PHP!
4. **APIs Everywhere**: APIs are the backbone of applications today, letting different services communicate and share data seamlessly. Most sites now load dynamically via API calls instead of server-generated HTML.
If you liked jQuery, you’ll love how native JS has evolved—much better flexibility without needing extra libraries!
Right? jQuery feels a bit old-fashioned now with all the new options we have!
Don't forget about the massive leap to HTML5 and CSS3! It’s what allows developers to do so much more with less effort.
This is such a good summary! I totally agree about Git—it's a game changer. Automated deployments are the best!