How should a backend developer build their first frontend?

You have two reasonable options: use the project as a chance to learn frontend development, or bring in someone who already enjoys frontend work. If you want to learn modern single-page applications, React, Vue, and Angular are common choices. You could also take an older but simpler approach by rendering HTML on the backend and adding plain JavaScript or a small library such as HTMX for interactive behavior.

Don’t feel like you need to pause the project for a full frontend curriculum. If your API is reasonably clean, start with a thin interface using server-rendered templates, HTMX, or Alpine.js. Before choosing a larger framework, check that the API handles things a UI will need, including useful error responses, pagination, and authentication. A lightweight interface can get the project usable quickly, while a more involved frontend stack may make sense later if the interactions become complex.

A lightweight HTML-first tool such as Datastar could also be a good fit. It lets you build a functional interface with regular HTML and CSS while adding interactive and real-time behavior without having to learn a large JavaScript framework immediately.

It’s worth learning the fundamentals first: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, browser developer tools, and how forms and HTTP requests work. After that, choose one mainstream framework such as React, Vue, or Angular and build a small interface for your existing API. You can use tools to speed up routine work if you want, but understanding the code yourself will make debugging much easier.