I'm getting back into web development after dabbling in it a while back. I originally worked with static websites and built a basic asset inventory web app using the LAMP stack about six or seven years ago. I'm interested in creating some personal projects like a website and a few web apps with user management and authentication features. I have some online courses on Node.js and Python, but I'm leaning more towards PHP since it's what I knew before. I've been exploring frameworks recently, and while Laravel seems popular, it feels overly commercialized now. Django looks too complex for my needs, and I just stumbled upon Drupal, which I vaguely recall from before and seems somewhat fitting. My main goal is to understand the fundamentals of whatever language or framework I choose and avoid pitfalls. I'm comfortable with Linux and setting up development environments but want to expand my skills. What advice can you offer on where to (re)start my journey?
1 Answer
I went through a similar shift from LAMP to modern frameworks, and I found using AI chatbots like ChatGPT really helpful. Just tell them what you’re familiar with and they'll guide you through new technologies with examples. Modern web development is heavily oriented toward JavaScript and TypeScript now, which is a big shift. If you're a decent coder, getting into React and Next.js could really broaden your development options since their ecosystem is vast compared to older frameworks like Drupal.
Just a heads up, while modern browsers allow for lots of cool features, just be careful not to overdo it with client-side heavy apps, or you might run into performance issues—especially with multi-tab browsing.