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The frontend is everything the user sees and interacts with in the browser: layout, buttons, text, and animations. The backend is the server side the user never sees: the database, the business logic, and the code that decides what data to send. Frontend is the storefront, backend is the warehouse.
A frontend developer works with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to build the interface. A backend developer works with a server language and a database to handle accounts, payments, and stored data. Many developers do both, which is called full-stack.
A simple brochure site may be almost all frontend. Anything with logins, saved data, or transactions needs a real backend, which is what separates a website from a web app.
Updated July 2026
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When you type an address, your browser asks a server for that page, the server sends back files (HTML for structure, CSS for style, JavaScript for behavior), and the browser assembles them into what you see. The whole exchange usually takes under a second and repeats every time you click.
An API (application programming interface) is a defined way for two pieces of software to talk to each other. It's the messenger that takes a request, tells another system what you want, and brings back the response. When a site shows live weather or takes a card payment, it's calling an API.
A database is organized storage for a site's data: users, orders, posts, settings, anything that needs to be saved and retrieved. It lets an application find, add, update, and relate information quickly and reliably. Any site with accounts or saved content sits on a database.