Web development basically means a category of steps which are required to take forward till the last so that a particular web based project at hand can be completed. The process comprises of distinct sections such as web design, web content draft, client or server side scripting and network security configuration, among other miscellaneous projects.
Though these two terminologies are often confused and interchanged, there is a clear distinction. Web design can be said to be a part of web development process, and deals with the aesthetic bit and user experience. In short, the look and feel of the website which requires the set up of information architecture, creating wireframes and then finally the design layout stage.
Web development on the other hand has two aspects to it. The front end development includes inspection of the visual design of the website and building it in code. This requires knowledge of language, scripting. Whereas back-end development has to do with advanced programming and interactions on web pages. The focus here is on how a site works and how the customers can easily work their way around on it using certain functionality.
Web development is an entire project cycle with structured steps. This starts right from gathering requisite information for the purpose of setting the goals, deciding target audience, setting up sitemap, layout of design, content draft, coding, testing phases, systematic review and finally launch. Then there is regular maintenance involved with monitoring feedback and consistent updates to keep a check on performance.
A web developer will create programs and applications for the world wide web. The functions of a web developer can be divided to cater to client side scripting which is a code that performs in any web browser and decides what visitors will view on the landing page. Then there is server side scripting which is a code that runs on the web server and influences the behind-the-scene functionality of a website. The third part is database technology which helps the website operate smoothly.
A tech stack consists of a tool-set to create a web app, so one has to be completely aware of what one is planning to build so that the appropriate tools are picked. The collection of web development technologies are called stack.
Selection of the right stack is very real challenge. But it is entirely dependent on the project.