Software Developers Vs Application Developers- What’s the difference?
The IT industry is pretty much expanding! Gone are the days when there used to be a professional named software developer who was considered as the jack of all! With the expansion in the software development realm, the types of professionals or software engineers also seem to increase. Today we just don’t have software developers or software engineers but a wide range of computer science professionals such as frontend developers, backend developers, full-stack developers, mobile developers, data scientist developers, DevOps developers, software developers, web developers featuring specific technical skills for specific jobs.
For instance, a mobile developer creates a mobile application whereas a game developer creates gaming apps. They might know each other’s work or which technology or software development tools are used to create these mobile and computer apps but they won’t be able to switch roles and do every job in the software development industry.
The following post focuses on how a software developer is different from an app developer and a web developer. So before we begin, let us understand these fundamentals of software engineering.
Software Engineering Basics
Before we read any further, one must know the difference between the types of development processes available.
#1 Software Development
Here the software products are developed after understanding the needs of the end-users. A product passes through different phases such as Planning, development, designing, testing, deploying, and maintenance. Software development is conducted by a team of software developers who excel at using different tools, technologies, and programming languages to come up with a solution that enhances businesses irrespective of their verticals.
#2 Web Development
As the name implies, web development is all about creating websites. Here web developers can create anything from single-page websites to internet-based apps, social networking sites, portals, eCommerce websites, and what not! To become a successful web developer, one does require having a piece of basic knowledge regarding CSS, javascript, and HTML.
#3 App Development
Lastly, app development sums up the creation of mobile applications. These mobile apps must be robust, scalable, easy to navigate, and high in regards to security.
So in short the difference between software developers and app developers is that software developers not just create but also tests programs and fix bugs in case of any issue whereas app developers are mainly responsible for creating computer programs for mobile phones, tablets.
Roles and Responsibilities of an App Developer
Since an application software is written for different platforms such as Android, iOS, an app developer must have an imperative amount of knowledge on how to develop different kinds of applications whether it’s mobile applications or graphic apps, eCommerce apps, social media apps, etc. Not only this they have to work with a wide range of software engineers such as data scientists, system analysts, UX designers, web designers, and so forth.
- An app developer’s job is to examine the concept and then devise a plan.
- He is responsible for breaking down the process into bits and pieces
- Keep tabs on the Software Development life cycle
- Supervise trials and tests and see whether the developed app turns out to be the best in regards to performance or not?
- Creates appropriate documentation on each phase conducted
- Ensures seamless deployment
- Conducts maintenance operation
An application developer must be well-acquainted with SDLC, different types of programming languages such as Java, JavaScript, Objective-C, Swift, RUST, HTML5, C ++, Xcode, SQL, GO, KOTLIN, etc. Since application development has to ace in regards to flexibility and versatility, an app developer must also possess the same qualities. So yes cross-platform skills are quite necessary for an application developer to succeed.
Roles and Responsibility of a Software Developer
As a software developer, one must be able to use more programming languages. Even though he is a developer, he must be capable enough to design, test, and come up with a solution that surely meets the end user’s needs. Apart from immense technical knowledge, a software developer must possess certain qualities of a critical thinker, problem-solving attitude, great communication skills, punctuality, ability to learn new tech, great work ethics, and what not!
- A software developer researches, develops, designs software programs keeping the predetermined requirements in mind.
- He also has this responsibility of testing and evaluating new programs
- A software developer seeks around for potential changes in the existing development process
- He also gets along with new trends
- Most of the time software developers tend to work closely with other departments so that the end product created is of par excellence.
- Of course, he is responsible to maintain as well as upgrade existing softwares
Software Developer Vs App Developer
| Software Development | App Development |
| Creating Software and maintaining them. | Creating mobile applications |
| Its objective is to meet the business requirement. | Its objective is to meet the requirement of the end-user. |
| It enhances productivity and efficiency among the business | It enhances customer engagement and ROI |
| Programming languages such as Python, Java, C++, Scala, etc | Programming languages such as Python and PHP and apps are developed using Javascript, CSS, and HTML |
| The solution is pretty simple and easy to manage. | The solution is interactive, attention-grabbing, and easy to use. |
Conclusion
So this is it! I hope you found the post helpful! If so, do help us in spreading the word by sharing it on other platforms.
