Top Frontend Development Skills to Learn in 2021
Date: 4/20/2021

With online activity rising rapidly and more and more businesses turning to the internet, it is undeniable that frontend development is poised to become one of the most valued skills in 2021. If you are a frontend developer or training to become one, this can be a great time to capitalize and become an asset by learning the right skills.

With an updated set of skills, you, as a frontend developer, would be in a better position to handle the complex and sophisticated design workloads that 2021 is sure to bring. Let us take a look at some of the most sought-after skills you can learn as a frontend developer in 2021.

Frameworks

JavaScript frameworks can make the process of frontend development a lot more intuitive and feature-rich. Frameworks that use the DOM or Document Object Model and component-based design can help create a more efficient workflow while yielding better results. This is why frameworks are about to be a very important skill for frontend developers in 2021.

When it comes to popular frameworks, it makes the most sense to concentrate on ReactJS and VueJS. Search volumes and GitHub stats bolster the notion that these are the two to watch in 2021, along with other options like Svelte and AngularJS.

Using a process called reconciliation, frameworks like ReactJS can help design frontend UIs that are fast, responsive, and attractive.

There is often a steep learning curve associated with frameworks, however. On the plus side, if you put in the time to learn ReactJS, you can then branch off towards React Native for native application development too.

Static Site Generators

Static site generators are certain to be a big hit in 2021, and for good reason. They provide a great balance between the optimized load times and SEO benefits of server-side rendering while also bring to the table the simplicity of single-page applications. Moreover, many projects that do not inherently need server-side rendering are also choosing this path as solutions like Nuxt and Next come with several handy features, like integrated test runners, module bundlers, and markdown support.

There are several popular static site generators that you can look into for 2021, with the most popular being the ReactJS-based Next and Gatsby and the VueJS-based Nuxt and Gridsome.

JavaScript

For any developer, whether frontend or backend, JavaScript remains a must-learn in 2021. The language has grown and evolved over the years and currently works great as a full-stack language. Coupled with Node.js, learning JavaScript allows you to design compelling, lively frontends that are now ubiquitous all over the internet.

There is also the prospect of taking advantage of more recent and exciting tools like Web Assembly.

GraphQL

For any frontend developer in 2021, dealing with APIs is a foregone conclusion. While REST has been considered the standard for a while, it has its downsides and this is where GraphQL comes in.

With REST APIs, data needs to be gathered from multiple endpoints. With GraphQL, it is a simple matter of sending a query to a GraphQL server and receiving a response in JSON. It also uses a strong type system, meaning frontend and backend developers can do their work independently once the main schema has been devised.

Possibilities

With these tools, frontend developers can be especially relevant in 2021, helping to bring in the next stage in the journey of frontend development.