Web development is used to describe all the work that is put into developing a website. Depending on the kind of project, and those undertaking it, it can include programming and graphic design. These two make up the technical and artistic sides of web development, suggesting that a developer should be educated in both.

The technical side of web development is perhaps the hardest to learn, since it necessitates the developer to get some training in programming. There are no limits to how much the developer learns, but the basics of mark-up language, HTML, XHTML and CSS have to be understood. For the development to go on smoothly there are some web development tools that are often used and a web developer has to know them. These include Apache, Linux, MySQL and PHP which are usually given for free. They have fuelled the growth of web development as an industry, and in the process, led to the creation of millions of sites. Since applications are mostly in demand in different websites established, learning JavaScript is necessary, as well as WordPress, for blog purposes, as many website owners insist on having a blog included in their sites. Content management is not a standard in website creation, but understanding the working of these systems is essential, so that a developer is well prepared when a client comes asking for one. Joomla, Drupal, and TYPO3 are used for those purposes.

The artistic side of web development mostly has to do with graphic design, which is sometimes considered as an intrinsic part. Web design stands out as an industry of its own, though it is considerably integrated into website development. Knowing how to include graphic details into a website is a skill every web developer should have. If images are to be included to give more meaning to the content, they have to know the editing process that said images have to go through before they are deemed usable. This means learning about image optimization and processing, and for this, skills have to be earned in programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Inclusion of videos to the site means integration of Flash into the website, and again this is something that the web developer is expected to know how to do. Support for social networks on the site is important, as it not only plays a role in advertising, but for interaction purposes since a considerable proportion of internet users use social networking sites.

It is impossible to separate the technical and artistic sides of web development. While for big companies, those that have tens to hundreds of web developers, usually divide these into departments, interaction is unavoidable. Web designers may be favored for artistic web development over web developers, due to their specializing, but they will still be integrated into website development. In conclusion, the ideal web developer is expected to have technical knowledge in the languages needed in website development, as well as graphic design knowledge, even if it only covers the basics.