Day in the life
A Day in the Life of a Web Developer
What web developers actually do from the start of a shift to the end: the tasks, tools, schedule and realities of the job.
Stand-up meeting with the product team; review today’s tickets. From there, the day usually includes build web pages and applications from designs and requirements, write HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and develop back-end services, APIs and databases. Usually full-time; deadlines and launches can mean extra hours. Freelancers set their own schedules.
Hour by hour: a typical shift
No two days are identical, but this timeline reflects a realistic day for a web developer working full time.
- Stand-up meeting with the product team; review today’s tickets.
- Build a responsive pricing page component from the design file.
- Fix an accessibility issue so a form works with screen readers and keyboards.
- Connect the signup form to the back-end API and handle errors.
- Review a teammate’s pull request and suggest improvements.
- Improve page speed by optimizing images and deferring scripts.
- Merge changes and deploy to staging for testing.
Where web developers work
Web developers work for agencies, tech companies, corporations, government and as freelancers. The work is computer-based, and remote work is common.
Hours and schedule
Usually full-time; deadlines and launches can mean extra hours. Freelancers set their own schedules.
Tasks you’ll do most often
- Build web pages and applications from designs and requirements
- Write HTML, CSS and JavaScript
- Develop back-end services, APIs and databases
- Make sites responsive, accessible and fast
- Test, debug and fix issues
- Use version control and deploy changes
- Collaborate with designers, marketers and clients
Tools you’ll use every day
- Code editors such as VS Code
- Git and GitHub
- Browser developer tools
- Frameworks such as React or Vue
- Node.js
- Design tools such as Figma
The best and hardest parts of the job
What people like
- Strong pay and remote options
- Creative and technical work
- Portfolio can matter more than a degree
- Freelance and business opportunities
What’s hard
- Competitive entry-level market
- Constant learning as tools change
- Long hours of screen time
- Deadline pressure on launches
You’ll likely thrive if…
- I enjoy building things on a computer
- I like solving logic puzzles
- I care about design and user experience
- I can learn on my own
- Remote work appeals to me
- I can accept feedback on my work
Not sure? Take the free Web Developer fit quiz or the Career Match Quiz.
Staying safe on the job
- Never commit passwords or API keys to repositories
- Validate and sanitize user input to prevent security vulnerabilities
- Keep dependencies updated
- Follow privacy laws and accessibility requirements