Difference between a Programmer and Developer
The fundamental difference between a programmer and a developer is the scope of work for each of them. A developer and a programmer have one thing in common, which is Coding.
Let’s understand each concept in detail and figure out the differences between a programmer and developer:
What is a Developer?
A developer is generally a software engineer. Developers do general work in a company where they do coding and create a product. The product can be anything like a web application, an android application, etc. There are different kinds of posts when it comes to a developer. These are as follows:
- Front-end developer: The developers who work on coding the user interface are known as frontend developers. Their primary focus is to make the front end work smooth and attractive. The UI designer of the company does the design part. All they need is to convert the graphics into code. The frontend developer’s skills mainly include HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and the framework such as React, Angular and Vue.
- Backend developer: The backend developer works on the functioning of the website or the application. They maintain the functionalities like login, logout, account setting, and many more. The backend developers have no issues with the look of the website or the application. Their task is to be authentic to the user workings. The technologies used in the backend development can be Java, PHP, Python, Node JS, etc.
- Full-stack developer: The full stack developers deal with the front end and the backend technologies. It is a seniority post in any company. This role manages both functionalities and gives opinions to anyone if needed. The full-stack developers are highly skilled than frontend and backend development. They can, at times, estimate the cost of the project to be build and the efficient ways to minimize it.
- DevOps developer: DevOps stands for development and Operation. These developers maintain a smooth relation between the developers’ team and the operations team. This is a pretty experienced post and requires good expertise in DevOps tools such as Docker, Kubernetes, Git, AWS, Ansible, etc.
- Game developers: The game developers are the one who invents and create new games which give better user experience. These developers are in high demand because of the advent of the growing craze of games among people. The game developers usually work in OpenGL, Unity, etc. Game development can also be done in various languages like C, Java, etc.
- Security developers: The security developers work for the company’s flaws such that if there is any mishap in the project. They usually do some manual testing tools to find the different test cases and their
- Mobile developer: The mobile developers work on android applications. They usually develop an application and publish it to the play store. The languages used in mobile development can be Java, kotlin, flutter, etc. These developers are also in high demand due to the obsession with services and mobile phones. This ultimately has raised the market of mobile developers to develop fully-fledged apps with smooth functionality.
A developer can do more works like research, writing documentation, testing software, production, analysis, software design, maintenance, etc.
Programmer
A programmer is a person who codes on any language, project, etc. Everyone is a programmer first, then a developer.
The term coder is recently given to programmers.
A programmer begins at a beginner level and ends up as a developer once he reaches a stage of intermediate or advanced level. Then a programmer is hired in a company as a developer.
A programmer gain is utilized in the company as it will be converted into industrial work and mean a lot to the team.
Programming means learning how to code or improve problem-solving skills.
Developing a school-based or a college-based project also comes into the title of programming.
Some primary languages and tools on which programmers work are:
- C/C++: This is a primary language for a person stepping into the world of programming. Every student learns this either in school or in the college semester. C++ is an OOP language, and C is a POP language. These languages have basic syntax like class, loops, if-else, which are the building blocks of any programmer. These building blocks help to further implement the languages in different technical languages.
- Data structures and algorithms: After learning the basic concepts, a programmer knows the logic building using the foundation languages. Data structures are used to solve a complex problem in less time and space. Several data structures like an array, stacks, queues, trees, linked lists, graphs, etc. These data structures have different access times concerning various conditions. A good programmer solves it with the correct data structure in an optimized manner given a problem statement.
- Competitive programmers: These are the sports programmers who are known as the king of coding. They are masters in data structures and algorithms so that each algorithm is at their fingertips, and they participate in big coding hackathons. These include google code jam, ACM ICPC, Google kickstart, etc. These hackathons have several prices and job opportunities for the winners. Competitive programming is a game that does grinding of mind and increases problem-solving to a great extent.
Besides all of these, programmers can also be there in the development field but not to an industrial level. They know about databases, etc., to understand how things work. With that, some tools and technologies that programmer learn as a primary developer are as follows:
- MySQL: This the most primary database a programmer starts with. A database is used to store the data of any application. For example, when you are a new user, you have to register yourself in the application, which means you have to fill in your details in the database. These basic operations are known as CRUD: Create, Reset, Update, Delete, which are to be learned as an essential database management system operation.
- Web development: A web developer is the one who creates an application for the user. A programmer who gets into web development learns about some languages like HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, JavaScript, etc., to get a pinch of the project development in the web. Although there are more frameworks like angular, react, and vue to learn web dev, these come in advanced technologies.
- Android development: Everyone is familiar with an app. A programmer also can step into the world of android development. The basic tool used is Android Studio and Eclipse. The primary language is Java, and in the coming years, kotlin is going to replace it. But for a beginner, java is good to start with android development.
Note: Every programmer is not a developer, but every developer is a programmer.
| Developer | Programmer |
|---|---|
| A developer builds a real-world project | A programmer steps as a beginner to coding. |
| Every developer is a programmer | Not every programmer is a developer |
| A developer is primarily a working candidate in IT. | A programmer doesn’t need to work officially as a developer if the learning stage has just started. |
| A developer is a senior programmer | A programmer is a junior of a developer |