What Is a Full-Stack Engineer? Job Description

Key takeaways

A full-stack engineer works on both the front-end and back-end of an application. 

• In 2024, software developer roles, such as full-stack engineers, held 1,895,500 jobs in the United States [1]

• As a high-level role, full-stack engineers are master coders who are proficient in multiple programming languages and design, test, and implement various software applications.

• You can strengthen your ability to succeed in this role by developing effective collaboration skills.

Discover the essential skills, work duties, and earning potential of a full-stack engineer. Afterward, enroll in the IBM Front-End Developer Professional Certificate or the IBM Back-End Development Professional Certificate to strengthen your foundational skills and move closer to a full-stack engineering role. 

What is a full-stack engineer?

The term “full-stack” refers to the engineer’s ability to work on an application’s front-end and back-end development. A full-stack engineer is a high-level software engineer who works to design, test, and implement various software applications. You’ll develop software, applications, and scalable web services while also providing leadership for coding teams. Full-stack engineers usually possess prodigious skills and are involved in each stage of software development. This can include data structure completion, architecture design, code review, performance evaluation, internal tool management, and updates.

Front-end development

The front-end of an application refers to everything a user can see. It’s also known as the client side. Front-end development primarily involves the user interface (UI), including elements of design, usability, navigation tools, and graphical components such as images.

Back-end development

The back-end of an application includes everything that users cannot see. It’s sometimes referred to as the server side. Back-end development focuses on functionality. Examples of back-end components include data storage, security, and overall performance.

What does a full-stack engineer do?

At the beginning of a project, full-stack engineers may meet with members of the software development team in order to lay out the scale and scope of the software project. After that, they will begin designing and building the software. Full-stack engineers write various high-level and low-level code. As a full-stack engineer, you will troubleshoot errors, help design the user experience (UX), resolve bugs, and improve the overall efficiency of the software. You’ll need excellent collaboration skills because you will work with front-end and back-end development team members.

Is there a difference between a full-stack developer and a full-stack engineer?

Both full-stack developers and full-stack engineers work to design and create software, websites, and applications, although the two roles are different in their scope and in the main goal of the job. As a full-stack developer, you will work on creating software or other development projects for your client or company’s specifications. As a full-stack engineer, you will create software that provides support or creates infrastructure for other development projects.

Full-stack software engineer tools and skills

Full-stack engineers are master coders. In this role, you will need to be familiar with the following popular programming languages:

• Python

• JavaScript

• C

• Node

• Hypertext markup language (HTML)

• Cascading style sheets (CSS)

• Structured query language (SQL)

• Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP)

Full-stack engineers often obtain a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science or a related degree, although many employers may accept certifications or relevant work experience instead of a degree.

Read more: Computer Science Specializations: What Are They and How Can You Choose?

Work environment

Considering that companies in a wide variety of niches have software applications, jobs are available in many different industries. However, it is most common for full-stack developers to work in the tech industry. In 2024, software developers (together with quality assurance analysts and testers) held 1,895,500 jobs in the United States [1]. The five largest employers for these roles include [2]:

1. Computer systems design and related services

2. Finance and insurance

3. Software publishers

4. Manufacturing

5. Management of companies and enterprises

Full-stack engineer salary and job outlook

The demand for computer and information technology professionals, such as full-stack engineers, is likely to increase by 15 percent between 2024 and 2034 [1]. This figure translates into faster-than-average growth of job opportunities for full-stack engineers in the coming decade. Because they are extremely skilled software developers, the pay for this position tends to be higher than average.

The median total pay for a full-stack software engineer in the US is $126,000 per year [3]. This figure includes base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation. The exact salary you can earn will depend on your experience, your skills, and the company you are working for. For example, the median total full-stack engineer salary for someone with no experience to one year of experience is $104,000. In contrast, the salary for someone with four to six years of experience in full-stack development is $134,000 [3].

How to become a full-stack engineer

The first step toward a career in full-stack engineering is typically a bachelor’s or a master’s degree in computer science. A degree in computer science or a related field is one way to gain the skills you need to handle the responsibilities of a full-stack engineer.

You may also gain practical experience and professional qualifications through professional certificates in full-stack engineering. For example, you can earn a certificate in full-stack software development with IBM’s online program:

Build a portfolio.

Another way to demonstrate your abilities is to build a portfolio. A portfolio is a collection of work that highlights your expertise. Full-stack engineers can use open source or free development tools to independently create projects, applications, and websites. A few examples of open source development tools include GitHub and React. With a portfolio, you have a tangible demonstration of your skills along with your resume.

Explore our free full-stack engineering career resources

Subscribe to Career ChatLinkedIn to get weekly updates on popular programming skills, tools, and certifications. The following digital resources may also prove useful:

• Watch on YouTube: Why Software Developers Need to Understand AI

• Bookmark for quick access: Python Glossary: Essential Terms and Definitions

• Hear from an insider: How One Software Developer’s Leadership Aspirations Led Her to Graduate School

Accelerate your career growth with a Coursera Plus subscription. When you enroll in either the monthly or annual option, you’ll get access to over 10,000 courses.

Build job-ready skills with Coursera Plus

Start 7-day free trial

• 
• 
• 
• 

Start 7-day free trial