frontends
What users see
Frontends are the user-facing parts of software systems—the interfaces people actually see and interact with.
A website's frontend is its visible design, buttons, and layout, as opposed to the backend servers and databases that power it.
The term appears in web development, software engineering, and increasingly in finance, where a frontend might be a trading platform's interface: She specializes in frontend development.
Frontend can also function as an adjective: frontend code, frontend engineer.
Preliminary design representation
- wireframeEdge-only geometric model
- prototypeFirst functional specimen
- layoutSpatial arrangement of elements
- typographyArranging letters for display
branding · animation · responsive · theme · aesthetics · iconography · Figma · whitespace
Web programming language
- HTMLWeb page code
- CSSWeb presentation language
- AngularGoogle's web development framework
- TypeScriptTyped JavaScript superset
Vehicle control panel
- menuList of available dishes
- toolbarSoftware button strip
- widgetUnspecified small device
- buttonDisc through a hole
navigation · homepage · dropdown · modal · popup · carousel · accordion · tab
Software vocalizing on-screen text
- voiceoverOff-screen recorded speech
- ARIAWeb accessibility attribute standard
- captioningAdding text to media
- zoomableAble to magnify
Brief sharp noise
- hoverRemain suspended midair
- scrollWound document of parchment
- dragResistance through fluid
- dropFall or release
touch · swipe · gesture · feedback · realtime · dynamic · transition · parallax
Natural ease of understanding
- learnabilityEase of acquisition
- navigationDetermining position and course
- consistencyReliable adherence to standards
- affordancePerceived usability property
discoverability · onboarding · heuristics · breadcrumbs · wayfinding · helptext
mockup
Preliminary design representation
- wireframeEdge-only geometric model
- prototypeFirst functional specimen
- layoutSpatial arrangement of elements
typography · branding · animation · responsive · theme · aesthetics · iconography · Figma · whitespace · grid
JavaScript
Web programming language
dashboard
Vehicle control panel
button · navigation · homepage · dropdown · modal · popup · carousel · accordion · tab · tooltip
screenreader
Software vocalizing on-screen text
- voiceoverOff-screen recorded speech
- ARIAWeb accessibility attribute standard
- captioningAdding text to media
click
Brief sharp noise
drop · touch · swipe · gesture · feedback · realtime · dynamic · transition · parallax · autocomplete
intuitiveness
Natural ease of understanding
- learnabilityEase of acquisition
- navigationDetermining position and course
- consistencyReliable adherence to standards
affordance · discoverability · onboarding · heuristics · breadcrumbs · wayfinding · helptext
frontendsbackends
Hidden processing infrastructure
back-ends · back end · server-side · middleware · background processes
frontendsbackends
Hidden processing infrastructure
back offices · behind-the-scenes · internals · inner workings · infrastructure