Full Stack vs Android Developer: Which Should You Choose in 2024?

Are you trying to figure out which specialization you should pursue? Are you confused between full-stack web development and Android development? Then you’ve come to the right place as this article will help you find out the differences between the two sectors!

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The most common question that strikes aspiring students is whether I should become an android developer or a full stack developer. You must first know what each of these developers does, and then you can get an answer to your question. Also, you must know how they work, their salary, and other relevant details. After carefully examining these details, you can decide whether to become an android developer or a full stack developer. Subsequently, you can take up a full stack android development course to advance your career.

In this article, we have listed out the differences and similarities between the two so you can figure out which one suits you the most. Full stack Vs Android developer is a common confusion, and you can find the answer here.

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Full Stack vs Android Developer: Table of Comparison

What is Full Stack Development?

Full stack developers work on coding, debugging, and developing web applications. From the UI of the web page to the database of the servers, full-stack developers take care of it all. They develop websites that offer attractive designs and work smoothly.

Full stack developers primarily work in the field of web development. They learn multiple programming languages related to websites and web applications, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and so on. Read more about the list of full stack developer languages. 

All the websites you on the internet are the work of web developers. Web development is a vast field, and its developers are mostly divided into three categories:

• Front-end developers
• Back-end developers
• Full-stack developers

Front-end developers are tasked with the look and UI of the website, whereas back-end developers take care of the database and server-side programming of the website. While the front-end and back-end developers specialize in a particular area of web development, full-stack developers have to learn both to perform their duties. Because of their broad knowledge, demand for full stack developers is increasing.

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Full stack development and android development are regarded as the most demanding job careers in the present time. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Full Stack Development’s job roles will increase from 135,000 to over 853,000 by 2024.

Discussing android development, we all know the massive increase in the use of android phones every day. So, android development will certainly be widespread. The following section discusses what a full stack developer can do:

• They follow all-inclusive access for the product buildup. 
• They can work on any portion of a web application. 
• They interact more effectively with other team members for building a web application.
• They manage both client-side and server-side development. Also, they can write APIs, program databases, and design a website.    
• They are well-versed in database management, front-end development, back-end development, system engineering, and server management.
• They primarily build websites and web applications.

Whenever new technologies are launched in the market, it may seem difficult for full stack developers to learn and implement them. However, the following front-end and back-end tools simplify these hassles. 

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Front-end tools used in Full Stack Development:

HTML and CSS: The key components of full stack development are HTML and CSS. You will need HTML and CSS regardless of the backend language or framework.

Bootstrap: It is an open-source Web development framework that includes web-based design templates, buttons, etc. It provides a broad range of layouts, fonts, and colors. The key advantage is that Bootstrap presents a unified look of all components all through the browsers.

Angular.js: The templates and HTML syntax of this Google Framework allow for clear expression of components of a program.

Foundation: It is a CSS Framework for executing reciprocal user interfaces. It includes all the key patterns to develop a responsive website or app.

Javascript: It is an object-oriented programming language that allows full stack developers to build engaging pages for any device.

-You can pursue a full stack android development course to learn all these full stack development tools in more detail.

Back-end tools used in Full Stack Development:

Node Js: It is used in a server-side programming language. Typically, it is used for servers like back-end API tasks and traditional websites.

Django: It is a Python-based server programming framework that allows practical design and quick implementation.

SQL: It is a language utilized in databases and is uniquely designed for managing and accessing data saved in relational database management systems.

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Examples of Full-Stack Development

Canva, Blogging websites, e-commerce stores are a few examples of Full-Stack development.

What is Android Development?

Android development is a branch of mobile development which deals with the creation of apps for smartphones and similar devices. While mobile development is a vast field, it is divided into sections according to the operating systems one works on.

Android developers create apps for the Android operating system. It’s a complicated field and requires the developer to learn multiple programming languages related to mobile development such as Java and Kotlin. 

They have to learn about the Android operating system first and create the product accordingly. 

They have multiple software tools for developing android apps such as Android Studio, Corona, etc. Android developers can learn, however, to develop cross-platform apps. Mobile development is a vast field and consists of many branches, including android development.

These are: 

Native app development:

Native apps are restricted to the device and are made specifically for the operating system. Android developers mainly focus on this branch of mobile development. 

HTML app development: 

Many apps only exist on the web browser. They require the programmer to use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. 

Examples of Android Development

Instagram, WhatsApp, Paytm, and Zomato’s mobile app are a few examples of the work of android development.

Differences between Full Stack Development and Android Development

There are many critical differences between the two sectors. Here they are:

Difficulty

Many people believe web development is easy so they assume full-stack development must be easy as well. While the programming languages concerned with web development are easy, the amount of languages a full-stack developer has to learn is quite high. He/she has to learn the programming languages related to front-end development as well as back-end development. 

These include the following:

• HTML
• CSS
• JavaScript
• React
• Node.js
• Angular
• PHP
• Python

And many others. 

Still, in comparison to Android development, full-stack development is far easier to learn. That’s so because a full stack developer doesn’t need to go too in-depth regarding these languages. Android developers have to learn fewer programming languages in comparison to full-stack developers. But they have to master the few languages they learn. 

Some of the languages an android developer has to learn include:

• Java
• C#
• C++
• PHP

And others. 

The work of an android developer is quite specialized and requires you to learn the programming languages as much as possible. Apart from these languages, you would also have to learn about Android Studio and similar tools.

Read: Full Stack Developer Interview Questions

As it’s device-specific, you would need to own a separate device for testing your apps as well. Full-stack developers don’t face this issue as their products are made for web browsers. 

Versatility

Here, the full-stack developer gets an advantage as he/she creates products for web browsers, which aren’t device-specific. Because full-stack developers are familiar with all aspects of web development, they have more creative liberty and flexibility. They can take care of web design as well as servers management.

Due to this reason, they can handle an extensive range of projects. E-commerce websites, web applications, and social media platforms are few of the products a full-stack developer can work on. 

Android developers are quite restricted when it comes to versatility. They can only develop apps for android devices and can’t create products for any other operating system. 

Other points of difference:

• Initially, full stack development seems comparatively easier to learn than android development because it doesn’t require you to collect detailed knowledge of programming languages.
• Full-stack developers are responsible for developing fundamental and advanced web applications that fulfill the client’s requirements. On the other hand, android development focuses on developing apps for android devices. So, one of the prominent android vs web development differences is how they develop apps.

Which one should I choose?

After thoroughly comparing Full Stack Development vs web development, it can be said that both are useful, well-paying, and exciting careers. Both these professions have a decent demand.

If you want to select one from these, you need to decide which one fascinates you more i.e. website or application. When working as an android developer, you can build complex software. But when you work as a full stack developer, you get to work around websites or web apps.

Similarities between Full Stack Development and Android Development

The demand for both kinds of professionals is high. Web applications are on the rise. And companies all across the globe are looking for ways to expand on the web. Android, on the other hand, is the most popular operating system for mobile devices.

By the end of 2019, there were over 2.5 Billion Android devices across the globe. Companies are looking for Android developers who can create apps for their specific needs. Banks e-commerce stores, messaging apps and many other industries are hiring Android developers.

The demand for both of these kinds of professionals is high in the market. Apart from the demand, the learning method of these fields is also very similar. Full-stack developers and Android developers both have to learn multiple programming languages, as well as tools that help them in performing their duties.

While the programming languages differ, the learning method is quite the same.  Both of them work in teams and have similar work environments.

Although there are significant differences between web development vs android development, they do share some similarities.

One of the most common similarities is that the demand for both android developers and full-stack developers is very high compared to other professions.

Both Android and full-stack developers should master several tools and programming languages to streamline their tasks.

Another similarity between them, despite the web development vs android development difference is that although the programming languages differ, the learning process stays quite similar. The working environment is relatively the same for both android developers and full stack developers.

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Full Stack vs Android Developer: Summary

You must have seen how different both of these professions are. Even though they both belong to the programming sector, you will need to learn various topics to enter either one of these fields.

If you’re interested to learn more about full stack development, check out upGrad & IIIT-B’s Executive PG Program in Full-stack Software Development which is designed for working professionals and offers 500+ hours of rigorous training, 9+ projects and assignments, IIIT-B Alumni status, practical hands-on capstone projects & job assistance with top firms.