Frontend and backend

The frontend is everything that happens in the browser: text, buttons, images, menus and forms. The backend is what happens on the server afterwards: the order is saved in a database, the confirmation goes out by email and the price is calculated. In a restaurant, the frontend is the dining room and the backend is the kitchen.

Why the words are worth knowing

You will hear them from developers and read them in quotes. "We do the frontend, you have the backend" means someone else is responsible for what stores your data. A plain information site has little backend. An online store or a web application has a lot, and that is usually where the security work and the day-to-day running sit.

Where is the fault?

The words also help you report problems. If a button looks odd on your phone, that is frontend. If the order does not arrive, even though the customer got a thank-you page, the fault is usually in the backend. If you describe what you saw and what you expected, the developer finds the fault faster.

Ask one question

If you have a quote on the table, or a supplier today, ask: who is responsible for the backend, and where is the data stored? The answer should be a company name and a country, not just "in the cloud".