Learn the basics of web development and get a high-level view of the web development landscape.

Become a Front-end Developer

This module encompasses everything from the basics of networks to the principles of front-end web development with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. After taking this module, not only will we be comfortable learning any web technology, but we'll also have a better idea of what different technologies are out there and what we want to learn. We'll also become familiar with version control systems, which are a global industry standard.

Web Development: A Primer

## What is the terminal?
The **command-line interface** is a tool into which you can type text commands to make the computer perform specific tasks in contrast to using a graphical user interface through pointing and clicking on menus and buttons with a mouse. 

Since the command line interface allows you to control the computer directly by typing commands, many tasks can be performed more efficiently. For example, if you want to make one change in the names of around 2000 files, you can use a for loop on the command line and change the names of all of them in a few seconds. Therefore basic knowledge of the command line is an absolute essential.

The user interface that accepts typed commands and displays data on the screen is called a **shell**. There is a wide variety of shells that you can choose from, but the most common is the [Bash shell](https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/), which is the default on Linux and Mac systems in the Terminal application. Windows systems only include the anemic Command Prompt application by default, which is nowhere near as powerful as Bash. If you're going to follow along on your windows machine, however, consider installing [cygwin](https://www.cygwin.com/).

Open up a shell; you will see a blank (usually black) screen with a cursor to the right of something like:
```shell
accountname@machinname:~$
```
Let's finally look at a few commands now!

### Listing files and directories
Type `ls` into a shell and hit enter (or try it below!) and watch the magic happen.

# What is the terminal?
The **command-line interface** is a tool into which you can type text commands to make the computer perform specific tasks in contrast to using a graphical user interface through pointing and clicking on menus and buttons with a mouse. 

Since the command line interface allows you to control the computer directly by typing commands, many tasks can be performed more efficiently. For example, if you want to make one change in the names of around 2000 files, you can use a for loop on the command line and change the names of all of them in a few seconds. Therefore basic knowledge of the command line is an absolute essential.

The user interface that accepts typed commands and displays data on the screen is called a **shell**. There is a wide variety of shells that you can choose from, but the most common is the [Bash shell](https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/), which is the default on Linux and Mac systems in the Terminal application. Windows systems only include the anemic Command Prompt application by default, which is nowhere near as powerful as Bash. If you're going to follow along on your windows machine, however, consider installing [cygwin](https://www.cygwin.com/).

Open up a shell; you will see a blank (usually black) screen with a cursor to the right of something like:
```shell
accountname@machinname:~$
```
Let's finally look at a few commands now!

## Listing files and directories
Type `ls` into a shell and hit enter (or try it below!) and watch the magic happen.

In this lesson, we'll discuss the basics of perhaps the most important tool in your belt as a programmer: the command line

Networks

Databases

The Front End

The Back End

Web Development Frameworks

Version Control with Git

Principles of Software Engineering

Conclusion

The Command Line Interface

What is the terminal? #