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Web development is a term for the work involved in developing a website for the Internet or an intranet. This can include webdesign, client liaison, web content development, client-side/server-side scripts, e-commerce development, webserver and network security configuration. However, among web professionals, "web development" usually refers to the main non-design aspects of building web sites: writing markup and coding. Web development can range from developing the simplest static single page of plain text to the most complex web-based internet applications, electronic businesses, or social network services.

For larger businesses and organizations, web development teams can consist of hundreds of people (web developers). Smaller organizations may only require a single permanent or contracting webmaster, or secondary assignment to related job positions such as a graphic designer and/or Information systems technician. Web development may be a collaborative effort between departments rather than the domain of a designated department.

In addition, cost of Web site development and hosting has dropped dramatically during this time. Instead of costing tens of thousands of dollars, as was the case for early websites, one can now develop a simple web site for less than a thousand dollars, depending on the complexity and amount of content. Smaller Web site development companies are now able to make web design accessible to both smaller companies and individuals further fueling the growth of the web development industry. As far as web development tools and platforms are concerned, there are many systems available to the public free of charge to aid in development. A popular example is the LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP), which is usually distributed free of charge. This fact alone has manifested into many people around the globe setting up new Web sites daily and thus contributing to increase in web development popularity. Another contributing factor has been the rise of easy to use WYSIWYG web development software, most prominently WebDev, Adobe Dreamweaver, Netbeans or Microsoft Expression Studio. Using such software, virtually anyone can develop a Web page in a matter of minutes. Knowledge of HyperText Markup Language (HTML), or other programming languages is not required, but recommended for professional results.

The next generation of web development tools uses the strong growth in LAMP, Java Platform, Enterprise Edition technologies and Microsoft .NET technologies to provide the Web as a way to run applications online. Web developers now help to deliver applications as Web services which were traditionally only available as applications on a desk based computer.

Instead of running executable code on a local computer, users are interacting with online web applications to create new content. Users are now able to interact with applications from many locations, instead of being tied to a specific workstation for their application environment.

In practice, many web developers will also have interdisciplinary skills / roles, including:
* Graphic design / web design
* Information architecture and copywriting/copyediting with web usability, accessibility and search engine optimization in mind
* Project management, QA and other aspects common to IT development in general

Typical Areas
Web Development can be split into many areas and a typical and basic web development hierarchy might consist of:

Client Side + Server Side
* Tersus is a platform for the development of rich web applications by visually defining user interface, client side behavior and server side processing. (open source)
* Pyjamas is a tool and framework for developing AJAX applications and Rich Internet Applications in python.
* Google Web Toolkit provides tools to create and maintain complex JavaScript front-end applications in Java.

Server Side Coding
* PHP (open source)
* ASP (Microsoft proprietary)
* Websphere (IBM proprietary)
* Java, e.g. Java EE or WebObjects
* CGI and/or Perl (open source)
* C Server Scripts (TrustLeap G-WAN, freeware)
* Python, e.g. Django (web framework) (open source)
* Smalltalk e.g. Seaside, AIDA/Web
* ColdFusion (Adobe proprietary, formerly Macromedia)
* Ruby, e.g. Ruby on Rails (open source)
* .NET (Microsoft proprietary)
* SSJS Server-Side JavaScript, e.g. Aptana Jaxer, Mozilla Rhino

Client Side Coding
* Flash Adobe Flash Player is a ubiquitous client-side platform ready for RIAs. Flex 2 is also deployed to the Flash Player (version 9+).
* AJAX Provides new methods of using JavaScript, (eg ASP.Net or PHP) and other languages to improve the user experience.
* JavaFX is a software platform for creating and delivering rich Web applications that can also run across a wide variety of devices.
* JavaScript Formally called ECMAScript, JavaScript is a ubiquitous client side programming tool.
* Microsoft Silverlight Microsoft's browser plugin that enables animation, vector graphics and high-definition video playback, programmed using XAML and .NET programming languages.

Database Technology
* DB2 (IBM proprietary)
* Apache Derby
* Microsoft SQL Server
* Firebird
* MySQL
* PostgreSQL
* Oracle
* Sybase
* SQLite