Introduction

The modern full-stack engineer is someone who possesses the diverse set of skills necessary to design, build, and maintain applications across all layers of development. This paper aims to outline the essential competencies that every full-stack engineer should master in today's dynamic development landscape.

In this paper, we will explore general-purpose full-stack engineering, covering a wide range of key areas. These include frontend development, backend architecture, data modeling, and integrations with other systems. Additionally, we will delve into how emerging fields like AI/ML can be incorporated into the development process and how the requirements for deployment and observability have become integral to the role of full-stack engineers.

The Modern Full-Stacker: A Product Builder

From a different perspective, we define the modern full-stack engineer as someone capable of independently bringing a product idea to life. This means they can handle all aspects of development themselves—be it the frontend, backend, optimization, or product analytics. For instance, a modern full-stack engineer must have the skill set necessary to build and launch a micro-SaaS or similar product on their own.