Recently we got to be asked by a practitioner what is the difference between a software developer and a software engineer. This was the spark that made us write this blog on our website by answering this question.
The terms 'software developer' and 'software engineer' have usually been interchangeably used in technology circles. However, they are quite distinguishable, with clear differences that do matter to people who are considering a career path in technology.
If you are from Europe, then for sure you know that by law, in order to have the title of Engineer, you need to pass a certain certification, and that is where the titles differences between Engineer and Developer started. A developer usually writes and maintains code; an engineer designs solutions. If you are wondering, can an engineer also write code? It might but that is not its main purpose.
After defining common points and key differentiates Between Software Developers and Software Engineers, we will expand the insight to a full stack developer, system developer, app developer as well.
Points Common to Software Developers and Software Engineers
Programming Skills: Both of them possess very substantial programming skills and are familiar with a wide variety of programming languages, frameworks, and tools.
Problem-solving Ability: Both need to have immense problem-solving abilities for finding the problems, designing solutions, and implementing the same.
They work collectively in teams and therefore need to possess good communication and teamwork skills.
Key Differences Between Software Developers and Software Engineers
Educational Background: Most of the software engineers have educational backgrounds in computer science or related disciplines. The developers come from different backgrounds, from self-taught to attending boot camps.
Approach to Development: Software engineers follow best practices and strict rules. Developers might be more flexible and focus on getting the code to work.
Responsibilities: Engineers take up complete responsibility concerning the development lifecycle. In other words, developers usually focus on specific coding and not on the whole projects.
Theoretical Knowledge: This is what an engineer knows a lot about in the sphere of computer science, which is applied for making complicated systems. A developer stands for getting the job done.
Which one gets paid more: Software Engineer or Software Developer?
Software engineers tend to get higher remuneration as compared to the software developers. In most cases, the difference based on location, experience, and industry varies. Due to a more in-depth comprehension of computer science and engineering principles, engineers have the ability to create extremely intricate software systems.
Software Engineer vs. Full Stack Developer
Comparing a software engineer to a full-stack developer, the main difference would fall in the focus and breadth of expertise. The software engineer will focus on the design, construction, and optimization of robust, scalable, and efficient software systems. His work’s main focus will involve the creation of a solid base in architecture for software, algorithm awareness, and quality cohesiveness of the system.
On the other hand, full-stack developers are specialized software engineers who specialize in front-end and back-end development. The term “full stack” comes to mean they can handle the complete development process of a web application, from UI to server management and database management. However, since they are generalists, full-stack developers do not go as deep into technical complexities of each separate layer compared to a specialized software engineer.
Software Engineer vs. System Developer
Systems developers work closer to the hardware and deal with low-level operating system internals and device drivers. The focus is mainly on memory management, hardware constraints, and real-time performance; hence, more inclined towards optimization of code according to the particular architecture of hardware.
By contrast, software engineers are high-level professionals who work with application software running on top of operating systems. They have special interests in the design of algorithms, user experiences, application architecture, and business logic. In essence, while system developers ensure that the foundational layer of software is running effectively, software engineers develop sophisticated applications based on these foundation systems.
Software Engineer vs. App Developer
Both of them create software, but the role and responsibilities differ quite a lot. The app developer specializes in mobile or platform-specific development, focusing on UI/UX design, platform guidelines, and performance optimization. They are capable of working with platform-specific technologies like Swift for iOS or Kotlin for Android.
Software engineers work on higher levels of software, including desktop, enterprise, and web applications. They do higher-level system design, architecture, and engineering that involves putting several components together to create comprehensive software solutions.
Conclusion
Although there is some overlap in skills between software developers and engineers, they vary in significant respects. Engineers are more process-oriented and possess profound knowledge of computer science. In other words, the sole responsibility of engineers centers on the delivery of successful software solutions. On the other side, developers take everything in a pragmatic manner and focus on specific coding to implement features. It essentially focuses on practical aspects, hence can be flexible also.
To put it simply, these differences will help an individual to choose between these two professions and on the other hand, helps an employer find exactly what they are looking for.
