What a full-stack developer does
A full-stack developer works on every layer of a web application: the interface users see, the server-side logic that processes requests, the database that stores information and the APIs that connect them. In smaller teams, one full-stack developer may take a feature from idea to production. In larger teams, they bridge front-end and back-end specialists and help keep the overall design consistent.
The value of a full-stack hire is flexibility, but the risk is a candidate who is broad and shallow. Many people describe themselves as full-stack after light exposure to one side. Finch screens for real working experience on both the client and the server, asks how candidates have handled data modelling, authentication and deployment, and matches them to the stack you actually run.
Typical responsibilities
- Build user interface features and the server-side code that supports them
- Design database schemas and write efficient queries
- Create and maintain REST or GraphQL APIs
- Handle authentication, authorization and secure storage of user data
- Deploy and monitor applications in cloud or on-premises environments
- Debug problems that span the browser, server and database
Qualifications and credentials
- A degree or diploma in computer science or a related field, or equivalent professional experience
- Front-end experience with a framework such as React, Angular or Vue
- Back-end experience with a language and framework such as Node.js, Python with Django, Java with Spring or C# with .NET
- Working knowledge of relational databases and, often, NoSQL databases
- Familiarity with cloud hosting, containers and CI/CD pipelines is often expected
Who hires a full-stack developer
- Start-ups and growing software companies
- SaaS businesses with small product teams
- Digital agencies building custom web applications
- Fintech and insurance firms
- Health technology companies
Where we recruit full-stack developer candidates
We fill full-stack developer roles for employers across Toronto and the GTA, including North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Burlington, Oshawa and Pickering, and for employers across Canada. GTA employers can meet us at our North York office by appointment.
What Finch checks before you meet a candidate
- Balanced experience on both front end and back end, not just one side
- Data modelling decisions they made and how those held up as the product grew
- Security awareness around authentication, input validation and user data
- Experience deploying and supporting their own code in production
- Fit with your team size and how much independence the role needs
Interview questions to ask
- Describe an application you built end to end. Which layer was hardest, and why?
- How would you design the database for a feature where users share documents with different permission levels?
- A page is loading slowly. How do you work out whether the problem is in the browser, the API or the database?