Full Stack Developer
Full stack developers build both the back end and the front end of an application, so one person can carry a feature from the database through to the screen.
- Median salary
- $128,800
4.3%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 9,000
2.3%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +26.9%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 41/wk
+1h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
Full stack developers work across the whole technology stack, from the database and server logic through to the interface a user actually sees. Most work in professional and technical services firms, media and telecommunications companies, or financial services, usually inside a product team alongside developers who specialise in one layer. The title is often confused with front end or back end developer, but the difference is breadth: a full stack developer is expected to follow a feature from one end of the system to the other.
How much do full stack developers earn?
The median full-time salary for a full stack developer is $128,800 per annum, before tax, up $27,100 since 2018.
Full stack developers in product companies and financial services tend to earn more than those in small agencies, where budgets are tighter and the work is often client-driven. Contract and freelance day rates look high because they have to cover annual leave, insurance and the gaps between contracts. Deepening a specialism, such as cloud infrastructure or security, or moving into a senior or lead role, moves pay further than years of service alone.
What does a full stack developer do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Building a feature end to end, from the database schema and API through to the interface a user clicks
- Tracing a bug backward through the interface, the API and the database until you find where it started
- Reviewing a teammate's pull request and checking how the change affects parts of the system they have not touched
- Adjusting a deployment pipeline so a change reaches production cleanly, then watching the logs after it ships
- Sitting in on a planning session to size work and explain what a request would take to build
What skills do full stack developers need?
Employers look for programming and software development, web and application development, cloud infrastructure, backed by Git fluency and strong problem solving.
Specialist skills
- Programming and software development
- Web and application development
- Cloud infrastructure
- Software testing and QA
- Agile delivery
- UX and interaction design
Software and tools
- Git
- Docker
- AWS / Azure / GCP
- PostgreSQL / MongoDB
- VS Code
General skills
- Problem solving
- Written communication
Is the job growing?
About 9,000 people work as full stack developers in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 26.9% over the decade to 2035. That's very strong growth. Few roles in Australia are expanding this fast, and it points to solid demand for years to come.
How do you become a full stack developer?
Here's the path most full stack developers take, step by step.
- 1Choose a qualification that covers programming fundamentals
A bachelor degree in computer science, software engineering or information technology takes about three years, and around 47% of the people currently in the role hold one. A diploma at TAFE or a reputable bootcamp can get you to a first job faster, but you will need to show working code either way.
- 2Build a portfolio that shows both ends of the stack
Employers ask to see applications you have actually built and deployed. A small app with its own database, API and interface, hosted somewhere public, says more about your ability than a certificate does.
- 3Learn the tools that sit around the code
Version control with Git, automated testing, containers with Docker, a cloud platform and an agile task board are part of most teams' daily work. These are what let a team hand you a feature and expect you to finish it without supervision.
- 4Start in a junior or graduate role
Junior developer positions, graduate programs and junior roles at agencies or software companies are usually paid full-time work from the first day. This is where you learn code review, deployment and delivering to a deadline under someone else's standards.
- 5Choose a direction once you have shipped something
Some developers stay generalist and keep working across the whole stack, while others deepen into front end, back end, cloud or security after two or three years. Specialising usually happens once you know which part of the work you are best at.
Ready to apply as a full stack developer?
Whether you're working toward becoming a full stack developer or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a full stack developer move to?
Moving into Software Engineer typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $3,100 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer A full stack developer brings end-to-end coding skills to software engineering, broadening into system design and product development.Known move | +$3,100 | 54% | short course |
| DevOps Engineer Coding and deployment experience carries into devops engineering, where automation, cloud infrastructure and operations skills are added.Known move | +$3,100 | 45% | reskill |
| Front End Developer A full stack developer already builds interfaces, so moving to front end focuses on browser, accessibility and user experience. | +$0 | 81% | minimal |
| Back End Developer Server, database and api work from full stack development transfers directly to a back end specialism. | +$0 | 50% | short course |
| Mobile App Developer Full stack skills adapt to mobile app development, adding device interfaces, app stores and platform conventions. | +$0 | 70% | minimal |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a full stack developer?
The typical full stack developer is 35 years old; 80% are men, 78% work full-time, and full-timers average 41 hours a week.
- 35
- Median age
- 20%
- Female share
- 78%
- Full-time
- +1h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a full stack developer?
The work is project-shaped: a backlog of assigned work items, code reviews, deployments and a stand-up each morning, with long stretches at a keyboard broken by questions from designers, testers and product managers. The breadth is both the appeal and the strain, because a full stack developer is expected to hold several layers of a system in mind at once. It suits someone who enjoys solving problems in code and is comfortable picking up new frameworks as the ones they know fall out of use.
What people like
- You see a feature through from start to finish. A full stack developer can take a request, design the data behind it, build the API and finish the interface, rather than handing the work to another team halfway through.
- The problems change from hour to hour. One morning might be a layout issue in a browser, the next a slow database query, which suits people who would rather not do the same task all day.
- You understand how the product fits together. Knowing both ends means you can spot when a change in one layer will break another, and explain that trade-off in a planning meeting before it becomes a bug.
- Your work goes live and gets used. Features usually ship to real users within days or weeks, so feedback on whether you got it right arrives quickly.
What people find hard
- Switching between layers costs concentration. Jumping from a CSS fix to a database migration in the same afternoon means reloading context each time, and the interruptions add up.
- You can end up broad rather than deep. The front end and back end ecosystems both move quickly and nobody keeps pace with all of it, so a generalist is often less expert at any one layer than a colleague who only works there.
- Release weeks are heavy. Sprints, deployments and production incidents can push hours into the evening, and a fault that only appears in production needs attention straight away.
- Estimating is genuinely hard. Work that looks like a two-day task can turn into a week once an integration, a legacy dependency or an unclear requirement gets in the way.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ full stack developers?
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services employs the largest share of full stack developers, followed by Information Media and Telecommunications.
Top employing industries
- 1Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
- 2Information Media and Telecommunications
- 3Financial and Insurance Services
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 47.3% | |
|---|---|---|
| Postgraduate | 21.1% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 12% | |
| Year 12 or below | 11.9% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 5% |
Will AI replace full stack developers?
Full stack development carries moderate AI exposure. Code assistants such as GitHub Copilot and the AI features built into VS Code write a good share of routine application code and speed up boilerplate and tests, which changes how quickly you reach a first working draft. What is left is the design, the debugging across layers and the decisions about how the pieces should fit together.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Writing routine API endpoints, forms and database queriesAssistants generate a workable endpoint from a short description, so the job shifts to checking it against the data model and adapting it to the team's conventions.30%high
- Debugging a fault that runs across the interface, the API and the databaseTools can suggest likely causes, but you still reproduce the fault, read the logs and confirm which layer actually broke.30%moderate
- Designing a data model or an API contractAI can propose several options, while the choice depends on how the product is expected to grow and what other teams already depend on.25%moderate
- Talking through requirements with designers and product managersClarifying an ambiguous request, pushing back on scope and agreeing trade-offs happens in conversation and depends on knowing the system and the people.15%low
Common questions about becoming a full stack developer
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do full stack developers earn?
$128,800 per annum, before tax, for full-time work, and pay rises with seniority, the sector you work in and whether you take contract work instead of a permanent role. Check current job ads for the range where you live, because it varies by city and employer size.
How do I become a full stack developer?
Most people start with a degree in computer science, software engineering or information technology and then apply for junior or graduate developer roles. A diploma or a well-regarded bootcamp can also lead to a first job, particularly if you can show deployed projects of your own. What employers look for is evidence that you can build something that works and then fix it when it doesn't.
Are full stack developers in demand?
Full stack developers are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 26.9% over the decade to 2035. Openings come from new roles and from developers moving between jobs, so it is worth checking the market in your own city alongside the national picture.
Will AI replace full stack developers?
AI is changing the role rather than replacing it. Code assistants already handle a lot of routine front end and back end code and are useful for tests and boilerplate, while working out what a system should do, and why a bug only appears in production, still falls to a developer. Expect to spend more of the week reviewing, designing and debugging and less of it typing out code from scratch.
What can a full stack developer move into?
Software engineering is a common move, widening the work into system design and product decisions, and it pays $3,100 more. DevOps engineering suits those who like automation and cloud infrastructure, while narrowing into front end or back end keeps you in a similar pay band but deepens one layer. Freelancing or running a small development agency is a common route as well, and it is often where earnings grow.
What is the difference between a full stack developer and a software engineer?
A software engineer usually works on the wider system, including architecture, scalability and product decisions, while a full stack developer concentrates on building and maintaining applications across the front and back end. The titles overlap, and many employers use them for similar work.
Related roles
- Software Engineer
- DevOps Engineer
- Front End Developer
- Back End Developer
- Mobile App Developer
- Front End Developer
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