The term full stack without a hyphen is a noun that refers to the entirety of a computer system. E.g., “You must be able to construct the full stack of the program.” Furthermore, full-stack with a hyphen is a compound adjective. E.g., “He has full-stack experience totaling five years.”
The words full stack refers to both the front and back end of an application, website, or computer program.
In other words, full stack means the side of the program that the user or customer sees combined with the side that makes it function.
Therefore, when you use full stack as a noun, it is not hyphenated.
- He designed the full stack for our new shopping application.
- She architected the full stack for the company’s new financial software, ensuring security and efficiency at every layer.
- As the lead developer, he was responsible for designing the full stack of our educational platform.
- They hired her to build the full stack for their healthcare app, from database to user interface.
However, you need to include a hyphen when you use it before a noun, and it describes the noun.
- I am a full-stack developer with ten years of experience.
- With a background in both front-end and back-end technologies, I consider myself a seasoned full-stack developer.
- As a full-stack engineer, I’ve led cross-functional teams in the development of several enterprise applications.
- Specializing in cloud-based solutions, I offer a decade of experience as a full-stack engineer.
Furthermore, for AP Style, you should follow the rule of hyphenating the adjective and not hyphenating the noun. Also, the rules are the same in the UK and the US.
Now that you have read the basics concerning the term full stack, please continue reading so that you can learn more about using the different forms.
Full-Stack
When you use the term full-stack as two words with a hyphen, it is a compound word that you use to describe nouns in a sentence.
The term full stack, as a noun, refers to the front and back end of a computer program or application.
Therefore, you put the adjective full-stack before words such as developer or engineer to indicate that someone has experience working with the full stack.
Here are some good example sentences of how to use full-stack with a hyphen:
- He wasn’t a full-stack engineer because he had never done back-end development.
- She wants to get into full-stack development rather than just designing the front end.
- The job posting specifically asks for a full-stack developer with experience in both front-end and back-end technologies.
- Full-stack engineers are increasing in demand by various companies.
- After several years of focusing on front-end development, he took a course to become a full-stack developer, broadening his expertise.
In the above sentences, the word full-stack modifies the nouns engineer, development, and developer; therefore, we must put a hyphen.
Full Stack
The term full stack without a hyphen is a compound noun that refers to both the customer and developer side of a program, application, or website.
As a compound noun, the term full stack is not hyphenated.
As shown in these examples:
- She is an expert in the full stack, so we should offer her the job.
- We do not work with the full stack; we only do back-end development.
- Their team is seeking someone knowledgeable in the full stack to lead their next project.
- I prefer to specialize rather than work with the full stack; front-end development is my passion.
- The company’s shift towards becoming more versatile has increased the demand for engineers proficient in the full stack.
In the above sentences, the words full stack are not modifying another word. Instead, they refer to the full stack itself. Therefore, we do not need a hyphen.
Fullstack
The term fullstack as one word with no hyphen is not a correct spelling version, and you should not use it.
There are two ways you can write the term full stack, which are shown in the two examples below.
- My company focuses solely on the front end rather than the full stack. (noun)
- She works as a full-stack programmer for IBM. (adjective)
In the first example, we have no hyphen because we are not describing a noun.
In contrast, we have a hyphen in the second example because full-stack describes the noun programmer.
Here are some more examples that should help clear out any doubts:
- Our team is mainly concerned with back-end development, leaving the full stack to our sister department. (noun)
- He transitioned from being a database administrator to a full-stack developer to have a broader impact on projects. (adjective)
- The startup is hiring for various positions, but they have a high demand for full-stack expertise. (noun)
- As a full-stack engineer, she has the flexibility to work on a variety of tasks, from server management to user interface design. (adjective)
That’s all you need to know about using full stack, full-stack, and fullstack. We wish you good luck in using the words in your sentences.