ENGINEERING ROLES
FDE vs frontend engineer
Quick answer
A frontend engineer owns what users see; an FDE usually works further back in the stack, on data, integrations and AI pipelines, with a UI only when the deployment needs one.
| FRONTEND ENGINEER | FORWARD DEPLOYED ENGINEER | |
|---|---|---|
| MAIN OUTPUT | User interfaces for the product | A working deployment inside one customer's systems |
| CLIENT TIME | Much lower than an FDE | High: discovery, demos and handover every week |
| WRITES PRODUCTION CODE | Yes | Yes |
| PAY | See FDE salary in India for bands by experience and city. | |