Do I require a backend language to build a website from scratch on my own?

Hey there. It depends on what you want your website to do, but you can create a simple one with just html and css no back-end required. As for back-end and front-end, the back-end in its simple form used for storing information/ saving data such as in eCommerce sites or using log-ins and passwords to create usernames. The front-end is everything you see on a website. For example, the front end person would be in charge of setting up a shipping cart so the user can add and remove items; and the back end will take care of the logic behind the purchase button when clicked (the part the user doesn't see).

Hope that helped clear things up a bit!

You can absolutely build beautiful websites without any backend knowledge! However, learning at least a little bit of PHP will make things much easier. For example, if you have the same footer on every page, you can make the footer a separate file and use PHP to include that footer on all your pages. That means if you want to change the footer, you only have to edit the one footer file instead of editing every page that has the footer.

I highly suggest learning some basic PHP eventually, even if all you do is front-end coding. It will make your job much easier and quicker.

thank you for your answers. What I want to do is build a city guide for foreign expats wanting to move to the city I live in. It would include information for expats and possibly a forum and blog. It will be a "Living In..." type website. I want to use it as a project I can include in a portfolio, hence why the desire to build it myself. However I also want it to be a well functioning resource, with the potential to grow. Like many destination sites it could end up with hundreds of pages, hence why I would imagine a well designed CMS would be necessary.

The forum and blog will require a database to function properly. You will need a back end language for those.