If you’re a techie who loves to solve problems and isn’t afraid of picking up new programming languages, backend development may be the field for you. Backend development is what makes websites and apps work. While front end developers create the user-facing part of a website, backend developers work behind the scenes to make it all run smoothly.
While coding is the backbone of any backend developer’s job, there are several other skills that are critical for success in this position. These include API, server-side scripting, database integration, and web security. Additionally, it’s important for backend developers to be able to collaborate effectively with front-end and other team members.
Almost every website or app is powered by a server, which handles the requests that come from users’ computers or mobile devices. A server’s software handles everything from sending files to processing information. A backend developer must know how to install and configure a server as well as how to program in it.
There are a variety of backend programming languages, and the file size, performance, compatibility, number of lines of code needed, and programming style vary between them. For example, Java is a popular, platform-independent, object-oriented language. Python is another versatile, general-purpose language with clear syntax that allows rapid web application development. C++ is a high-performance, object-oriented language with the ability to work on system hardware for improved performance.
Every web application needs a database to store data and site content. A backend developer must be able to integrate databases with web applications as well as understand SQL (Structured Query Language) and NoSQL (Not-SQL). In addition, they should be familiar with the different kinds of DBMS technologies available on the market, such as relational, document, key-value, and graph databases.