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How to Become a Backend Developer - A Complete Roadmap(2023)

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Coding is a skill required to progress in a software development career. Out of the various lucrative career fields in IT, there has been a high demand for backend developers. If you want to know how to become a backend developer, this article provides a comprehensive roadmap to learning backend development.

Before learning the skills to have a successful career in backend development, it is vital to have an overview of backend development and how it can accelerate your career.

The Stepwise Roadmap to Becoming a Backend Developer

As a beginner, focus on these steps to progress your career in backend development.

1. Know the Basics of Coding

The most fundamental step in learning backend development is to learn to code. Learn fundamentals syntax, variables, functions, objects, data types, and execution. Some of the common programming languages used in the backend are PHP, Javascript, Python, and C#. Learning software languages will help you speed up your career in backend development.

Besides, one must learn various databases to help store data electronically. Traditionally, backend developers used either relational or NoSQL databases. NoSQL databases are document-based and have a dynamic schema, whereas SQL databases are table-based and have a fixed or predefined schema.

Relational Databases

  • MySQL
  • Oracle
  • PostgreSQL

NoSQL Databases

  • Firebase
  • MongoDB
  • Cassandra

Furthermore, students should be well-read with data structures and algorithms to ease their workflow and improve efficiency. Learning version control systems (VCS) is also essential in the basics. Version control systems such as Git, Github, and GitLab are the most commonly used solutions to assist frontend and backend developers in interactions and managing the changes made over time.

2. Gain Intermediate Skills

Frameworks in backend development form the essential skills after the fundamentals of coding and databases. They are crucial as using frameworks allows the creation of templates and code that may be reused in the future. They minimise the amount of code one must write. Hence, programming becomes more efficient. As a result, knowing a framework is also an excellent idea.

Common frameworks used in backend development are -

  • Microsoft's ASP.NET is a web application platform that allows programmers to create dynamic websites. It enables you to create web applications using a full-featured programming language such as C#.
  • Laravel is regarded as among the best PHP frameworks developing online applications. It aids in the creation of fantastic apps by utilising creative grammar.
  • Rails, often known as Ruby on Rails, is a free and open-source framework built on the Ruby programming language. When using RoR, developers do not have to work on every single program in the web application development process.
  • Django is a set of Python libraries that allows you to rapidly and efficiently develop a high-quality web application that can be used on both the front and backend.
  • Node.js is a runtime environment that allows software developers to use JavaScript to launch frontend and backend web projects.

3. Advanced Topics

The topics and tools mentioned in the advanced sections are relatively more challenging than the previous skills. Therefore, learners should focus on APIs, Security, Caching, and Testing.

APIs

An Application Programming Interface enables two apps to communicate with one another. Backend developers utilise APIs to connect various apps or services to improve user experience on the frontend. Some of the APIs to learn are -

  • REST
  • JSON
  • AES
  • GSON
  • SOAP
  • XML-RPC

Caching

It is the technique of storing a copy of a given resource in a cache (temporary storage site) and quickly providing the data when requested. Caching's primary purpose is to increase data retrieval performance while removing the need to contact the underlying storage layer, which is slow to process. Some caching tools are -

  • CDN
  • Server-Side
  • Redis
  • Client-Side

Security

Web security knowledge is crucial for backend development. You can learn some of these topics to enhance your understanding of web security:

  • HTTPS
  • SSL
  • CORS
  • Hashing Algorithms

Testing

Backend testing is the process of checking a web application's database or server end. The goal of backend testing is to evaluate the database layer's efficiency while ensuring it is free of data corruption, deadlocks, and data loss. In backend testing, commonly used testing methods are as follows. These methods are also used in other software-related careers:

  • Integration testing
  • Functional testing
  • Unit testing

4. Learn Additional Tools

In addition to the different fundamental tools and advanced topics, here are some topics that add value to your knowledge of backend development.

Code Analysis Tools

Code analysis is a technique for troubleshooting and evaluating code to ensure smooth work. Some analysis tools include -

  • SonarLint
  • PMD
  • SonarQube
  • JUnit
  • JaCoCo

Architectural Pattern

An architectural pattern is a reusable solution to problems encountered when designing software. Among the most prevalent architectural patterns are SOA, Microservices, and CQRS.

Message Broker

A message broker is a piece of software that allows apps, systems, and services to communicate to exchange data. The primary function of a broker is to translate the server's formal message protocol into the client's formal message protocol (receiver). You should learn one of the message brokers provided and use it in different projects.

Containerization

Containerization is the process of packaging software code with all of the necessary components, such as frameworks, dependencies, and other libraries, to build isolated services in a container. A backend developer performs containerization to quickly migrate or run a container regardless of its infrastructure or environment. Some of the most commonly used containers are tools like Docker.

Web Servers

The Apache, often known as the Apache HTTP Server, is a cross-platform open-source web server. The Apache Software Foundation created it. NGINX is another open-source web server that can be used for reverse proxying, load balancing, caching, mail proxying, and other purposes.

5. Practicing with Real-World Applications

Since all the backend development tools have different use cases and requirements, an aspiring backend developer needs to know which tool can help them in a particular requirement.

Hence, practicing is an important step. Look for small projects and tasks on how to learn backend development. These projects can help in understanding the different tools better. Making a simple application like business websites, blogs, etc., can help you practice what you learned practically.

6. Creating a Clone

This is an advanced step that will test all your skills in backend development. The idea behind creating a clone is to create a copy of an existing startup or a business using backend development.

Since these businesses have different complexities involved in their products, it will be a good way to expand your knowledge horizon. It will also help you ideate your online products, which is the best way to showcase your skills.

Conclusion

Backend development is a lucrative option in the IT space, opening good career options. There are also a lot of advancements in this field; hence, it is ever-growing with a lot of new things to keep up with each year.

There are a lot of opportunities in this space and can be made use of since various brands need skillful backend developers for their online development. Moreover, websites and apps have become crucial sources to drive business. Full-Stack Development program from Board Infinity provides an excellent source of structured topics, which can help you cover all fundamental tools and technologies in the backend development space.