Keywords:
Software development, Back-end development, software developer, Backend
Developer, Server-side Languages, Programming language, Server, Database, API,
Logic, Compilers, Workspace, Software development Models, Software
Architectures, Software Design methodologies, Client-Side Technologies, Web
Server, Web Security, Web development, Skills, Responsibilities, Tools
·
Back-end development
o
refers to the server-side
of Software development focusing on everything that happens behind the scenes
of Software or System or Application or website.
o
responsible for handling
these major components: Server, Database, API and Logic.
o
involves handling user
authentication, authorization, and processing user requests.
·
A Backend
Developer
o
Backend developer is a software
developer who specializes in the design, implementation, and maintenance of the
server-side logic that powers applications.
o
ensure the software or
website performs correctly, focusing on databases, back-end logic, application
programming interface (APIs), architecture, and servers.
o
focuses on creating and
maintaining the server-side components of web applications.
o
Primarily tasked with
developing server-side APIs, handling database operations, and ensuring that
the backend can manage high traffic volumes efficiently
o
On a team, back-end
developers collaborate with front-end developers to build the structure of
software or system or mobile app.
o
While Backend Developers
get started, first they pick a Server-side Programming language
and its Ecosystem, choose Workspace such as Code editors or IDE’s and
configure version control and Repo Hosting
o A Backend Developer Should have knowledge of Software development Model, Software Architectures, Client-Side Technologies, Software Design methodologies, Web Server and Web Security.
· Knowledge of Software development Models including Sequential models (e.g. waterfall and V-model), and Iterative and incremental models (e.g. spiral model and Unified Process), Also have knowledge of Agile Software Development Methodologies and DevOps practices.
· Knowledge of Software Architectures such as: Domain Driven Design, Event Driven Architecture, SOA Design Concepts with N Layered Architecture, Aspect Oriented Architecture, Model-View-Controller (MVC), Model-View-View Model (MVVM), Cloud Application Architecture, Monolithic and Microservices Architecture. And so on.
· Knowledge of Software Design methodologies such as: Object Oriented Design and SOLID Design Principles. And so on.
· Knowledge of Client-Side Technologies including Web Technologies such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
·
Knowledge of Web Server
o
Web servers run websites,
stores, processes, and deliver (response) web pages to the user’s request.
o
When the user makes a
request by the web server, it is accepted by an HTTP server which finds and
sends back the content to the browser through HTTP.
o Some examples of web servers are IIS, Apache and NGINX
·
Knowledge of Web
Security
o
Various threats can attack
a website which could result in its poor performance.
o
Web security refers to the
protective measures and protocols developers should follow to build an
optimized and effective website.
o
It includes scanning a
website for vulnerabilities to defend against thefts or loss that occurs due to
digital hackers.
o
Types of Risks developers
face could be malware, backlisting, buffer overflow, and sensitive data
exposure.
o
Various techniques can be
followed to avoid such issues: Using HTTPS, implementing secure backup and
recovery and various other methods include XSS Attacks, Software updates, and
SQL Injection.
o HTTPS is a secured HTTP. When data is sent using HTTPS, it is protected via the Transport Layer Security protocol, which has three layers of protection: Encryption, Data Integrity and Authentication
·
Back-end Development Skills
include:
o
Proficiency in Server-side
Languages
o
Proficiency in Backend
Frameworks
o
API Design and Development
o
Database Management
o
Unit Testing
o
Version Control
o
Containerization
o
Continuous Integration and
Deployment (CI/CD).
o
Cloud development
o Security Awareness
·
Key Responsibilities of
Backend Developer include:
o
Writing clean and
maintainable code for server-side application logic.
o
Designing and implementing
scalable and performant databases.
o
Integrating user-facing
elements developed by front-end developers with server-side logic.
o
Creating and maintaining
APIs to allow the front-end system to communicate with the backend services.
o
Ensuring system consistency
and availability with robust architecture and efficient code.
o
Managing hosting
environments, including database administration and scaling applications to
handle load changes.
o
Implementing security and
data protection measures to safeguard the application.
o
Developing data storage
solutions and managing data access and retrieval.
o
Optimizing the application
for maximum speed and scalability.
o Keeping abreast of emerging technologies and applying them to operations and activities.
·
Backend Developer Tools
can be categorized as:
o
Code Editors
o
Server-side Languages Compilers
o
Integrated Development Environments
(IDEs)
o
Shell Scripting and package
manager's tools
o
Backend Frameworks
o
API tools
o
Database Management Systems
(DBMS)
o
Unit test frameworks
o
Version control systems
o
Containers
o
CI/CD tools
o Cloud platforms.
·
Backend development popular
tools:
o
Server-side Languages: C#,
Java, Python and so on.
o
IDE's tools: Visual Studio,
Visual Studio Code, IntelliJ IDEA and so on.
o
Shell Scripting and package
manager's tools: PowerShell, Bash, npm, yarn
o
Backend Frameworks: .NET
Frameworks, ASP.NET, Express.js, Django and so on.
o
API may include: Web
services or Web APIs
o
DBMS: SQL Server, MySQL,
Oracle, PostgreSQL and so on.
o
Unit Test frameworks:
NUnit, TestNG, Chai/Mocha and so on.
o
Version Control systems and
Hosting services: Git, GitHub, Bitbucket and so on.
o
Containers: Docker,
Kubernetes and so on.
o
CI/CD tools: Azure DevOps, Jenkins,
GitHub Actions and so on.
o Cloud platforms: MS Azure, AWS, Google Cloud and so on.
·
Web development terminology:
