You might have seen back-end developers are highly in-demand. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out on UpTecHunt. Do you know what they do and who they are? Let’s find out!
What is a back-end developer?
What you see on the app or a website is built by the front-end developer. The opposite is for a back-end software engineer. Without their work, the website or an application won’t function. back-end developers build and operate servers, databases as well as APIs. If you can update the quantity of the selected product in your cart, that means there is a logic written in the code. In simple language, consider visiting a third-party airline website like Skyscanner. The search results show all the flights running from the desired source to the destination. And it’s only within a few seconds you see the results. How did this happen? Back-end developer has built servers and APIs which connect to the airlines’ database to fetch the results for you.
Another example would be when you see while updating any app on your smartphone, that the description mentions “some bugs fixed”. Troubleshooting and bug fixing is one of the responsibilities of a back-end developer. Now you know how important their job is for any digital product to function. No wonder why their demand is increasing.
You have all the good reasons to become a back-end developer. Below are some skills which will make you a competitive software engineer:
Before you get into back-end development, it is recommended to know HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Especially JavaScript because it is used by both front-end and back-end developers. These are some popular and most commonly used front-end languages. The knowledge will make it easier for you to communicate with the front-end developers.
Skills you should know as a back-end developer:
Python
Python is the most popular programming language, widely used in major companies. Its use continues to grow in the industry. GitHub is proof of how popular Python is. It has a short learning curve as it has a relatively simple syntax. It offers several frameworks which are worth learning.
SQL (Structured Query Language)
SQL is an essential skill to learn as a back-end software engineer. It has been used for years and primarily helps to retrieve results from databases. Every website or app needs a database due to its capacity of handling massive data.
Ruby
Easy to learn the language. Many jobs need this programming language. You can find plenty of opportunities on UpTecHunt. It is an open-source language that focuses on productivity. Ruby is just like reading and writing English. This makes it easy to learn the
Java
For application development, Java is one of the popular languages. It has a robust system and is written in IDE. It supports object-oriented programming and can run on a system supporting Java Virtual machine.
PHP
A server-side language, most commonly used in the development sector. It’s an open-source language and is a critical skill for a back-end developer to learn. PHP has built-in support for MySQL.
API (Application Programming Interface)
Why API? Because API makes connections between different applications. It enhances user experience. JSON, REST, SOAP, etc are some of the popular APIs that developers know.
Server Handling
Database management is a must for all client and product data. It stores all the structured content and information. The database is run on a remote system which is a server such as MySQL, Oracle, SQL and Postgresql. Server management can be done using Kubernetes, Node.js, Docker etc.
Frameworks
Make sure you know the frameworks that your programming languages support. For example, if you know Java then you should know Spring, Hibernate, etc. If python, then learn Django, Flask or another framework.
Data Structures and Algorithms
Have a basic understanding of data structures, processes and algorithms that helps to display data. Some popular concepts are binary search, linear search, stacks, queue, and hashcode implementations.
Problem-solving
If you love problem-solving, back-end programmer is the ideal career path for you. This is not technical skill or a programming language but is a given when you start applying for jobs.
Back-end development is a challenging job and can be overwhelming. Overwhelming because you will have to keep a track of new languages introduced in the market. Take one step at a time and once you learn one programming language to make your foundation strong, other languages would be easy to learn.
