Backend Development

Learning paths

• Backend development (13 steps)

  Build reliable server-side applications by mastering HTTP, a web framework, relational data, API design and the caching, messaging and architecture choices behind scalable systems.

Curated Resources (44)

Tools (10)

• Node.js nodejs.orgfree

  Open-source, cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment executing JavaScript code outside a web browser.

• Django djangoproject.comfree

  High-level Python web framework that encourages rapid development and clean, pragmatic design.

• Spring Framework spring.iofree

  Comprehensive programming and configuration model for modern Java-based enterprise backend applications.

• FastAPI fastapi.tiangolo.comfree

  Modern, high-performance web framework for building APIs with Python based on standard type hints.

• Postman postman.comfreemium

  API platform for building, testing, documenting, and collaborating on backend REST, GraphQL, and gRPC APIs.

• gRPC grpc.iofree

  Open source remote procedure call framework that uses Protocol Buffers and HTTP/2 to connect services across languages, widely used in microservice architectures.

• Haml haml.infofree

  Templating language for Ruby applications that describes HTML through indentation, letting Rails and other Ruby developers write markup with less repetition.

• dotenv github.comfree

  Widely used Node.js module that loads environment variables from a .env file into process.env, keeping configuration separate from application code.

• dotenv-expand github.comfree

  Companion module for dotenv that expands variable references inside .env files, allowing Node.js developers to compose configuration values from existing environment variables.

• node-config github.comfree

  Configuration library for Node.js that organises settings into hierarchical files per deployment environment, with support for overrides through environment variables.

Databases (5)

• PostgreSQL postgresql.orgfree

  Powerful, open-source object-relational database system with strong reliability, feature robustness, and data integrity.

• Redis redis.iofree

  In-memory data structure store used as a distributed cache, message broker, and database for low-latency backend systems.

• MongoDB mongodb.comfreemium

  Document-oriented NoSQL database designed for modern backend application development and flexible schema storage.

• SQLite sqlite.orgfree

  Small, fast, self-contained, high-reliability SQL database engine widely used in embedded and server backend workflows.

• Apache Kafka kafka.apache.orgfree

  Distributed event streaming platform capable of handling trillions of events a day for event-driven backend architectures.

Learn (18)

• roadmap.sh Backend Developer Roadmap roadmap.shfree

  Step-by-step visual roadmap guiding developers on required technologies, protocols, and architectural patterns for backend engineering.

• MDN Express and Node.js Tutorial developer.mozilla.orgfree

  Comprehensive tutorial by Mozilla covering server-side programming concepts using Node.js and the Express framework.

• High Performance Browser Networking hpbn.cofree

  Free online book by Ilya Grigorik detailing TCP, UDP, TLS, HTTP/2, and modern networking protocols vital for backend performance.

• Designing Data-Intensive Applications dataintensive.netpaid

  Authoritative reference text by Martin Kleppmann examining data storage, distributed systems, consistency models, and stream processing.

• ASP.NET Core Fundamentals learn.microsoft.comfree

  Official Microsoft documentation covering the core concepts of ASP.NET Core apps, including dependency injection, configuration, middleware, hosting and logging, for .NET web developers.

• JSON Schema json-schema.orgfree

  Home of the JSON Schema specification, with documentation, learning material and tool listings for developers who validate and describe JSON data structures.

• MDN Set-Cookie Reference developer.mozilla.orgfree

  Reference page on the HTTP Set-Cookie header describing its attributes such as SameSite, Secure and HttpOnly, for web developers managing sessions.

• Pragmatic API Versioning fly.iofree

  Archived article discussing practical strategies for versioning web APIs, including trade-offs between URL, header and date-based approaches, for backend and API developers.

• Node.js Streams: Everything You Need to Know freecodecamp.orgfree

  Tutorial introducing readable, writable, duplex and transform streams in Node.js, with examples showing how they reduce memory use when processing large data.

• API Design Roadmap (roadmap.sh) roadmap.shfree

  Interactive roadmap on designing web APIs: topics laid out in a suggested study order, each linking to further reading.

• ASP.NET Core Roadmap (roadmap.sh) roadmap.shfree

  Interactive roadmap on ASP.NET Core web development: topics laid out in a suggested study order, each linking to further reading.

• Backend Beginner Roadmap (roadmap.sh) roadmap.shfree

  Interactive roadmap on a first path into backend development: topics laid out in a suggested study order, each linking to further reading.

• Django Roadmap (roadmap.sh) roadmap.shfree

  Interactive roadmap on the Django framework: topics laid out in a suggested study order, each linking to further reading.

• GraphQL Roadmap (roadmap.sh) roadmap.shfree

  Interactive roadmap on GraphQL APIs: topics laid out in a suggested study order, each linking to further reading.

• Laravel Roadmap (roadmap.sh) roadmap.shfree

  Interactive roadmap on the Laravel framework: topics laid out in a suggested study order, each linking to further reading.

• Node.js Roadmap (roadmap.sh) roadmap.shfree

  Interactive roadmap on server-side JavaScript with Node.js: topics laid out in a suggested study order, each linking to further reading.

• Ruby on Rails Roadmap (roadmap.sh) roadmap.shfree

  Interactive roadmap on the Ruby on Rails framework: topics laid out in a suggested study order, each linking to further reading.

• Spring Boot Roadmap (roadmap.sh) roadmap.shfree

  Interactive roadmap on the Spring Boot framework: topics laid out in a suggested study order, each linking to further reading.

Publications (3)

• ACM Queue queue.acm.orgfree

  Bimonthly magazine published by ACM focused on software systems, distributed backend design, and enterprise architecture.

• IEEE Software computer.orgpaid

  Peer-reviewed magazine exploring engineering challenges in backend systems, distributed architectures, and reliability.

• The Morning Paper blog.acolyer.orgfree

  Influential archive of concise summaries of seminal computer science research papers on distributed systems and databases.

Blogs and sites (4)

• Martin Fowler's Bliki martinfowler.comfree

  Influential software architecture blog exploring microservices, backend design patterns, refactoring, and enterprise patterns.

• High Scalability highscalability.comfree

  Publication analyzing real-world backend architectures, scalability strategies, and system designs of top tech companies.

• InfoQ infoq.comfree

  Practitioner-driven news and article platform covering backend architectures, server-side frameworks, and cloud computing.

• DigitalOcean Community digitalocean.comfree

  Large collection of technical tutorials and questions and answers on Linux servers, web stacks and cloud deployment, maintained by a cloud hosting company.

Events and conferences (4)

• QCon qconferences.compaid

  International software conference for senior software engineers focusing on backend architectures, resiliency, and modern system design.

• USENIX Annual Technical Conference usenix.orgpaid

  Premier technical conference bringing together leading researchers and practitioners in systems, storage, and backend architectures.

• ACM SIGMOD sigmod.orgpaid

  Leading international conference on management of data and large-scale backend database systems.

• VLDB Conference vldb.orgpaid

  Annual international forum covering issues in database design, backend scalability, and data management.

Other subcategories

Agile Project Management · Databases · Development Environment · Development Tools · E-commerce · Frontend Development · Game Development · Miscellaneous · Platforms · Programming Languages · Software Engineering · Software Testing · Vulnerabilities

Part of Development