The modern era is internet-based. It’s an era of facebook, twitter, and other several web applications where an individual spends an average of 2.5 hours a day on several web applications or websites, including social media. You must have come across a few websites, and web applications commonly social media platforms, and I believe you must be using them as well, and this is where web development comes in. Without web developers, all these applications and websites would not have been possible.
If you talk about web developers, there are three types of web developers - front-end developers, back-end developers, and full-stack developers. In this article, you will understand what a back-end developer is? Skills of a back-end developer and how to become a back-end developer. But, first, let us know what back-end development is.
What is Back-End Development?
On a web application or a website, there is just a portion of the application a user sees and interacts - i.e., front-end. In most of the cases, the most significant part of the application is unseen and i.e., the back-end. Back-end consists of a database, server, and several applications.In simple terms, back-end development is the base of a web application that supports front-end development. Back-end development refers to the server-side and database development; all the databases, servers, and applications created for a website is back-end development.
What is a Back-End Developer?
A back-end developer is a programmer who develops and maintains the server and database of a web application or website. Back-end developers create effective and efficient codes/programs using several programming languages, including Java, Python, Ruby, and PHP, that executes at the quickest.The primary role of a back-end developer is to maintain the structure of data and service requests from front-end systems through effective programming and codes. They create and manage the entire back-end of a web application or website that consists of a server, databases, APIs, or any other back-end process. A back-end developer programs, test, debug all the web applications. Besides, of making web applications, maintaining their structure, back-end developers also optimize the application for speed and efficiency.
The back-end developers make sure that whenever an API is called, it fetches the data from the server & database and display to the front-end. In simple terms, back-end developers are the backbone of any web application development.
How To Become a Back-End Developer
Being a back-end developer is not an easy task at all; it requires a lot of effort, time, and patience. If you are learning back-end development, you get acquainted with several programming languages and a server-line framework that gives you a significant boost in your career.You can also opt for an online learning course for back-end development. However, it’s not that easy to find only a back-end development course as most of the e-learning platforms offer a full-stack development course that covers both front-end and back-end. But, here’s a Full-Stack Developer Course offered by Simplilearn that covers the back-end development.
Most back-end developers have formal education, such as a bachelor’s degree in computer science or computer programming, i.e. (B.E/B.Tech). A degree in computer science is preferred as they need to do more of coding - that could be writing unique and efficient programs, data mining, writing abstract codes, and much more.
But If you are not a Computer-science degree holder, you can go ahead with these in-person back-end courses available online such as:
- Betamore - It has a 12-week back-end course (subject to availability)
- General Assembly - It has a 10-week back-end development course.
Skills Required To Become a Back-End Developer
A back-end developer works with:- Database and Cache
- Programming Languages
- Server
- APIs
Database and Cache
A back-end developer must have a good knowledge of various DBMS technology. SQL, Oracle, MongoDB are widely used for database purposes. They also need to understand the cache mechanism, including Redis, Memcached, and Varnish.Programming Languages
There are multiple server-side programming languages used in back-end development like - Java, PHP, .NET, Python, Ruby, SQL, C#. A back-end developer should be flexible with several programming languages as different websites have different requirements.Server
A back-end developer should have exposure to handling server-side frameworks like IIS servers, Nginx, Apache, and Linux.API
A back-end developer knowing APIs is an add-on. API stands for Application Program Interface. Basically, API is a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications.Conclusion
In this article, we have explained back-end development, what is a back-end developer and how to become a back-end developer with the required skills.Back-end development is a sublime field if you are interested in programming and have the skills to write efficient code. If you are a newbie in the development world, you can take up any online certification course that will help you to understand the back-end process.
