As we know, that web development is mainly categorized into three different types of web development which are:
- Front end web development
- Back end web development
- Full-stack web development
Amongst these three, a full stack web developer has the ability to do it all; he can develop both client and server-side software. He can program browsers, servers, and databases even. But it’s not a cup of tea for everyone, as it requires a lot of knowledge about programming languages and software designing.
As becoming a full stack developer is extremely complex many people opt to become a front-end or back-end, web developer. A front-end developer deals with everything that a user sees on the screen while using a particular web. Where else anything that we don’t see on screen but includes database, security, and content management falls under the category of back-end web development.
What is back-end web development:
Today, we will be discussing back-end web development. The back-end developers are the force that powers the web. They actually handle the “behind the scene” performance of a web. Most of the time, they have to work with a front-end web developer to deliver the final product to the client.
Back end web programming is further divided into two different types are Object Oriented Programming (OOP) and Functional Programming (FP)
How to become a back end web developer?
By this time, we already know that back-end web developers write server-side code and codes to interact with the database and also ensuring the codes are optimized, secured, and free of vulnerabilities. To ensure you learn everything properly, here is a list of steps that you can take to become an excellent back-end web developer.
Top Programming Languages to Learn
All the people that want to start their career as back-end web developers try to learn as many programming languages as they could. These coding languages are used to write programs that help in running the webserver. Beginners must know at least one of the following programming languages for better work performance.
i. Java
Java is one of the most popular programming languages in the world, as it is incredibly versatile. It also has been used for programming for over 20 years.
It is prevalent among business and desktop software developers. It might be less rewarding to beginners as it is less friendly than other programming languages. But what makes Java more resourceful is the JVM (Java Virtual Machine). While working with more than one development language, the compilation might create a code that will differ on many computers. Therefore, JVM makes a bridge that allows those codes to be run on any computer without any disruption.
ii. Python
Python is a fast-growing programming language amongst both web and desktop developers. It is quite popular, like Java. But the thing that makes it handy is the fact that its syntax is straightforward to understand.
Python is an object-oriented and open-source language and helps a designer to add quick automation, shell scripting, cross-platform, and simple web development.
iii. PHP
PHP powers 80% of all websites, as it is one of the oldest programming languages used for building dynamic websites. PHP is dynamically typed and might be slow to run as the same code can mean something different at other locations depending on the context, making it trickier to scale.
PHP is mostly recommended for beginners as it is; forgiving to errors, easy to compile, easy to install, and has a massive range of tools due to tremendous community support.
Using PHP, you can; generate dynamic content, send and receive cookies, write server-side and command-line scripting, and collect from data.
iv. Ruby
Ruby is another universal language that is quite perfect for web development. It has a framework termed Rails, which allows creating web applications elementary and fast.
It enables developers to launch applications quickly and is also suitable for prototyping. It also allows the user to make; repetitive tasks, web and mobile applications, and much more.
v. Node.js
Node.js is an open-source and cross-platform environment for JavaScript runtime that implements JavaScript code outside of a browser. Node.js permits developers to use JavaScript for writing command-line tools and for server-side scripting.
The main advantage of using this language is that it allows a back-end web developer to complete a web application just by using one programming language.
There is still a wide range of programming languages that are used by back-end web developers, but we have discussed the most commonly used ones here, all these languages are easy to operate and user-friendly.
Database and cache
A DBMS (database management system) is a software platform considered to define, retrieve, manipulate, and manage data in a database. The back-end developer needs to have a brief knowledge of DBMS. He can use Oracle, MySQL, SQLServer, MariaDB, MongoDB, and Redis for this purpose. To keep a keen knowledge of cache, mechanisms like varnish, Redis and Memcached are extensively used. Back-end web developers even implement app-level caching in their web applications.
Server
Another important thing being a back-end web developer is that you need to position your product on the server. You can even use free servers for this. But most people prefer to use AWS because it provides 1 year of free hosting to its users.
API
Knowledge of APIs and other web services should also be on the to-do list of a back-end web developer. The REST is the commonly used API
Certifications
By now, you have got the basics of back-end development. It’s high time to move down to the complexity. You can get your certification as a back-end web developer online and even in person. The bitter truth is we know that online Bootcamps aren’t cheap, but they are way more inexpensive than a formal CS degree.
In the list below, we have mentioned some famous online boot camps from where you can become a back-end web developer along with a certification.
- The Back End Web Developer Bootcamp [Udemy]
- Complete Python Development Courses Online [Digital Defynd]
- Java Certification Courses [Digital Defynd]
- Node.js Training Course [Digital Defynd]
- R Programming Classes Online
- Back-End Web Development Training [LinkedIn Learning – Lynda]
Conclusion
So now you know what you were trying to know. We do suggest you practice as much as you can at every step of learning back-end web development. Try to create simple applications at first using everything that you have learned.
Back-end web developers often play a severe role in many web development groups and are also majorly responsible for handling data storage and content delivery to the front-end. I hope it was helpful to you, so keep reading and improving your skills.
