What Is Backend Development?

If you love working on the infrastructure of the web while tackling abstract, complex challenges and aren’t afraid to learn a few programming languages along the way, backend development might be just the thing for you. You’ll also need to keep up with emerging trends in the industry, such as serverless architecture and microservices, and stay informed about the latest web security protocols.

Front-end developers and designers often get all the glory for their beautiful work and user experiences, but they wouldn’t be able to pull it off without back-end developers. Back end development refers to the server-side scripts and machinery that take over when a visitor clicks on a website button or feature.

Every app or website needs a server to respond with web-based files that include HTML, CSS, and Javascript. The server is just a regular computer, but it’s configured to run in a web-based environment. It sits in a data center alongside tons of other servers tuned for performance. The back-end developer has to program these servers to run efficiently, ensuring that users can access the website or app they want.

For example, a navigation app that displays maps and bus schedules will need access to the databases of city buses, Google Maps, taxi services, and more. The back-end developer has to locate that information precisely and integrate it in a useful, user-friendly format on the screen. To do that, the back-end developer must have extensive knowledge of data structures and algorithms. This includes familiarity with binary search, heaps, queues, tries, and hash tables.