If front-end developers get the credit for the visually appealing interface of a website, back-end developers are the silent heroes who ensure that everything runs smoothly behind the scenes.
In this article, Axalize will explain everything you need to know about back-end development, including its definition, benefits, and what it takes to become a good back-end developer for those of you who are interested.
Table of Contents
What Is Back-End Development: An Overview
Back-end development plays a key role in website/web app development. Unlike front-end development, which works on customer-facing aspects, back-end development means working on a website’s server side, the aspects you can’t see.
On that note, back-end developers are responsible for ensuring that the website functions properly by managing databases, implementing back-end logic, creating and maintaining application programming interfaces (APIs), designing the architecture, configuring servers, or doing anything behind the scenes.
Take Axalize’s contact page, for instance. When you fill in your contact information and submit it, the back-end processes your information, stores it in our database and notifies our team via email.
Core Components of Back-end
Now that you have a general understanding of what is back-end development as well as back-end development benefits, let’s explore the core components of back-end development next.
Below are the four essential components that make the backbone of any back-end development project:
- Server and hosting: Servers are the hardware that stores and retrieves your data, processes requests, as well as responds with important information over a network. Servers have RAM and storage drives for a wide range of computations and file storage.
- Back-end Programming Languages: Popular programming languages for back-end development you can choose from include Python, Java, JavaScript, Ruby, SQL, and Golang. You can also use frameworks such as Node.js, Laravel, Express, Flask, Ruby on Rails, and Django to speed things up.
- Database: Databases are the backbone of your back-end development projects as they store all the information you need. This ranges from employee records and user data to product details, multimedia files, and more. With databases, you can easily fetch records, update data, or delete specific records, and manage your information effectively.
- API (Application Programming Interface): APIs (application programming interfaces) allow the back end to communicate with the front end. For example, imagine you’re browsing an eCommerce website and searching for a product. When you enter your search query on the front end, the API sends this information to the back end for processing. The back end then retrieves the relevant product details from the database and sends them back through the API to be displayed on the front end.
>>> Learn more: WHAT IS FRONT-END WEB DEVELOPMENT: THE ESSENTIALS EXPLAINED
Axalize provides web application development services for all kinds of websites and businesses– eCommerce websites, web portals, ERPs, what you name it. |
Modern Back-end Trends in 2024
Here are some of the most influential trends in back-end development for 2024:
Back-end trends | What it is | Benefits |
Microservices | Microservices are an architectural style that structures a website or web application as a collection of loosely coupled services | Improved scalability, easier maintenance, and faster development cycles |
Serverless Computing | A way to run applications where you don’t need to manage the servers. Instead, the cloud provider handles all the server work for you. | Reduced operational costs, automatic scaling, and simplified deployment |
GraphQL | A query language for APIs that allows clients to request exactly the data they need | More efficient data retrieval, reduced network usage, and enhanced flexibility for developers |
Containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) | These are the tools that package applications and their settings so they can run anywhere without issues | Easier deployment, better resource utilization, and enhanced portability across different environments |
Let Axalize elevates your back-end project to the next level
Back-end Developer Workflow
So you can better visualize it, here’s a complete workflow of Axalize’s back-end developers when assigned a project:
Step 1: Requirement Analysis
Parties Involved: Account Manager & the entire team, including Back-end Developers.
Firstly, our Account Manager meets with the client to gather all necessary information about the project and then briefs the project to the entire team to ensure everyone is aligned on the project’s objectives.
Step 2: Architecture Design
Parties Involved: Back-end Developers & System Architects
Next, our back-end developers and system architects decide on the best technologies and design the architecture for the back-end system they see fit.
Step 3: API Development
Parties Involved: Back-end Developers.
Afterward, back-end developers will proceed by creating APIs that enable the front end to communicate with the back end.
Step 4: Data Handling
Parties Involved: Back-end Developers & Database Administrators.
Our team sets up and manages databases, ensuring that data can be stored, retrieved, and updated efficiently. This involves creating robust data handling mechanisms to support the application’s functionality.
Step 5: Implement security measures
Parties Involved: Back-end Developers
Moving forward, our developers continue working with security experts to implement measures that protect the application and its data from unauthorized access and potential threats.
Step 6: Testing and Optimization
Parties Involved: QA Engineers & Back-end Developers.
The back-end undergoes thorough testing by our QA engineers and developers to identify and fix any issues. This includes performance optimization and ensuring the application is stable and efficient.
If you want to work with an agency that has a transparent workflow and transparent everything, Axalize’s backend development services won’t let you down. |
Essential Skills for Back-end Developers
Becoming a qualified back-end developer is tough work but not impossible. If you are interested in the idea of back-end development projects and want to be the one in charge of those projects, here are the hard and soft skills you need to master:
Hard skills |
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Soft skills |
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Conclusion
Though the outputs of back-end web development are not customer-facing, a website can hardly ever run smoothly and securely without proper back-end development backing it up.
Axalize hopes this article can help you better understand what is back-end development, back-end development benefits and what it takes to become a good back-end developer.
Back-End Development Services | Axalize Company
Need a reliable back-end to handle your growth? We develop secure, scalable back-end solutions that ensure smooth operation for startups and established enterprises alike.
What Is Back-End Development: FAQs
Back-end and front-end developers are both key success factors for a website/web application. However, they are in charge of different processing and tasks:
- A back-end developer focuses on server-side logic, databases, and APIs, ensuring the functionality behind the scenes.
- A front-end developer works on the client side, creating the visual elements and user interactions on a website.
Check out our comparison between front-end development vs back-end development for more detailed information.
Depending on your project types, the market demand in your country, and other factors, you can choose to learn popular back-end languages like Python, Java, JavaScript (Node.js), PHP, or Ruby.
To ensure the security of a back-end application, you need to implement authentication and authorization, use encryption for sensitive data, and regularly update and patch your software.
The salary of a back-end developer varies based on his/her experience, location, and company. On average, it ranges from $20,000 to $120,000 per year.
