If you’re the type to peek under the hood of a car or sneak backstage at a show, you may be suited for a career as a back-end developer. But the skills that back-end developers need are not readily available in a four-year degree program.

A coding boot camp is one way that aspiring developers can get the education they need to land this type of job.

Servers

When a user opens your website, they’re actually sending a request to some server on the planet. That server is a powerful computer that was built specifically to store your web application files and run the code needed to display them to the user’s browser. Back end developers come up with the solutions to make these servers work in a variety of ways.

To do this, back-end developers need to be well-versed in a number of programming languages and frameworks. Python, for example, is one of the most popular back-end development languages today. It’s a highly flexible programming language with a wide variety of libraries that make it easy for developers to create complex, dynamic applications quickly and efficiently.

Other important tools that back-end developers use include databases and web servers. These are used to store and arrange data and ensure that everything on the back-end side of the website works as it should. Databases can be either relational or non-relational. Both types can help web applications become more efficient by storing data in a way that makes it easy for developers to retrieve and organize.

As a front-end developer, you’ll also want to be familiar with HTML, CSS and JavaScript, which are the building blocks of any site or web application. However, back-end developers focus on coding the invisible infrastructure that makes those apps function in a specific way.

APIs

Essentially, an API is a software interface that allows two different applications to communicate with each other. It works by fielding requests from external applications, then providing data (if it can) based on that request. If the data doesn’t exist or isn’t available to external users, it will return an error message.

Whether it’s building a web server, designing APIs or developing middleware, back-end developers use several tools that make up the software stack that powers the apps we all rely on. These include programming languages, frameworks, version control systems, database management systems and even web servers.

While requirements vary from job to job, a solid foundation of the technologies listed below will help you succeed in back-end development. It’s worth noting that these skills aren’t just for developers; front-end developers also need a basic understanding of these technologies to build their applications.

Python, a scripting language that uses interpreters to translate code into runtime instructions for an application, is one of the most popular back-end programming languages in the world. Its flexibility, ease of use and broad support for various programming paradigms makes it an excellent choice for back-end development. Similarly, Java is another widely-used back-end language that can be used to develop web servers, web applications and other server-side components. It is a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language that features syntax that is similar to C++ and other imperative computer languages.

Version Control Systems

While front-end developers create the visible components of websites and applications, back-end developers work on the behind-the-scenes elements. They use programming languages like Python, Ruby, and Java to create server-side code that supports the front-end features and processes that users see. They also maintain core databases and APIs and test and debug back-end processes to ensure they function correctly.

A back-end developer needs to be familiar with a range of programming languages and frameworks to ensure that they can integrate the back-end features of a website with its front-end user interfaces. The best way to do this is through version control systems (VCS), which allows developers to make changes to a project over time without losing any data or files. VCS enables developers to track all the changes they have made in a central repository and revert to previous versions of the code if they run into any problems or need to roll back certain changes.

The most popular and versatile back-end development programming languages include Python, Java, and PHP. Python, which was named the fastest-growing major programming language in 2019 by Stack Overflow, is known for its flexibility and readability. It is also a very powerful programming language for web application development and is used by many major organizations. Java, which is a general-purpose programming language, is widely used for enterprise applications due to its scalability and performance.

Databases

Regardless of what type of application one is working on, a database is essential to store and manage the information needed. Back end developers will need to have a good understanding of databases and how they work in conjunction with the front end.

For example, if a customer registers an account with a company that allows them to login to access premium content or communication, the backend will collect their data and create a user ID for them. The user ID is then sent to the database and stored in a table so that when the user logs into their account they can see their profile and access the service.

Back end developers can use different types of database programs but one of the most popular is MySQL. This is a fast, reliable and secure program that is suitable for most websites. However, if a website needs more sophisticated features than those offered by MySQL, the back end developer may choose to use a more advanced option like Oracle.

Another crucial tool for back end development is Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). APIs allow different systems to communicate with each other and back end developers will need to have knowledge of a wide range of APIs. These can be based on REST, SOAP, RPC or GraphQL and are used extensively to connect websites with third-party services like social media platforms, payment processors and more.