A backend developer is a person who is responsible for running the software or web applications. They are responsible for maintaining the backend systems, which include the business logic code, database, APIs, and integrations with other services.
Now let’s see how you can become a backend developer in 2025 —
Beginner (3–4 Months)
Learn the internet (1–2 weeks)
Before starting to learn backend development, one must know the internet better. You should know about the —
- How internet works?
- What are domain, DNS, and hosting?
- Basic about web browser
Choose a programming language (2–3 months)
We must know at least one programming language to develop the business logic and APIs. There are many programming languages available to choose from, here is the list of the top ones (me) —
- Python
- JavaScript (Node.js for backend development)
- Java
- Golang
- PHP
- Rust
You only have to choose one programming language and start learning it. I have been working with Golang for the last 4 years, before that, I have been working with PHP for almost 3 years.
Version Control (1–2 weeks)
To maintain the codebase and collaborate with team members, we need to use version control tools such as GIT. Knowledge of Git and Github can help us manage the code better.
- GIT
- GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket
- Understand branching, merging, and pull requests.
Database (2–3 weeks)
We need to store the user’s data while accessing the application. To store it over the internet we are using the database. There are mainly two types of databases available to learn —
Relational database —
- MySql
- Maria DB
- PostgreSQL
- SQLite
- Oracle
NoSQL database —
- Mongo DB
- Firebase
- CouchDB
Medium (3–4 Months)
APIs (1 month)
APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are required to communicate with other applications. So we have to understand the basic to advanced working of APIs. To learn APIs you can follow the steps —
- Create restful API
- Understand the GraphQL
- Integrate any third-party API with your app
- For API testing, using third-party apps like Postman
Caching (2 weeks)
Caching improves the application performance by storing the data in memory. It helps to reduce the database queries and serve your request faster. There are two major caching tools available. You have to learn them —
- Redis
- Memcached
Security (1 month)
Security is the most important thing for any backend developer; you have to understand the security aspects better to become a good developer. It involves a lot of logical thinking and some popular concepts of securing your applications like —
- Learn about authentication and authorization using JWt and Oauth
- Protect your applications against SQL Injection, XSS, and CSRF
- Use HTTPS and encrypt your sensitive data like passwords
Testing (1 month)
Testing is required to make sure that things are working fine before going live. Testing makes your application more reliable and confident. These are some popular testing types available. You can explore them —
- Unit Testing: Test individual components of your application
- Integration Testing: Testing an application to make sure everything is fine
- Some tools like — Jest, Mocha, or JUnit (based on the programming language you choose)
CI/CD (2 weeks)
CI/CD (continuous integration and continuous delivery or deployment) is used to automate the process of testing and deployment. You can use one of the following tools for ci/cd
- Jenkins
- GitHub Actions
- GitLab CI
- CircleCI
Advanced (3 Months)
Scaling (1 month)
When your applications grows, you have to sell your application. There are some concepts available to master the scaling for web applications —
- Horizontal vs. Vertical Scaling
- Load Balancers
- Database Sharding and Replication
Containerization (1 month)
Containerization tools like Docker help to ensure consistency across all development and deployment environments. You have to learn —
- Create Docker images and manage containers.
- Use Docker Compose for multi-container applications.
More (1 month)
- Message Brokers: Message Brokers like Kafka and RabbitMQ are used to communicate between services in a distributed system.
- Elastic Search: Elastic search is search ending and analytics to handle large volumes of data.
- Web Servers: Learn Nginx or Apache web server to serve your web application over the internet.
- Realtime Data: Learn how to serve real-time data using WebSockets and polling.
So, I have explained all the important steps required to become a backend developer. I will be required to have a mix of knowledge of technical skills and hands-on experience. Start with the basics, work on real-life projects, and deep dive into advanced concepts. By following this roadmap, you’ll be well-prepared to kickstart or advance your backend development journey in 2025 😃.
Hope you will find this helpful, leave your comments I will be happy to hear from you.
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