Welcome to the Importance of Back-end Development.
A front-end developer creates
websites and
Cloud applications, using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create what the user sees
and interacts
with in the client software. A back-end developer creates and manages all
the resources that are needed to respond to the requests that the user makes
through the
client. The back-end developer’s tasks focus on
enabling the server infrastructure, or back-end, to process requests, supply data,
and provide
other services securely. Front-end and back-end developers must work
together very closely. Each needs to understand the requirements
of the solution and how their respective parts will interact before the development
process
can begin. Throughout the lifecycle of the website or
Cloud app, front-end and back-end developers collaborate to resolve issues and add
functionality. How does the work of a back-end developer
affect you as you are browsing the internet or using a Cloud app? Think about it
like this: when you’re shopping
online, what happens to the data you enter? Your login information, your product
searches,
your payment info? The back-end processes all these things, and
the back-end developers write and maintain the parts of the application that
process
the inputs. Let’s think about your experience as you
explore an online shopping site and make a purchase. As you search for products,
your search request
is submitted to a web application which then retrieves the data from a separate
database
and serves it back to the client for display. To facilitate this, a back-end
developer must
understand the language that the web application uses, how to query the database
for the correct
data, and how to bring the two together. Even a simple task like navigating around
the site can require the skills of a back-end developer. Many sites have restricted
areas that are
only available to users who have an account and have logged in. User account
management, authentication, and
authorization can be the responsibility of the back-end developer too. Once you’ve
decided what you want to purchase,
you must add it to your cart and make a payment. The purchase process requires you
to submit
sensitive information, such as your address and credit card number, and the back-
end developer
must ensure that this data is securely handled and stored. Front-end client
interactions, whether a request
for data like an image, accepting input from a user filling out a form, or securing
sensitive information like a credit
card number all require different services from the back-end server. Each request
needs to interact with the back-end
in a different way. Back-end developers use APIs, routes, and
endpoints to process incoming requests: An API is code that works with data,
usually
using JSON or XML. APIs have set rules and structure. A route is a path to a
website or page that
the user interacts with. Routes generally take user input and show
results based on the input. An endpoint may be an API or may simply be
a path. When a request from the front-end arrives
at the back-end, it is routed to the correct service. If the backend has an end
point defined for
the request by using routing, the request will be addressed and replied to. If the
end point is missing, the server returns
a 404 error. Back-end developers must create
and maintain this server-side routing. Along with backend APIs, routes effectively
allow the front-end client to plug into the correct socket at the back-end. APIs
provide a mechanism for Cloud apps, mobile
apps, and other types of software to access resources from the back-end. To perform
all this back-end development you
will need to be familiar with at least one back-end language, and its associated
frameworks. Among the most popular languages, today is
JavaScript, which was originally designed to run in web browsers, adding extra
interactivity
and dynamic content to web pages. JavaScript is also being used on the back
end, with new releases adding server-side functionality. JavaScript has many
frameworks, but two of
the most well-known are [Link] and Express. Python is another popular language;
it’s
very flexible and easy to learn. Python has wide functionality – it can be
used for everything from creating web pages to connecting to a database, to
performing
data analysis. Two well-known Python frameworks are Django
and Flask. Back-end developers often work with data and
databases, so you will also benefit from learning some SQL. To help handle requests
from databases, back-end
developers can use object-relational mapping tools (ORM) to connect to the database
and
retrieve the correct data. Although an ORM can hide some of the complexity
of querying databases, it’s useful to understand the fundamentals of databases so
that you
can troubleshoot any issues that arise. The day-to-day tasks of a back-end
developer
focus on the behind-the-scenes functionality that keeps websites, cloud apps, and
mobile
apps up and running. Back-end development covers a wide range of
technologies, from managing user accounts, authentication, and authorization to
ensuring
that sensitive data is stored and transferred securely. Back-end developers also
work with databases,
retrieving, processing, and storing data as required. Life for a back-end developer
is varied, challenging,
and ever-changing.