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Anthony Beckford🚀
Anthony Beckford🚀

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What are the key fundamental skills to learn to become a Backend Engineer? Check out this Youtube Channel

I have decided to start a blog series on the skills to learn to become a backend engineer. I have started out as a front-end engineer but looking to expand my skills to learn more about backend engineering

I found this awesome YouTube channel called Hussein Nasser and he talks about different topics regarding backend engineering. In the video that I have watched (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3ZPPPKEipA&list=PLQnljOFTspQUNnO4p00ua_C5mKTfldiYT&index=1) he mentions some skills to learn for backend engineering. Here are some things he mentioned:

  1. Communication Protocols: Learning the basics of the communication protocols (low level) ex. TCP and UDP to higher level (HTTP), Web Sockets

  2. Web Servers: Have the ability to serve content (Static, Caching, Dynamic). Learn the types of web servers

  3. Database Engineering: Relational & Non-Relational Databases

  4. Proxies: Reverse Proxies, Load balances (Huge Potential)

  5. Caching: Caching Layers, Statefull vs Stateless Caching

  6. Messaging Systems: Message queue, Pub/Sub

  7. Web API Frameworks: (Node.JS, Django, Express)

  8. Message Formats: JSON & protobuf

  9. Security: TLS, Encryption, Firewalls

Most important thing to take away is that you aren't going to be an expert at everything. Pick a few topics and dive deep into it.

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georgy5 profile image
Karl Keller

I would also mention testing. All coding challenges I've had so far for backend positions included requiring me to mock or stub an API call / response.