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Behind every great website or application stands a great development team. Unfortunately, the laurels and applause are so often directed at just one-half of such teamsāāāthe developers behind the customer-facing front-end. But like a car without an engine or a painting without a canvas, a solution canāt be delivered to a client without everything being perfect on the interior.
And on what some might see as the less glamorous (although traditionally better paid) side of the development equation sits the humble back-end developer.
Back-end developer basics
Back-end developers control the parts of a website that a normal user will never see. They look after the āserver sideā of the equation, leaving the āclient sideāāāāthe bit that the user actually experiencesāāāto the front-end developers. The key role of a back-end developer, as defined by Techopedia, is āto ensure that the data or services requested by the front-end system or software are delivered through programmatic means.ā
To reach this goal a back-end developer must obviously demonstrate a high level of technical expertise, with proficiency in back-end programming languages and framework being non-negotiable. But the role is a far more dynamic and varied one than many might imagine, and the leading back-end professionals display a similarly dynamic and varied set of skills; skills which allow both they and their entire dev teams to work with incredible efficiency and effectiveness.
So how does a back-end developer develop themselves? What skills should they learn if they hope to truly succeed in the role, and bring success to their team? To find out we spoke to Jowel Bondoc, Technical Lead of Digital Platforms at Kalido, and Adam Woods, Head of Back-End Development at hipages, to see how they keep at the very forefront of the back-end.
The hardĀ skillsā¦
1. Front-end technologies
While having a deep understanding of server-side programming languages (Ruby, SQL, etc.) is what defines back-end development, a great developer will display a knowledge base that is far broader. An understanding of front-end languages like HTML, CSS and JavaScript will allow a back-end developer to easily communicate with their front-end counterparts, resulting in far more efficient and effective collaboration.
2. DataĀ science
A major part of Bondocās role at Kalido, behind building and maintaining back-end technologies, is to ādevelop and maintain scalable components for storing information in a server.ā Itās a task that most back-end developers will face, which is why developing his knowledge of data science fundamentals has been incredibly helpful. Knowing how the experts use databases will allow you to develop and maintain the type of database that theyāll want toĀ use.
Woods of hipages confirms thisāāāāIn the next 12 months Iām going to need a deeper understanding of data science,ā heĀ admits.
3. Artificial intelligence
Bondoc describes AI, and in particular Intelligent Automation, as āthe next revolutionary wave that will be coming through back-end development.ā Simply the combination of Artificial Intelligence and automation, back-end developers must begin to develop their skills in the area if they donāt want to be left behind. Building a website that can essentially think for itself and automate previously manual tasks will make for a totally newāāābut incredibleāāāuser experience.
4. AR/VR
Augmented and virtual realities might already seem like theyāre old hat (how long ago did PokĆ©mon Go come out?) but the reality is the potential of these technologies has barely been scratched.
āI believe the demand for [AR and VR] will increase in the next couple of years,ā says Bondoc. He expects this trend to be particularly prevalent in the consumer market, as device manufacturers continue to up their AR and VR game. An understanding of this tech could prove to be crucial for back-end developers into theĀ future.
ā¦ and the softĀ skills
1. Communication
Despite how popular culture might portray developers, those in the biz know that back-end development is an inherently collaborative task; one that can be made very difficult if there isnāt clear and concise communication within a dev team. Being a master communicator goes hand in hand with being a master developer.
āA back-end developer can be considered as the interpreter between humans and machines,ā says Bondoc. āThey need to understand what a client requires, and be able to write codes so that a server will perform the required function.ā
2. Curiosity
āI believe a healthy amount of curiosity is important; the industry landscape is constantly changing so itās vital that you keep learning and exploring,ā Woods explains. āI am always looking for new ways to be a better architect and developer.ā
Can you learn to be curious? Perhaps not. But can you put an effort into learning and exploring the world of back-end development in your own time? Definitely. Both Woods and Bondoc actively develop themselves, listing the following resources as particularly useful:
Meetups, conferences andĀ summits
3. Problem solving/critical thinking
A back-end developerās job is to solve problems. Some problems are more difficult than others, and creative, lateral and critical thinking will be required of a developer if they are to crack the more difficult nuts.
āYou will spend the vast majority of your time solving problems and coming up with creative solutions, so it is very important to possess an appetite for problem-solving and critical thinking,ā notes Woods. And as this terrific piece from College Info Geekinstructs, there are real and tangible ways that you can improve theseĀ skills.
4. Adaptability
The back-end development sphere is as changeable and unpredictable as any in tech. The dynamic nature of back-end technologies can mean that a developer may never find a real ācomfort zoneā at any point in their careers. Rather they need to achieve comfort in discomfort, as they find themselves in an ever-changing landscape that requires pragmatism and adaptability to getĀ by.
Bondoc points out that back-end developers not only need to find a way to be adaptable in this state of fluxāāāthey also need to know the tools and new technologies that are being introduced, and demonstrate an ability to identify when to use those tools and technologies to deliver a solution.
Sure, back-end developers may not get the recognition that front-end developers do. But then thatās not really why these professionals have chosen this particular path. The engine of the car might not get photographed as much as the body, but no one questions what it brings to theĀ table.
To be the best back-end developer you can be will require discipline, motivation and effort. But a back-end developer who continually develops him or herself is one of the most valuable assets any tech company could hope toĀ have.
Keep up to date with the latest insights from Australiaās top companies in the tech space š TheĀ Martec
These Skills Separate the Best Back-End Developers from the Rest was originally published in Hacker Noon on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
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