Backend Developer Guide

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Backend Development

2. Setting Up Your Environment
3. Programming Languages and Frameworks
○ Python (Django, Flask)
○ JavaScript (Node.js, Express)
○ Java (Spring)
○ Ruby (Rails)
○ PHP (Laravel)
4. Database Management
○ SQL Databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL)
○ NoSQL Databases (MongoDB, Cassandra)
5. RESTful APIs and GraphQL
6. Authentication and Authorization
7. Testing and Debugging
8. Deployment and CI/CD
9. Linux Commands for Backend Developers
10. Advanced Topics
○ Elasticsearch
○ Message Queues (RabbitMQ, Kafka)
○ Scheduling (Cron Jobs, Celery)
○ Microservices Architecture
○ Containerization (Docker, Kubernetes)

1. Introduction to Backend Development

Backend development refers to server-side development focused on databases, scripting,

and website architecture. It involves creating, managing, and maintaining the server,
database, and business logic.

2. Setting Up Your Environment

● Install a code editor (VS Code, Sublime Text).

● Set up version control with Git and GitHub.
● Choose an operating system (Linux is highly recommended).

3. Programming Languages and Frameworks

Python
 ● Django: A high-level Python web framework that encourages rapid development and
clean, pragmatic design.
○ Installation: pip install django
○ Create a project: django-admin startproject myproject
○ Run server: python manage.py runserver
● Flask: A micro web framework written in Python.
○ Installation: pip install flask

Basic app:
python
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from flask import Flask
app = Flask(__name__)
@app.route('/')
def hello():
return "Hello, World!"
if __name__ == "__main__":
app.run()

JavaScript

● Node.js and Express:

○ Installation: npm install express

Basic app:
javascript
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const express = require('express');
const app = express();
app.get('/', (req, res) => {
res.send('Hello, World!');
});
app.listen(3000, () => {
console.log('Server is running on port 3000');
});

Java

● Spring Framework:
○ Spring Boot is the most popular framework for building microservices and
web applications in Java.
○ Spring Initializr: start.spring.io
Ruby

● Rails: A server-side web application framework written in Ruby.

○ Installation: gem install rails
○ Create a project: rails new myapp
○ Run server: rails server

PHP

● Laravel: A PHP framework for web artisans.

○ Installation: composer global require laravel/installer
○ Create a project: laravel new myproject
○ Run server: php artisan serve

4. Database Management

SQL Databases

● MySQL:
○ Installation: sudo apt-get install mysql-server

Basic commands:
sql
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CREATE DATABASE mydatabase;
USE mydatabase;
CREATE TABLE users (id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT, name
VARCHAR(100));

○
● PostgreSQL:
○ Installation: sudo apt-get install postgresql

Basic commands:
sql
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CREATE DATABASE mydatabase;
\c mydatabase
CREATE TABLE users (id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY, name VARCHAR(100));

NoSQL Databases

● MongoDB:
○ Installation: sudo apt-get install -y mongodb
Basic commands:
javascript
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use mydatabase
db.users.insert({ name: "John Doe" })

5. RESTful APIs and GraphQL

● RESTful APIs: Follow the principles of Representational State Transfer to create

web services.

Example in Express.js:
javascript
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app.get('/api/users', (req, res) => {
res.json(users);
});

○
● GraphQL: A query language for your API.

Example setup:
javascript
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const { graphqlHTTP } = require('express-graphql');
const { buildSchema } = require('graphql');
const schema = buildSchema(`
type Query {
hello: String
}
`);
const root = { hello: () => 'Hello world!' };
app.use('/graphql', graphqlHTTP({
schema: schema,
rootValue: root,
graphiql: true,
}));

6. Authentication and Authorization

● JWT (JSON Web Tokens):

○ Securely transmit information between parties as a JSON object.
Example in Express.js:
javascript
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const jwt = require('jsonwebtoken');
const token = jwt.sign({ id: user.id }, 'secret_key', { expiresIn:
'1h' });

○
● OAuth: Protocol for token-based authentication and authorization.
○ Libraries: Passport.js for Node.js, Devise for Rails.

7. Testing and Debugging

● Unit Testing:
○ Python: unittest, pytest
○ JavaScript: Jest, Mocha
● Integration Testing: Test how components work together.
● Debugging Tools:
○ Python: pdb
○ JavaScript: node --inspect

8. Deployment and CI/CD

● Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD):

○ Tools: Jenkins, Travis CI, CircleCI, GitHub Actions
● Deployment Platforms:
○ AWS, Heroku, DigitalOcean, Google Cloud Platform

9. Linux Commands for Backend Developers

● Basic Commands:
○ ls - list directory contents
○ cd - change directory
○ cp - copy files and directories
○ mv - move/rename files and directories
○ rm - remove files or directories
○ chmod - change file modes or Access Control Lists
○ chown - change file owner and group
● Process Management:
○ ps - report a snapshot of current processes
○ top - display Linux tasks
○ kill - send a signal to a process
○ nohup - run a command immune to hangups, with output to a non-tty
● Networking:
○ ping - send ICMP ECHO_REQUEST to network hosts
 ○ curl - transfer a URL
○ wget - non-interactive network downloader
○ netstat - network statistics
○ ssh - OpenSSH SSH client

10. Advanced Topics

Elasticsearch

● Installation:
○ docker pull elasticsearch
○ docker run -p 9200:9200 -e "discovery.type=single-node"
elasticsearch

Basic Usage:
json
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PUT /myindex/_doc/1
{
"name": "John Doe"
}

Message Queues

● RabbitMQ:
○ Installation: sudo apt-get install rabbitmq-server
○ Basic Usage: Publish/Subscribe model
● Kafka:
○ Installation: brew install kafka
○ Basic Usage: Produce/Consume model

Scheduling

● Cron Jobs:
○ Syntax: * * * * * command
○ Example: 0 0 * * * /path/to/script.sh
● Celery:
○ Installation: pip install celery

Basic Usage:
python
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from celery import Celery
app = Celery('tasks', broker='pyamqp://guest@localhost//')
@app.task
def add(x, y):
return x + y

Microservices Architecture

● Design Principles:
○ Single Responsibility Principle
○ API Gateway
○ Service Registry
● Implementation:
○ Use Docker and Kubernetes for container orchestration.

Containerization

● Docker:
○ Basic Commands:
■ docker build -t myapp .
■ docker run -p 3000:3000 myapp
● Kubernetes:
○ Basic Commands:
■ kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml
■ kubectl get pods