Backend Developer skills

Essential skills

Programming fundamentals — Employers check how well you use data structures, algorithms, and core language features in coding tasks.
Backend programming — Employers assess your ability to write clear, reliable code in a language used for server-side development.
API development — Employers may ask you to design or explain an API, including its inputs, outputs, and error handling.
Databases — Employers check whether you can model data, write queries, and choose suitable ways to store and retrieve information.
Testing and debugging — Employers look at how you find defects, write tests, and verify that a change works.
Security basics — Employers may ask how you protect sensitive data and handle authentication, authorisation, and common vulnerabilities.
Version control — Employers check your familiarity with tools and workflows for tracking and reviewing code changes.

System design — Employers may ask you to outline a service that meets requirements for reliability, performance, and growth.
Cloud and deployment — Employers check whether you understand how applications are configured, deployed, and monitored in hosted environments.
Containers and orchestration — Employers may ask how containers help package and run an application consistently.
Caching and performance — Employers check how you identify bottlenecks and improve response times or resource use.
Message queues and asynchronous processing — Employers may ask when to process work in the background and how to handle failures.
Observability — Employers look for familiarity with logs, metrics, and traces when diagnosing issues.
Frameworks and libraries — Employers assess your ability to use relevant tools while understanding the code they generate or support.

Communication — Employers check how clearly you explain technical choices and ask clarifying questions.
Problem-solving — Employers observe how you break a problem into steps and respond to new information.
Teamwork — Employers may ask for examples of collaborating, reviewing code, or resolving disagreements.
Adaptability — Employers check how you approach unfamiliar tools, requirements, or changing priorities.
Ownership — Employers look for examples of following work through testing, release, and maintenance.
Attention to detail — Employers assess whether you notice edge cases, unclear requirements, and potential risks.

Built and tested backend API endpoints, including input validation, error handling, and automated tests.
Designed database tables and queries to support application features and maintain consistent data.
Worked with teammates to review code, investigate defects, and document technical decisions.

Choose a programming language and practise its fundamentals by building small backend features.
Create a project with an API, a database, tests, and clear setup instructions.
Practise designing services: write down requirements, sketch components, and consider failure cases.
Learn the basics of deployment, configuration, logging, and monitoring by running a project outside your local machine.
Review code from other projects and ask for feedback on your own work.
Prepare examples of problems you solved, decisions you made, and what you learned from the result.

See which skills you still need for your target role.