Backend Development

Overview

Build production-ready backend systems using modern technologies, best practices, and proven patterns. Covers the full backend stack from API design to deployment, with emphasis on security, performance, and maintainability.

When to Use

• Designing RESTful, GraphQL, or gRPC APIs
• Building authentication/authorization systems
• Optimizing database queries and schema design
• Implementing caching and performance optimization
• OWASP Top 10 security hardening
• Designing scalable microservices
• Testing strategies (unit, integration, E2E)
• CI/CD pipelines and deployment
• Monitoring and debugging production systems

Technology Selection Guide

Languages: Node.js/TypeScript (full-stack), Python (data/ML), Go (high concurrency), Rust (extreme performance) Frameworks: NestJS, FastAPI, Django, Express, Gin Databases: PostgreSQL (ACID transactions), MongoDB (flexible schema), Redis (caching) API Styles: REST (simple), GraphQL (flexible), gRPC (high performance)

See: references/backend-technologies.md for detailed technology comparisons

Reference Documentation Navigation

Core Technologies:

• backend-technologies.md -- Languages, frameworks, databases, message queues, ORMs
• backend-api-design.md -- REST, GraphQL, gRPC patterns and best practices

Security & Authentication:

• backend-security.md -- OWASP Top 10 2025, security best practices, input validation
• backend-authentication.md -- OAuth 2.1, JWT, RBAC, MFA, session management

Performance & Architecture:

• backend-performance.md -- Caching, query optimization, load balancing, scaling strategies
• backend-architecture.md -- Microservices, event-driven architecture, CQRS, Saga pattern

Quality & Operations:

• backend-testing.md -- Testing strategies, frameworks, tools, CI/CD testing
• backend-code-quality.md -- SOLID principles, design patterns, clean code
• backend-devops.md -- Docker, Kubernetes, deployment strategies, monitoring
• backend-debugging.md -- Debugging strategies, profiling, logging, production debugging
• backend-mindset.md -- Problem-solving mindset, architectural thinking, collaboration

Key Best Practices (2025)

Security: Argon2id password hashing, parameterized queries (98% SQL injection reduction), OAuth 2.1 + PKCE, rate limiting, security headers

Performance: Redis caching (90% database load reduction), database indexing (30% I/O reduction), CDN (50%+ latency reduction), connection pooling

Testing: 70-20-10 testing pyramid (unit-integration-E2E), Vitest 50% faster than Jest, contract testing for microservices, 83% of database migrations fail without tests

DevOps: Blue-green/canary deployments, feature flags (90% incident reduction), Kubernetes 84% adoption, Prometheus/Grafana monitoring, OpenTelemetry tracing

Quick Decision Matrix

Implementation Checklists

API: Choose style -> Design schema -> Input validation -> Add authentication -> Rate limiting -> Documentation -> Error handling

Database: Choose database -> Design schema -> Create indexes -> Connection pooling -> Migration strategy -> Backup/restore -> Performance testing

Security: OWASP Top 10 -> Parameterized queries -> OAuth 2.1 + JWT -> Security headers -> Rate limiting -> Input validation -> Argon2id password hashing

Testing: Unit tests 70% -> Integration tests 20% -> E2E tests 10% -> Load testing -> Migration testing -> Contract testing (microservices)

Deployment: Docker -> CI/CD -> Blue-green/canary deployment -> Feature flags -> Monitoring -> Logging -> Health checks

Resources

• OWASP Top 10: https://owasp.org/www-project-top-ten/
• OAuth 2.1: https://oauth.net/2.1/
• OpenTelemetry: https://opentelemetry.io/