What Does It Take to Be a Backend Engineer?

First, let me give you a clue: think of a software development department as a kitchen. In this kitchen, we have waiters, a manager, cleaners, and chefs. Now, let's focus on the chefs, the ones who receive orders from waiters, prepare the food, and then hand it over for delivery to clients. But they have no idea who the clients are, what they're wearing, or what table they're sitting at. All they know is what ingredients to use, where they're stored, how to prepare them, and the protocols to follow until the dish is complete. And while doing that, they make sure everything is running smoothly without affecting other orders, and they work quickly and efficiently to provide excellent service.

So, let's return to our digital world. Today, as technology continues to advance, everyone is trying to adopt it. New platforms are being developed to serve users, and even existing companies are working hard to change how they operate to deliver better services and manage their resources more efficiently. Most of these platforms rely on engineers; they are the force and the brain behind them. Now, how does this relate to the kitchen story? Remember the chefs, the waiters, and so on? That's the engineering team. But our focus here is on the chefs, or in digital terms, backend engineers, also known as server-side engineers. These professionals are responsible for the hidden part of applications that end users don't see. This part includes databases, servers, application programming interfaces (APIs), and the entire architecture that supports the frontend.

The main responsibilities of backend engineers involve creating and maintaining databases, developing and integrating APIs, writing server-side code, and ensuring that the application runs smoothly. They work closely with frontend engineers to ensure the two sides are seamlessly connected. Additionally, they make sure the application performs well, is secure, and can scale when needed.

Now, what are the prerequisites to becoming a backend engineer? Here, we're going to talk about the core fundamentals and concepts, not the tools or languages ​​you need to know. Before we dive in, I want to share something important: throughout my career, I have never met anyone who is a master of all these concepts. Many engineers understand most of them, but tend to specialize deeply in one or two areas, depending on their interests. And that's perfectly okay. What matters is knowing what's important and where your strengths lie.

Let's start with communication protocols. A communication protocol is a set of rules that determine how data is transmitted and received between computers or applications over a network. This is critical because your application will need to communicate with frontend clients, other backend services, databases, or third-party APIs. These protocols define how systems exchange data safely, reliably, and efficiently.

Next is the web server. A web server can be a piece of software, hardware, or a combination of both. It handles the delivery of web content to users over the Internet. When someone visits a website, their browser sends a request to the web server, which then processes the request and sends back the requested web pages or data.

Then we have database engineering. This involves designing, implementing, and maintaining database systems to store and retrieve data efficiently. Here, you work with various database management systems and focus on how data is securely stored and accessed, often based on different permission levels, and on ensuring high performance, which is especially crucial as systems grow.

It's also important to understand proxies and why they're used. A proxy acts as an intermediary between the user and the server and is essential for security and performance. If a proxy is compromised, the consequences can be severe. As technology advances, understanding how proxies work and the future implications of their use is crucial for building robust systems.

Another key concept is caching. In a world that demands speed, caching allows us to store recently accessed information temporarily so it can be quickly retrieved without repeatedly fetching it from a slower storage layer. This significantly improves performance, and as a backend engineer, you should know how to apply caching effectively in your projects.

Messaging systems are also a fundamental piece of backend architecture. These systems serve as middlemen that enable applications to exchange data asynchronously and reliably at scale. Without direct communication, messaging systems like these ensure that data is transferred even when parts of the system are down. They are the glue that holds together scalable, resilient backends. Without them, your architecture may crumble under load or failure.

We've also seen rapid growth in development patterns, and this has given rise to modern web frameworks. These frameworks provide a structured approach to development using pre-written code, helping you build strong and fast applications without having to configure everything from scratch. This saves time and provides consistency. And more importantly, many of these frameworks have large, active communities. In my last post, I explained why tech is a team sport, having a strong community means having access to shared ideas, best practices, and powerful tools that make the framework and your work more robust.

Another important topic is message formats. In the past, system interoperability was a significant issue due to a lack of standard formats. Today, systems have many ways to communicate, largely depending on how messages are formatted. Understanding the different message formats will give you an edge in system integration. There are many formats out there, and in my opinion, it's worth studying them all.

Finally, let's talk about security. When it comes to software systems, security is a major concern that must be taken seriously. If it's not, the consequences can be costly. We're talking about identity theft, leakage of sensitive data, and loss of user trust. As a backend engineer, you must understand the best security practices and the tools available to protect your applications. It's your responsibility to ensure that your system operates in a secure environment.

If you go through and truly understand these concepts, I am very confident that you will go far in this field. Remember, you don't need to master every single one. Focus on one, two, or a few, but recognize that all of them are crucial for backend developers to know. It doesn't matter which language or framework you choose. These fundamentals are what truly matter.

Happy coding!