.NET Backend Developer

What is Backend Development?

As mentioned above, backend development is what keeps the internet running behind the scenes.

Backend developers are primarily focused on how a website works. They write code that focuses on the functionality and logic powering the application they’re working on, and the technology they work on is never directly seen by users.  

The tech of the back end is a combination of servers, applications, and databases.

Responsibilities of backend programmers could involve writing APIs, writing code to interact with a database, creating libraries, working on business processes and data architecture, and much more. It often depends on the specific role and company.

Front-end Vs Backend Programming

Intuitively, the other side of backend development is the front end. 

The key difference is that while backend developers build how a website functions, front-end programmers build and design the interface, determining how the site looks to users. 

Backend web development lays the foundational code that enables websites to process the actions that users take on the front end and deliver the correct information in return.

Neither works without the other—you need the back end to make the front end work, and you need the front end so people can actually access and interact with the website. 

Backend developers typically earn higher salaries than front-end developers, as backend languages tend to be more technical. The average salary for a backend developer

Types of Backend Development Languages

Backend programming can either be object-oriented (OOP) or functional.

The former is the technique that focuses on the creation of objects. With object-oriented programming, statements should be executed in a particular order. Popular OOP languages are Java, .NET, and Python,

The latter is a technique that is more “action”-based. Functional programming uses declarative language, which means that statements can be executed in any order. It’s commonly used for data science, and popular languages are SQL, F#, and R.

Languages can either be statically typed or dynamically typed. The former is more rigid, but better at catching errors, whereas the latter is more flexible but allows for variables to change types (which could account for unexpected errors). This article by Hacker Noon goes into greater detail if you’re interested in finding out more.

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7 Popular Backend Programming Languages

Now, let’s take a look at some specific backend development languages and what they’re used for.

Backend Language #1: Java

Java is the world’s most popular programming language—and for good reason. Not only is Java extremely versatile (its use spans from smartphones to smart cards); it has also been used by developers for over 20 years.

What makes Java so versatile is the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). With many development languages, compiling a program creates code that may run differently if the computers it’s run on are different. This is not an issue for Java because of the JVM. The Java Virtual Machine acts like a middle layer that can run code on any computer, regardless of where the said code was compiled.

While Java is extremely popular with desktop and business software developers, it is less beginner-friendly than a language like Python. This is because it’s verbose and requires more code to build out features; as a result, it’s less rewarding to those just starting out.

That said, Java’s longstanding popularity and varied use mean that its community is large. Consequently, any questions you may have about the language will likely have forum threads and online tutorials dedicated to answering it.