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Learning Paths / Backend Developer Track

career
intermediate
22h estimated

Backend Developer Track

A career track for backend engineers: Python, databases and SQL, API design, security, containers, and testing.

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Language

  1. 1

    Functions

    Define reusable blocks of code with parameters, returns, and defaults

  2. 2

    Classes

    Define objects with attributes, methods, inheritance, and dunder methods

  3. 3

    Modules

    Organize code across files and import functions, classes, and packages

  4. 4

    Async/Await

    Write concurrent I/O-bound code with coroutines, the event loop, and asyncio

  5. 5

    Testing with pytest

    Write expressive tests using plain asserts, fixtures, and parametrization

Databases

  1. 1

    Relational Basics

    How relational databases organize data into tables of rows and columns

  2. 2

    Normalization

    Organizing tables to reduce redundancy and avoid update anomalies

  3. 3

    Indexes

    How indexes speed up lookups and what they cost

  4. 4

    Transactions

    Grouping multiple statements into one all-or-nothing operation

SQL

  1. 1

    SELECT

    Query rows and columns from tables with filtering and sorting

  2. 2

    Joins

    Combine rows from related tables with INNER, LEFT, and other joins

  3. 3

    GROUP BY

    Aggregate rows with COUNT, SUM, AVG, and HAVING filters

  4. 4

    Subqueries

    Nest queries inside other queries to filter, compute, and compare

  5. 5

    Query Optimization

    Read execution plans and tune queries for speed at scale

APIs

  1. 1

    REST Basics

    The core principles of resource-oriented REST APIs and how clients talk to them

  2. 2

    HTTP Methods

    How GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE map to actions on API resources

  3. 3

    Status Codes

    What the common 2xx, 4xx, and 5xx response codes mean and when to use them

  4. 4

    Error Handling

    Designing clear, consistent error responses that clients can act on

  5. 5

    API Authentication

    How APIs verify who is calling using API keys, bearer tokens, and JWTs

  6. 6

    Pagination

    Returning large collections in manageable pages using offset or cursor strategies

Security

  1. 1

    Security Fundamentals

    Core principles every developer needs to build safer web applications

  2. 2

    Authentication

    How to verify user identity and store credentials safely

  3. 3

    SQL Injection

    How unsafe queries expose your database and how to write safe ones

Deployment

  1. 1

    Docker Introduction

    What Docker is, why containers matter, and how to run your first container

  2. 2

    Docker Compose

    Define and run multi-container applications with a single YAML file

Quality

  1. 1

    Integration Tests

    Verifying that multiple units work correctly together across real boundaries