--- title: Back-End Development description: Back-end development focuses on the server-side logic, databases, and application programming interfaces (APIs) that power web applications. Learners will understand how to build secure, scalable server architectures, manage database transactions, and handle client-side requests. category: programming-tech subcategory: web-development difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced url: /subject/back-end-development --- # Back-End Development Back-end development focuses on the server-side logic, databases, and application programming interfaces (APIs) that power web applications. Learners will understand how to build secure, scalable server architectures, manage database transactions, and handle client-side requests. ## Available Resources 2 Videos • 3 Books • 2 Courses • 4 Websites ## Websites ### 1. Express.js Guide Official documentation for Express, the minimal Node.js web framework: routing, middleware, error handling, and API reference. Covers enough to build and structure an HTTP server and understand how middleware chains process requests. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://expressjs.com/ **Tags:** express, nodejs, web-framework, middleware, api ### 2. MDN Web Docs - Server-side Mozilla's tutorial series on server-side programming: how servers handle requests, plus full walkthroughs building a site with Django or Express. Ends with a working database-backed application and a grasp of the client-server model. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/Server-side **Tags:** server-side, web-development, django, express, http ### 3. nodejs.org Node.js.org is the official site for the Node.js JavaScript runtime used in back-end development. It offers downloads, installation guides, and comprehensive documentation including API references, tutorials, and community resources for building server-side applications with JavaScript. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://nodejs.org **Tags:** websites, technology-computer-science, web-development ### 4. djangoproject.com Official site for Django, the high-level Python web framework, offering comprehensive documentation, tutorials, API references, release notes, downloads, and community resources. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://djangoproject.com **Tags:** websites, technology-computer-science, web-development ## Videos ### 1. Node.js and Express.js - Full Course Free full-length video course covering Node fundamentals — modules, npm, the event loop, async patterns — then building REST APIs with Express: routing, middleware, error handling, and connecting to a database. Follow along by coding each project. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe421EPjeBE **Tags:** nodejs, express, rest-api, backend, javascript ### 2. Traversy Media - Node.js Crash Course Introduction to Node from Brad Traversy: modules, npm, the file system and HTTP APIs, and the event loop, built around a small server written without a framework. Good orientation before picking up Express. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBNz5xF-Kx4 **Tags:** nodejs, javascript, backend, npm, http ## Courses ### 1. Node.js, Express, MongoDB & More: The Complete Bootcamp Master back-end development with Node.js, Express, and MongoDB! This complete bootcamp by Jonas Schmedtmann will take you from beginner to expert. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.udemy.com/course/nodejs-express-mongodb-bootcamp/ **Tags:** nodejs, express, mongodb, rest-api, backend ### 2. Back End Development and APIs Master back-end development & APIs with this free freeCodeCamp course! Build robust servers and learn essential API skills. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.freecodecamp.org/learn/back-end-development-and-apis/ **Tags:** nodejs, express, apis, mongodb, back-end, javascript ## Books ### 1. Node.js Design Patterns **Author:** Mario Casciaro, Luciano Mammino Covers Node's module system, callback and stream patterns, and scalability techniques such as clustering and message queues, with runnable JavaScript examples. Readers finish able to structure large server applications and choose appropriate asynchronous control-flow patterns. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/1785885588?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, technology-computer-science, web-development ### 2. Learning PHP, MySQL & JavaScript **Author:** Robin Nixon A step-by-step introduction to server-side PHP, MySQL queries, and browser-side JavaScript, ending with dynamic pages built from all three. Working through it leaves you able to write a small database-backed website with forms and sessions. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0596157134?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, technology-computer-science, web-development ### 3. Django for Beginners **Author:** William S. Vincent Builds five increasingly complex Django projects, from a hello-world page to a message board and newspaper site with user authentication and deployment. Finishing it means you can start a Django app, write models and views, and test them. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/1983172669?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, technology-computer-science, web-development --- *This content is part of Dantes.io - Your Treasure Map to Knowledge* *Curated by humans at Dantes.io. Personal study use welcome; republishing this curation requires permission (team@dantes.io).* View this page online: https://dantes.io/subject/back-end-development