Backend

This specialism course is focused on setting you up to land a Backend Developer job. We go deeper into building backend services, into APIs, databases and popular tools you'll come across during your career, such as Node.js.

Modules

Name	Weeks
Collaboration via GitHub	1
Using AI in Development	1
Advanced JavaScript	4
Databases	2
Node.js	2
Specialist Career Training	2
Agile Teamwork	1
Final Project	5

Total: 18 weeks

Learning Goals Overview

Collaboration via GitHub

• How to write a good commit message and submit easy to understand PRs
• Understand why we use branches and the different types
• Practice using branches and handling changes between local and remote
• Understand what a merge conflict is and how to resolve them
• How to save temporary changes without committing them (ie. git stash)
• How to "remove" commits using reset (soft vs hard), revert, cherry-pick and rebase
• Be prepared to collaborate successfully using GitHub on your final project
• How to use git tags and semantic versioning
• Know the main git workflows (feature-branch, gitflow, forking) and when to use each

Using AI in Development

• Use AI to support your development tasks such as refactoring and reviewing code.
• Explore prompting techniques to understand complex code, code snippets and tough technical concepts.
• Evaluate AI-generated code for correctness, expected outcomes, security and maintainability.
• Use AI to support learning new programming languages, frameworks and tools.
• Identify and integrate AI into appropriate parts of the software development workflow.
• Describe ethical, legal and risk considerations of using AI in professional software development.
• Explore the possible futures of how AI is changing the role and expectations of developers in the industry.

Advanced JavaScript

• Use array methods (forEach, map, filter, reduce) to transform, query, and aggregate data
• Chain array methods into data transformation pipelines
• Write concise arrow functions with implicit and explicit returns
• Pass functions as arguments and return functions from functions (higher-order functions)
• Use callbacks for synchronous and asynchronous operations, including error-first callbacks
• Explain the difference between synchronous and asynchronous code execution in JavaScript
• Consume and create Promises using .then(), .catch(), and new Promise()
• Use async/await with try/catch for clean asynchronous code
• Fetch data from APIs and run parallel requests with Promise.all()
• Declare classes with constructors, methods, and static methods
• Use inheritance with extends and super()

Databases

• Explain the purpose of databases in web applications
• Perform basic CRUD operations using SQL
• Understand and implement relationships between tables in SQL
• Write more complex SQL queries involving joins and aggregations
• Understand the use cases for different types of databases (SQL, NoSQL, Key-Value, Graph)
• Communicate the importance of database security
• Understand the most common security threats and how to mitigate them with best practices

Node

• Build web servers with Express.js
• Design and implement APIs using HTTP methods following REST principles
• Use middlewares for authentication, logging, and validation
• Use logging and debugging tools to monitor and troubleshoot applications
• Connect to databases and implement CRUD operations
• Test APIs using Postman

Specialist Career Training

⚠️ "Learning goals" section is empty in shared-modules/specialist-career-training

Agile Teamwork

• Understand conceptual differences between Agile, Scrum & Kanban
• Understand what Scrum looks like in day to day life as a developer
• Understand how to interact with Scrum ceremonies (e.g. standup, planning, estimating/prioritising, retrospectives)
• Practice skills used by developers such as understanding requirements, breaking down technical tasks, and common workflows for reviewing, testing and deploying.
• Understand how these skills and practices impact and support agility
• Be able to organise a very well structured project in collaboration with other developers for the final project

Final Project

• Collaborate effectively in a team setting

  • Read and extend/improve other peoples code
  • Give and receive constructive PR feedback
  • Plan, communicate and coordinate technical tasks / solutions upfront before implementation
• Develop self-guided learning skills (e.g. learn to read documetation for a new tool or API)
• Interpret a problem statement and specs/wireframes/prototypes into buildable requirements
• Break down bigger problems into smaller, actionable written tasks
• Work in iterative sprints and achieve deadlines
• Ask for help effectively and at the right time (e.g. describing problems to mentors, asking online, and knowing the power and limitations of using AI)
• Deploy a completed project you are proud to showcase on your portfolio