Backend and APIs Guide

The backend is the part of an application users never see: the server code that stores data, enforces rules, checks who you are, and exposes everything to web and mobile clients through APIs. Whatever the language, the same handful of problems keep coming up: designing an API that other developers can use without guessing, authenticating users safely, modeling and querying data, and keeping the system running when traffic or failures arrive.

A good first project is a small API with one database table and token-based authentication, because it forces you to learn routing, validation, persistence and security together. From there you can compare styles such as REST, GraphQL, tRPC and gRPC and see which suits the clients you have. Frameworks differ in syntax but the concepts transfer, whether you use Node with Express or NestJS, Django or FastAPI in Python, Spring Boot in Java, Laravel in PHP, Go, or Phoenix in Elixir.

The reading list is grouped by those concerns: complete applications built end to end, API design and styles, authentication and security, Node.js techniques, and data and infrastructure. The longer walkthroughs build a full app with login, which makes them the best place to start. As with any fast-moving tooling, check the publication date and the library versions before copying code into a project.

Reading list

Complete apps with authentication

End-to-end walkthroughs that build an API, a database layer and a login system.

• How to Make a Spring Boot App with JWT Authentication and PostgreSQL
• How to make a GoLang Web app with authentication, an API and database interaction
• How to build an API with authentication using Django
• How to Create a Python web app with Authentication, and an API
• How to make a Laravel app that has an API and authentication
• Getting Started with Express.js: Building Dynamic Web Applications

API design and styles

REST, GraphQL, tRPC and gRPC compared and put to work.

• API Showdown: tRPC vs GraphQL – Choosing the Right Technology
• FastAPI GraphQL Server Tutorial: Build in Minutes
• gRPC-Gateway Masterclass: Simplify API Development
• Building a Scalable REST API with Elixir and Phoenix: A Step-by-Step Guide
• Revolutionize REST API Development with TypeAPI: The Future of Code Generation
• Mastering GraphQL Permissions: A Complete Guide
• Test GraphQL Servers with Jest: A Comprehensive Guide

Authentication and security

Tokens, passwords and two-factor authentication.

• NestJS JWT Authentication: A Step-by-Step Guide
• Authentication Showdown: Tokens vs. JWT in Web Development
• Secure Password Reset in Node.js: A Step-by-Step Guide
• Create a Secure Password Hasher in Node.js with Ease
• Safeguarding Your Digital Identity: The Power of Two-Factor Authentication

Node.js techniques

Architecture, streams, HTTP requests and load testing.

• Optimize Your Node.js App: Expert Architecture Best Practices
• Mastering Node.js Streams: Efficient Data Processing
• Make HTTP Requests in Node.js: 5 Essential Methods
• Master Load Testing for High-Performance Node.js Applications

Databases and infrastructure

Choosing an ORM or a backend service, and running data stores and containers.

• Best ORMs for NestJS: A Comprehensive Comparison
• MongoDB Beyond a Single Node: The Ultimate Guide to Replica Sets, Sharding, and High Availability
• Your Database Died. Now What? The Magic of Multi-Node MySQL
• Firebase vs Supabase: Which Backend Service Reigns Supreme?
• NestJS Meets Docker: Simplify Containerized Development
• Simplify Kubernetes Node Management

Want more? Browse every article in the Backend & APIs category.