How statistics are calculated
We count how many offers each candidate received and for what salary. For example, if a Back-End Web developer with Laravel with a salary of $4,500 received 10 offers, then we would count him 10 times. If there were no offers, then he would not get into the statistics either.
The graph column is the total number of offers. This is not the number of vacancies, but an indicator of the level of demand. The more offers there are, the more companies try to hire such a specialist. 5k+ includes candidates with salaries >= $5,000 and < $5,500.
Median Salary Expectation – the weighted average of the market offer in the selected specialization, that is, the most frequent job offers for the selected specialization received by candidates. We do not count accepted or rejected offers.
Trending Back-End Web tech & tools in 2024
Back-End Web
What does a back-end developer do?
A back-end developer is in the back end of a more or less invisible system of unseen work, but vital all the same to web development. Back-end developers make sure the website or application works how it should. They have to deal with servers, databases, and application logic. They develop systems and processes. They maintain databases. They deal with bugs. They interface with APIs. They make security systems work correctly.
Specifics differ from firm to firm, but on the back end a back-end developer might oversee some, most, or all of the following:
- Developing the systems and processes to meet the application’s specified requirements
- Maintaining databases, including data storage and retrieval, organization, backups, and security
- Finding and fixing bugs in the back-end code
- Managing any APIs the company uses to integrate applications, both externally and internally
- Conducting performance optimization to increase efficiency and improve the user experience
- Building and managing libraries of code for reuse by developers across the business
- Helping develop the overall architecture of the application’s back-end
- Securing the application from cyberattacks
Back-end developers also work together with front-end developers to transform their function into user-facing content in the app interface. Back-end developers often deal with managers, architects, designers, researchers, IT security and so many others to make web applications work.
In the end, front-end developers aim to make the interface fun, playful, and interactive while back-end teams build up the invisible structures that power the front-end.
Back-end Developer Skills
Ok, so we now know what a back-end developer does (mostly). But what does she need to know in order to do it? In this part, we’ll be looking at the primary skills to look for if you’re hiring a back-end developer, or if you’re hell-bent on becoming one.
Programming Languages
Web developers use a multitude of languages to build the servers, databases, and application logic on servers. Here is the list:
Python
Python is a general-purpose programming language, commonly used for building the non-public, or ‘back-end’, part of software programs and web applications currently charging you for breakfast, dinner, or that retro toy you ordered on a whim on a marketplace site last night. It is a powerful language that is enjoyable to write in, and able to operate well for any purpose you throw at it. Every back-end programmer should at least have a basic level of knowledge about it.
Java
Java, another general-purpose language, is often used in the back-end of application development for the same reason. It’s deployable across many environments and flexible enough to power very large, complex, high-performance software projects.
PHP
PHP is a so-called server-side programming language – this basically means, you create a website using PHP which dynamically loads content at the demand of the user (or the browser requesting the page). PHP dynamically builds the page on the server from content of housed databases. The opposite of this is a static website – which means you create a website, and it’s stored completely on the servers and therefore presented exactly the same to all visitors – even if, in PHP, the display can be different.
Other Languages
True, there are many other programming languages that back-end developers might prefer. There’s Ruby, a high-level language that allows one to build both web and mobile applications in a quick and effective manner, there’s C, a lower-level language (and the most popular language in the world), and there’s .NET, a framework provided by Microsoft to build websites and web apps.
Furthermore, a back-end developer might write code in SQL (Structured Query Language) or JSON (JavaScript Object Notation), programming languages that are geared towards database management.
Front-End Languages
Although it’s often the case that the back-end developer works almost exclusively on the server-side in a language like PHP or Java, some basic knowledge of front-end languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript will still come in handy when you work on a web-based project. In general, there are three technical languages that you learn on the front end:
- HTML (HyperText Markup Language): Codes content (text and links) and structure of a web page. All web pages are built with HTML, and its file names always end in .html.
- CSS (Cascading Style Sheets): Because Cascading Style Sheets are a programming language that describes how pages should look – without it, the web would be filled mostly with seas of block text and images with no layout or style. CSS is also the reason that web page content adapts to fit different browser sizes and devices.
- JavaScript: Often abbreviated as JS, developers use it to change animations, dynamically update page content, and on websites run scripts without having to ask the back-end.
These languages will make it easier for you to work with front-end developers and designers and, if there is a bug that uses both front-end and back-end resources, it will help you to diagnose it faster. They are also good skills to learn in general, especially if you want to learn design or become a full-stack developer.
Database Management
Moving data in or out of the application database, a significant part of the back-end developer’s work, comes under the scope of modern database technologies.
Databases can be divided into two types: relational databases and non-relational databases. Relational databases store related data points like a customer such as name, and email or account ID. Relational Databases are data arranged in a tabular manner with relata in the same row and the language used to interact with it is SQL.
Then, in contrast to relational databases, non-relational databases (or NoSQL databases) don’t typically store data points based on their relatedness (though they might relate the data nonetheless). Instead of rows in tables, non-relational databases store their information in Extensible Markup Language (XML) and/or JavaScript Object Notation (JSON). Useful knowledge about NoSQL database programmes, such as Redis and MongoDB, can go hand-in-hand with SQL on the back-end.
Server-Side Software
Back-end developers get process versions in server systems. You should be familiar with standard server software such as Apache, Nginx, Microsoft IIS, and Linux-based operating systems. You should know how web servers receive and handle requests for web pages on websites, how they store the data they get, and the basics of keeping them scalable and safe.
APIs
An API – an application programming interface – is a set of definitions and protocols that allows two applications (or pieces of software) to talk to and share data with each other. An API goes out and listens for incoming requests from another application, and then responds by carrying out that request (which could be requesting or modifying some chunk of data in the database of the other app). Every time you see one piece of software reused in another, APIs made it possible. Apps such as Facebook, YouTube, Google and Spotify make tons of their data available through public APIs.
There are plenty of APIs in existence today, the most prominent of which are REST APIs. If you want to be a web developer, you’ll need to have a working knowledge of REST APIs (and possibly SOAP ones), a technology that ties together not only different applications owned by different vendors, but also individual back-end services.
Data Structures and Algorithms
In contrast to other, more concrete technologies that will be discussed below, data structures and algorithms are highly conceptual but still incredibly important. A competent back-end developer must have a decent understanding of these areas to perform his or her job, which is why they appear in the academic curriculum of computer science.
Making a picture in the mind: a data structure is a pattern we use in a computer to organise data. The above examples were arrays, linked lists, trees, and tries; hash tables, heaps, stacks, and queues – the back-end developer will run into most or all of these at some point in their career.
Broadly, an algorithm is a defined process to solve a problem. Every back-end developer is familiar with the foundational algorithms of computer software: you’ll use some form of sorting algorithm; you’ll write some kind of search algorithm for searching texts or databases; you’ll parse and compare strings; you’ll hash stuff to make comparisons between string lengths easier; you’ll use recursive algorithms, or code that’s essentially a textual expression of how a function repeats itself.
Other Important Skills
There is also much more that you can learn in the domain of back-end programming than just those core skills, as listed above. Here are some more skills that you will find useful as a back-end programmer:
- Experience with a version control system — likely Git, as well as familiarity with GitHub
- Knowledge of orexperience with server management
- Communication skills, and an ability to explain complex technical topics to non-experts
- Time management skills, as you’ll likely be balancing several responsibilities at once
- Understanding of cloud computing and hosting
- Understanding web accessibility best practices
- Understanding cybersecurity best practices
Where is Laravel used?
E-Commerce Escapades
- Shopping carts go vroom with Laravel's sleek MVC architecture zipping through checkout processes like a hot knife through butter.
Social Soup Networking
- Chatty communities mushroom on Laravel's grounds, where every "Hello" echoes in elegant databases.
RESTful Rodeos
- Laravel lassos APIs into a RESTful corral, making data dance in a harmonious JSON jamboree.
Content Choreography
- Web wizards wield Laravel wands to conjure CMSes that pirouette gracefully at the editor's fingertips.
Laravel Alternatives
Symfony
Symfony is a set of reusable PHP components and a web application framework. It's known for its structure, flexibility, and high performance.
// Symfony controller example
use Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Response;
class LuckyController
{
public function number(): Response
{
$number = random_int(0, 100);
return new Response(
'<html><body>Lucky number: '.$number.'</body></html>'
);
}
}
- Highly flexible and extensible.
- Can be overkill for small projects.
- Steep learning curve.
Django
Django is a high-level Python web framework that encourages rapid development and pragmatic design. It includes an ORM, admin panel, and many more out-of-the-box features.
# Django view example
from django.http import HttpResponse
import datetime
def current_datetime(request):
now = datetime.datetime.now()
html = "<html><body>It is now %s.</body></html>" % now
return HttpResponse(html)
- Includes a powerful ORM.
- Less flexible for non-standard web applications.
- Relies on Django ORM for best experience.
Ruby on Rails
Ruby on Rails is a server-side web application framework written in Ruby. It follows the MVC (model-view-controller) pattern and emphasizes convention over configuration.
# Rails controller example
class GreetingsController < ApplicationController
def hello
@message = "Hello, world!"
end
end
- Boosts rapid development with conventions.
- Runtime performance not as high as some alternatives.
- Can be less flexible due to convention-over-configuration.
Quick Facts about Laravel
Once Upon a Time in Webville, Laravel Was Born
Imagine a world without Laravel—like a pizza without cheese, simply unthinkable! This masterpiece of code was conjured up in the magical year of 2011 by a wizard named Taylor Otwell. With the wave of his coding wand, Laravel came to life, seeking to cure the headaches of PHP developers far and wide. With its expressive syntax inspired by a melange of frameworks, it was like having an invisibility cloak for boilerplate code.
Revolutionary Elixir Becomes Mix
In the enchanting saga of Laravel, a potion named Elixir was brewed to automate the most tedious of spells—JavaScript and CSS tasks. But as it happens in many enchanting tales, Elixir had to evolve. It transformed into what we now call Laravel Mix, a more powerful concoction making asset compilation as easy as stealing a dragon's gold!
// In your terminal, transmuting your assets is as simple as:
npm run dev
The Child of Laravel: Artisan Console
Within the realms of Laravel, there exists a tiny artisan, one that can generate code, migrate your databases, and perform sorcerous tasks with but a few whispers. It's like having a genie in your app, ready to grant your every development wish. And if the stock spells aren't enough, you can teach the artisan new tricks with your own commands!
// Summoning a controller from the ether is but a simple chant away:
php artisan make:controller PizzaController
What is the difference between Junior, Middle, Senior and Expert Laravel developer?
Seniority Name | Years of Experience | Average Salary (USD/year) | Responsibilities & Activities |
---|---|---|---|
Junior Developer | 0-2 | 35,000 - 50,000 |
|
Middle Developer | 2-5 | 50,000 - 75,000 |
|
Senior Developer | 5-10 | 75,000 - 120,000 |
|
Expert/Team Lead | 10+ | 120,000+ |
|
Top 10 Laravel Related Tech
PHP
Considered the backbone of Laravel, PHP's like the pizza dough in your tech stack – without it, there's no Laravel party. It's essential for developers to master PHP, because all the eloquent code and blade templates rely on this server-side scripting language. Make sure your PHP chops are hot, or you'll be left in the cold.
// A snippet of PHP's simplicity
echo "Hello, Laravel!";
Laravel Framework
Laravel itself is the belle of the ball. It's the framework that's all about elegant syntax and taking the pain out of web development. Think of it as your magic wand that turns complex code into a charming fairy tale.
// The simplest route in Laravel
Route::get('/', function () {
return 'Welcome to the Laravel Kingdom!';
});
Composer
Where would you be without Composer? Probably lost in dependency hell. Composer is the maestro managing all your PHP packages, keeping them singing in harmony. Don't underestimate this conductor; stay in tune with it!
// Require a package with Composer
composer require package/name
Git
No one wants their project to spiral into version control chaos, which is why Git is the trusty sidekick for any developer. It's like a time machine for your code, letting you rewind, fast forward, and branch out to your heart's content.
// Basic Git commands
git commit -m "Add a witty commit message here"
git push origin master
MySQL/PostgreSQL
A Laravel app without a database is like a library without books. It's essential for developers to cozy up with databases like MySQL or PostgreSQL, ensuring your data is stored and retrieved like a pro.
// Connect to MySQL database using Laravel's env configuration
DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=homestead
DB_USERNAME=homestead
DB_PASSWORD=secret
HTML/CSS/JavaScript
It's the trifecta of web design. HTML is the skeleton, CSS is the skin and clothes, and JavaScript is the spirit that makes your Laravel app dance. Know these front-end languages well, and your sites will not only function great but also look fabulous.
<!-- A simple snippet of HTML -->
<h1>Welcome to the Stylish Laravel Webpage</h1>
/* Some fancy CSS */
h1 {
color: #3097D1;
}
// And a pinch of JavaScript
console.log('JavaScript sprinkles activated!');
Bootstrap/Tailwind CSS
When it comes to designing with style, frameworks like Bootstrap and Tailwind CSS are the trendsetters. They're the sewing kits of the web world that help you stitch together a slick UI without breaking a sweat.
// Example of using Bootstrap class in HTML
<button class="btn btn-primary">Click me!</button>
Vue.js
Pair Laravel with Vue.js and you get a web development romance that's hard to beat. Vue.js acts as the cherry on top, giving your applications that smooth, reactive, and interactive user experience.
// A touch of Vue instance magic
new Vue({
el: '#app',
data: {
message: 'Hello Vue!'
}
})
Testing Tools (PHPUnit, Dusk)
A Laravel developer worth their salt knows the value of testing. PHPUnit is like the grammar check for your code, while Laravel Dusk is like a dress rehearsal for your web app, ensuring everything runs without a hitch.
// Example of a basic test in PHPUnit
public function testBasicTest()
{
$response = $this->get('/');
$response->assertStatus(200);
}
Redis/Memcached
Why make your users wait when Redis and Memcached are like caffeine for your website? They cache your data with lightning speed, ensuring that your Laravel application is as zippy as a squirrel on an espresso shot.
// Using Redis in Laravel
Cache::store('redis')->put('key', 'value', $seconds);