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 Spring Boot Framework 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 Spring Boot Framework used?
Microservice Maestro
- Splits monolith apps like a hot knife through butter, carving out streamlined microservices that chat like gossiping neighbors.
Restful Wrestler
- Tames wild JSON dragons to craft RESTful APIs that serve data platters to famished front-ends.
Cloud Conductor
- Orchestrates cloud deployments with a flick and a swish, more graceful than a ballet dancer with a diploma in DevOps.
Security Sentinel
- Guards gates like an overcaffeinated bouncer, using Spring Security to frisk incoming requests for potential troublemakers.
Spring Boot Framework Alternatives
Micronaut Framework
Micronaut is a modern, JVM-based, full-stack framework for building modular, easily testable microservice and serverless applications.
// Micronaut basic controller
@Controller("/hello")
public class HelloController {
@Get(uri="/", produces="text/plain")
public String index() {
return "Hello World";
}
}
- Fast startup time and low memory footprint.
- Built-in support for cloud native applications.
- Compile-time dependency injection can be complex.
Quarkus
Quarkus is a Kubernetes-native Java stack tailored for OpenJDK HotSpot and GraalVM, crafted from best-of-breed Java libraries and standards.
// Quarkus basic REST endpoint
@Path("/hello")
public class GreetingResource {
@GET
@Produces(MediaType.TEXT_PLAIN)
public String hello() {
return "hello";
}
}
- Designed for GraalVM and containerization.
- Offers a reactive programming model.
- Relatively new with smaller community than Spring.
Vert.x
Vert.x is a tool-kit for building reactive applications on the JVM, which can be used for building robust, scalable, concurrent, and fast applications.
// Vert.x sample route
Router router = Router.router(vertx);
router.route("/").handler(routingContext -> {
HttpServerResponse response = routingContext.response();
response.putHeader("content-type", "text/plain")
.end("Hello from Vert.x!");
});
- Event-driven framework with a lightweight, non-blocking development model.
- High scalability for concurrent connections.
- Reactive model might be hard to grasp initially.
Quick Facts about Spring Boot Framework
Spring into Action with Boot!
Imagine a world where Java's reign meets the ease of kicking off projects like a Sunday morning soccer game. Spring Boot bursts onto the scene in 2014, waving its 'convention over configuration' flag, courtesy of Pivotal Team's coding wizards. It made setting up Java applications not just bearable but a walk in the park!
A Versionary Tale of Spring Boot Evolution
Time flies when you're coding away! Spring Boot's story is peppered with versions sprouting up like mushrooms. The launch version was 1.0.0, and ever since, we're on a roller coaster ride of updates. Now strut your stuff with version 2.x, boasting features that'll make your apps dance more elegantly than ever before.
Auto-magical Beans and Annotations
Spring Boot's magic act includes 'autoconfiguration', a spell that conjures beans into your app with no effort. Need a database? Poof! An embedded H2 appears! Annotate with @SpringBootApplication
, and like a trusty sidekick, Spring Boot is on it, weaving together your application context without breaking a sweat.
@SpringBootApplication
public class CoffeeShopApplication {
public static void main(String[] args) {
SpringApplication.run(CoffeeShopApplication.class, args);
}
}
What is the difference between Junior, Middle, Senior and Expert Spring Boot Framework developer?
Seniority Name | Years of Experience | Average Salary (USD/year) | Responsibilities & Activities | Quality-Wise |
---|---|---|---|---|
Junior | 0-2 | 50,000 - 70,000 |
| Learning and requires supervision |
Middle | 2-5 | 70,000 - 100,000 |
| Proficient and increasingly autonomous |
Senior | 5-10 | 100,000 - 140,000 |
| Expert with minimal oversight required |
Expert/Team Lead | 10+ | 140,000+ |
| Authority with excellent quality and innovation |
Top 10 Spring Boot Framework Related Tech
Java Beans Brew
Java – The one true king of Spring Boot land. It's the heart, soul, and slightly overbearing mother-in-law. You scribble in Java like Shakespeare did in English, only with less ruffles and more@Annotations
. This is the playground wherepublic static void main(String[] args)
is not just a line of code, it's a lifestyle.
Spring Boot Itself, Duh!
It’s like putting a V8 engine in a go-kart. Spring Boot makes Java cool again, letting you bootstrap an application without sweating bullets over configuration. Annotations galore, it's all about kickstarting projects with minimal fuss, like@SpringBootApplication
waving a magic wand and poof! You've got an app!
Maven Claus or Gradle, the Tool Elves
Maven/Gradle – These build tools are like Santa's elves for coders. Maven with its XML hat and Gradle with a scripty Groovy vibe, both make sure your code's dependencies are as well-managed as a kindergarten class on a sugar-free diet.
Thymeleaf or Mustach-io
Thymeleaf/Mustache – These template engines are like Bob Ross for HTML, making happy little<div>
s out of your static pages. They let you paint with data and make your front-end as dynamic as Saturday night's dance floor.
JPA/Hibernate – The Persistence Whisperers
These ORMs will help your data play nice with the database. Like a skilled cat herder, JPA, paired with Hibernate, rounds up your Java objects and nudges them into neatly organized tables without you having to break a sweat writing SQL.
RestControllers on the Mic
RESTful Services – With Spring Boot's RestControllers, you'll be dropping endpoints like they’re hot. Throw in some@GetMapping
and@PostMapping
, and you're basically the DJ at the API nightclub, making sure everyone's grooving to the HTTP rhythms.
Spring Security Bouncers
You need burly bouncers at the club? Enter Spring Security. Slapping a@Secured
on a method is like having a guard who checks for VIP passes. No random requests getting into your VIP endpoints unless they know the secret handshake (or token).
Swagger/Postman – The API Exhibits
These are your window displays of all the end-points you've got available. Swagger is like an interactive mannequin that can show off your fancy API clothes (endpoints), letting you try on different requests and see how they look. Postman, on the other hand, sends those requests out, no catwalk needed.
Actuator – The Health Check Ninja
Spring Boot Actuator gives you the 411 on your application's health. It's like having your own WebMD for your app, diagnosing issues without the hypochondria. Plus, with its built-in metrics, you can check the pulse of your application, ensuring it's in tip-top shape.
Docker – The Container Ship Captain
Last but not least, let's containerize it all with Docker. Because deploying your app without Docker is like wearing a suit without socks – you may think it's cool, but everyone else knows something's missing. Docker packages your masterpiece into neat little containers ready to sail into the cloud.