Backend Developer roadmap
Design services that store data safely, expose clear APIs, and keep running when traffic and failures arrive.
At a glance
- Stages5
- Steps24
- Core steps16
- Optional or alternative8
- Linked courses5
How to use this roadmap
Work through the stages in order. Core steps are the ones everyone on this path needs; optional steps add depth when you have time, and alternatives are other ways to the same skill, so pick one. Steps with a course link to a free course from LearnerMap Academy.
Members of LearnerMap Academy can mark each step as learning, done or skipped, and see how far along the path they are.
Foundations
A server-side language
CorePick one language and learn its standard library, package tooling and testing story in depth.
The command line
CoreNavigate files, inspect processes and chain small tools together in a shell.
Git and code review
CoreWork in branches, open small pull requests and respond to review.
Course: Git FundamentalsPro Git bookPull requests (GitHub Docs)
HTTP in depth
CoreKnow methods, status codes, headers, caching and connection reuse well enough to debug from raw traffic.
Data storage
Relational databases and SQL
CoreModel data in tables and query it with joins, filters and aggregates.
Schema design and migrations
CoreUse keys and constraints to keep data valid, and evolve the schema with ordered migrations.
Indexes and query plans
CoreRead a query plan, add the index that matches the access pattern, and confirm it helped.
Transactions and isolation
CoreGroup changes so they succeed or fail together, and know which anomalies each isolation level allows.
Document databases
AlternativeStore nested documents when the shape varies and relations are few.
Caching with Redis
OptionalKeep hot data in memory and decide how stale it may get.
Building APIs
Resource-oriented design
CoreName resources, choose the right methods and status codes, and keep responses consistent.
Course: API DesignHTTP request methods (MDN)API design guide (Google Cloud)
Validation and error contracts
CoreReject bad input at the edge with a schema, and return errors that clients and people can act on.
OpenAPI descriptions
OptionalDescribe your API in a machine-readable document that drives docs, clients and tests.
GraphQL
AlternativeLet clients ask for exactly the fields they need from a typed schema.
gRPC
AlternativeCall remote procedures with generated clients and compact binary messages.
Security
Authentication and sessions
CoreVerify who is calling, store credentials safely and expire sessions sensibly.
Course: Secure CodingSession management (OWASP)HTTP cookies (MDN)
Authorization
CoreCheck permissions on the server for every object, never only in the interface.
Common web risks
CoreKnow the usual ways services get broken into and the habits that prevent them.
OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect
OptionalDelegate sign-in and API access to an identity provider using standard flows.
Reliability and operations
Automated testing
CoreTest business rules directly and exercise real endpoints against a real database.
Containers
CorePackage the service with its runtime so it starts the same everywhere.
Observability
CoreEmit logs, metrics and traces that let you answer new questions about production.
Queues and background jobs
OptionalMove slow or unreliable work out of the request path and retry it safely.
Idempotency and retries
OptionalMake repeated requests harmless so clients can retry after timeouts.
Learning with LearnerMap Academy
LearnerMap Academy runs its learning on LearnerMap, a free platform for organisations. Every course here is free for members of LearnerMap Academy: sign in with the email address LearnerMap Academy knows you by, or with a passkey, and the course opens in your own plan.
Your plan holds at most 3 courses in progress at a time, so you finish what you start before pulling in the next one. Lessons open in order, your progress is saved as you complete each one, and every course ends with a quiz; passing it adds a certificate to your record.
Not a member yet? Ask LearnerMap Academy to invite you. Lesson content, quizzes and everyone’s progress stay private to members; these public pages show only what LearnerMap Academy chose to publish.