Backend Roadmap

THE COMPLETE
BACK END DEVELOPER

ROADMAP
Go from zero to a back-end developer in 12 months

Mosh Hamedani
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2
Hi! I am Mosh Hamedani, a software engineer with over 20

years of experience.
Over the past 10 years, I ve had the privilege of teaching

millions of people how to code and become professional
software engineers through my YouTube channel and online
courses.
It s my mission to make software engineering accessible to

everyone. Join me on this journey and unlock your potential in
the world of coding!
https://codewithmosh.com
Copyright 2024 Code with Mosh codewithmosh.com

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Back-end Development Roadmap 3
Table of Content
Introduction 4
Target Audience 4
Resources 4
Essential Skills and Learning Timeline 5
Top Tips Every Beginner Should Know 6
Languages 8
Python 9
Java 10
Project Ideas 11
Git 13
Data Structures & Algorithms 14
Design Patterns 15
Databases 16
MySQL 17
Project Ideas 18
MongoDB 21
Web Frameworks 22
Django 23
Spring Boot 24
Project Ideas 25
Additional Skills 29

Introduction
This guide is designed to help you navigate the essential skills needed to become
a successful back-end developer. Whether you're just starting out or looking to
enhance your existing skills, this roadmap will provide a clear and structured path.
Target Audience
This guide is for:
• Beginners who want to know what they need to learn to land a back-end
developer job.
• Experienced individuals looking to level up their skills and fill in the gaps in
their knowledge.
Resources
For detailed tutorials and full courses, check out the following resources:
• YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/programmingwithmosh
• Full Courses: https://codewithmosh.com

Essential Skills and Learning Timeline

Back-end development has many tools and technologies. Trying to learn them all
is impossible and not practical. This guide focuses on the most important and
widely used skills and tools to help you get the best job opportunities.
I ve selected these skills because they are in high demand. Mastering them will
give you a strong foundation and make you a competitive job candidate.
For the first 12 months, focus only on the tools and technologies listed in this
document. Instead of trying to learn too many things at once, build a strong
foundation with these essential skills. You can always learn other tools and
technologies on the job as you go.
Skill Time required Learning Phase

Programming 2 months Beginner
Git 2 weeks Beginner
Data Structures & Algorithms 2 months Beginner
Design Patterns 2 months Intermediate
Databases 2 months Intermediate
Web Framework 2 months Advanced
Total 11 months

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Top Tips Every Beginner Should Know
1. Start Small and Build Up: Begin with the basics and gradually move to more
complex topics. Don t rush; build a strong foundation.
2. Practice Consistently: Set aside time each day or week to practice coding.
Consistency is key to retaining knowledge and improving skills.
3. Work on Projects: Apply what you learn by working on real projects. This helps
reinforce your knowledge and gives you practical experience.
4. Ask for Help: Ask ChatGPT for help or post your questions on StackOverflow
to get help from the community. Additionally, participate in answering other
people s questions. This is a great way to learn and reinforce your knowledge.
5. Join a Community: Engage with other learners and professionals. Join online
forums, attend meetups, and participate in coding challenges. This can provide
support, motivation, and valuable insights.
6. Learn to Debug: Debugging is a crucial skill. Practice finding and fixing errors
in your code. It improves problem-solving skills and helps you understand how
code works.
7. Try Rubber Duck Debugging: Explain your code and the problem you re facing
to an inanimate object like a rubber duck. This method, known as rubber duck
debugging, can help you think more clearly and often leads to discovering the
solution on your own.
8. Read Documentation: Familiarize yourself with official documentation. It s an

essential skill for understanding and using new tools and technologies
effectively.

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9. Stay Updated: Back-end development is always evolving. Follow industry

blogs, news, and social media to stay informed about the latest trends and
updates.
10.Be Patient and Persistent: Learning to code is a journey. Be patient with

yourself and stay persistent, even when things get tough. Progress takes time
and effort.
11. Take Regular Breaks: Stepping away from your desk and taking regular breaks
can refresh your mind and help you find solutions to problems. Sometimes, a
short walk or a change of scenery is all you need to spark new ideas and
improve your productivity.
Good luck, and happy coding!
Mosh

Languages
You have many choices when it comes to selecting a programming language for
backend development, and choosing the right one depends on various factors like
project requirements, team expertise, and performance needs.
Language Use Case

JavaScript Full-stack development (used both on client and server)
Python and Ruby Rapid prototyping and fast development cycles
Java and C# Building large-scale, enterprise-grade applications
Go For performance-critical and concurrent applications.
Python, Java, and JavaScript are among the most popular languages for backend
development.
My Recommendation
• Pick only one language from this list.
• To decide what language is right for you, do some research and find the job
opportunities available for each language where you live.
• For beginners, I d recommend Python because it s the easiest.
• For more serious leaners, I d recommend Java because it is a classic language

and is taught to computer science students. Once you learn Java, you can
easily learn other languages, particularly C-based languages C, C#, C ,
JavaScript, etc).

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Python
Python is a highly popular language for backend development, known for its
simplicity, readability, and extensive library support. It's widely used for building
scalable and robust web applications, thanks to frameworks like Django and Flask.
Time required: 2 months
Course: Complete Python Mastery
Essential Concepts
• Basics: Variables, data types, type conversion
• Control Flow: Comparison operators, logical operators, if, elif, else, for,
for..else, iterables, while
• Functions: Defining functions, arguments, keyword args, default args, xargs,

xxargs, scope
• Data Structures: Arrays, lists, tuples, sets, stacks, queues, dictionaries,

comprehensions, generator expressions
• Exception Handling: try/except, with statements, raising exceptions
• Object-oriented Programming: Classes, constructors, instance vs class

members, magic methods, private members, properties, inheritance, method
overriding, Object class, abstract base classes, polymorphism, duck typing
• Modules: Built-in modules, creating modules, packages, sub-packages
• Python Standard Library: Working with paths, files, directories, CSV, JSON,
date/times, random values
• Package Management: Pypi, pip, virtual environments, pipenv, Pipfile

Java
Java is a robust and versatile language, perfect for backend development. Known
for its performance and scalability, Java is a top choice for building large-scale,
enterprise-level applications.
Course: The Ultimate Java Series
Essential Concepts
• Basics: Variables, primitive and reference types, constants, casting, arrays,
arithmetic expressions
• Control Flow: Comparison operators, logical operators, ternary operator, if/

else, switch/case, for, foreach, while, do..while, break, continue
• Object-oriented Programming: Classes, objects, getters/setters,

constructors, method overloading, static members, inheritance, access
modifiers, method overriding, upcasting/downcasting, polymorphism,
abstract classes, final classes, interfaces
• Exceptions: Exceptions hierarchy, try/catch/finally, throw, custom exceptions
• Generics: Generic classes/methods/interfaces, constraints, type erasure,

type parameters
• Collections Framework: Iterable, Iterator, Collection, List, Comparable,

Comparator, Queue, Set, Map
• Functional interfaces: Lambda expressions, Consumer, Supplier, Function,

Predicate, BinaryOperator, UnaryOperator
• Streams: Creating streams, mapping, filtering, slicing, sorting, peeking,

reducing

Project Ideas
When you're just starting out and learning a programming language, building
command-line applications is a great way to practice your skills. Here are a few
project ideas, ordered from simple to complex:
1. Calculator
Build a basic calculator that can perform operations like addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division. This will give you practice with functions and control
flow.
2. Number Guessing Game

Develop a game where the program randomly selects a number, and the user has
to guess it. Provide feedback if the guess is too high or too low. This project helps
you understand loops and conditional statements.
3. Unit Converter
Build a unit converter that can convert between different units of measurement
(e.g., kilometers to miles, Celsius to Fahrenheit). This project will strengthen your
understanding of functions and user input.
4. Password Generator
Develop a password generator that creates random, secure passwords based on
user-defined criteria (e.g., length, inclusion of special characters). This project will
help you understand random number generation and string handling.
5. Word Counter
Create a program that counts the number of words, characters, and lines in a
given text file. This will give you experience with file I/O operations and string
manipulation.

6. To-Do List
Create a simple to-do list application where users can add, remove, and mark
tasks as complete. This project will help you practice working with lists and user
input.
7. Simple Quiz
Create a quiz application that asks the user multiple-choice questions and
provides feedback on their answers. This will help you practice working with lists,
conditionals, and user input.
8. Contact Book
Design a command-line application to store and manage contacts. Users should
be able to add, view, and delete contacts. This will help you practice working with
data structures like lists or dictionaries.

Git
Git is a version control system that tracks changes in code, allowing multiple
developers to collaborate efficiently. It helps manage and maintain different
versions of code, facilitates branching and merging, and stores the project history.
Time required: 1 2 weeks
Course: The Ultimate Git Course
Essential Concepts
• Setup and Configuration: git init, git clone, git config
• Staging: git status, git add, git rm, git mv, git commit, git reset
• Inspect and Compare: git log, git diff, git show
• Branching: git branch, git checkout, git merge
• Remote Repositories: git remote, git fetch, git pull, git push
• Temporary Commits: git stash
• GitHub: fork, pull request, code review

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Data Structures & Algorithms

Data structures and algorithms are core topics taught to computer science
students but often skipped by self-taught developers. However, mastering them is
crucial for boosting your programming and problem-solving skills. They're also
frequently tested in tech interviews, so understanding these concepts will give
you a significant advantage when job hunting.
Course: The Ultimate Data Structures & Algorithms Course
Essential Concepts
• Big O Notation
• Arrays and Linked Lists
• Stacks and Queues
• Hash Tables
• Trees and Graphs: Binary trees, AVL trees, heaps, tries, graphs
• Sorting Algorithms: Bubble sort, selection sort, insertion sort, merge sort,
quick sort, counting sort, bucket sort
• Searching algorithms: Linear search, binary search, ternary search, jump

search, exponential search
• String Manipulation Algorithms: Reversing a string, reversing words,

rotations, removing duplicates, most repeated character, anagrams,
palindrome
• Recursion

Design Patterns
Design patterns are proven solutions to common software design problems.
There are 23 classic design patterns that were documented in the book: “Design
Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-oriented Software by the Gang of Four.
Many of these patterns are used in web frameworks, particularly Spring, Django,
and ASP.NET Core. So learning these design patterns will give you a deeper
understanding of object-oriented design principles and how these web
frameworks work under the hood.
Course: The Ultimate Design Patterns Course
Essential Concepts
• Object-oriented Programming: Classes, interfaces, encapsulation,
abstraction, inheritance, polymorphism, coupling
• Creational Patterns: Prototype, singleton, factory method, abstract factory,

builder
• Structural Patterns: Composite, adapter, decorator, facade, flyweight, bridge,

proxy
• Behavioral Patterns: Memento, state, iterator, strategy, template method,

command, observer, mediator, chain of responsibility, visitor

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Databases
Understanding databases is a fundamental skill for backend developers. There are
two main types of databases you should know about: Relational and NoSQL. Each
has its own use cases and benefits, and knowing when to use which can make a
big difference in your applications.
Relational Databases
• Storage: Data is stored in tables with rows and columns, much like a
spreadsheet.
• Examples: MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, SQL Server, and Oracle.
• Use Case: Best for applications that require complex queries and reporting,
such as banking and financial systems.
NoSQL Databases
• Storage: Data is stored without a predefined structure, making it more
flexible for different types of data.
• Examples: MongoDB, CouchDB, and Cassandra.
• Use Case: Best for applications that require flexible data models, such as
real-time analytics, content management systems, and IoT applications.
You don't need to learn all these database management systems. Only one is
enough to get started. You can learn about the others when needed.
My recommendation: To build a strong foundation, start with MySQL for relational

databases followed by MongoDB for NoSQL.

MySQL
MySQL is a widely used open-source relational Database Management System
DBMS that's perfect for beginners. Whether you're building a small web
application or a large enterprise system, MySQL provides a solid foundation for
managing your data.
Time required: 1 month
Course: The Complete SQL Mastery
Essential Concepts
• Querying Data: SELECT, WHERE, logical operators AND, OR, NOT , IN,
BETWEEN, LIKE, REGEXP, IS NULL, ORDER BY, LIMIT
• Joins: Inner joins, outer joins, self joins, natural joins, cross joins, unions
• Complex Queries: Aggregate functions MAX, MIN, AVG, SUM, COUNT ,

GROUP BY, HAVING, ROLLUP, subqueries
• Data Manipulation: INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE
• Views
• Stored Procedures and Functions
• Triggers and Events
• Transactions: Transaction isolation levels, BEGIN, COMMIT, ROLLBACK
• Database Design: Tables, relationships, primary keys, foreign keys,

normalization
• Indexes
• Security: Managing users and privileges

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Project Ideas
Here are a few project ideas for practicing your MySQL skills, ordered from simple
to complex:
1. Simple Address Book

Design a database for storing contact information. Create tables for storing
names, phone numbers, and email addresses. Write queries to add new contacts,
update existing ones, delete contacts, and retrieve all contacts.
2. Library Management System

Create a database schema for a library. Design tables for books, authors, and
borrow records. Write queries to:
• Add new books and authors
• Record borrowing and returning of books
• List all available books
• Find books by a specific author
3. Student Grades Database

Design a database to store student grades, including tables for students, courses,
and grades. Write queries to:
• Add students and courses
• Record student grades
• Calculate average grades for a student
• List students with the highest grades in a course

4. Inventory Management System

Create a schema for an inventory system. Design tables for products, suppliers,
and stock levels. Write queries to:
• Add new products and suppliers
• Update stock levels
• List all products with low stock
• Find suppliers for a specific product
5. Event Registration System

Design a database for managing event registrations, including tables for events,
attendees, and registrations. Write queries to:
• Add new events and attendees
• Register attendees for events
• List all attendees for a specific event
• Find events a particular attendee has registered for
6. Employee Management System

Develop a database schema for an employee management system with tables for
employees, departments, roles, and salaries. Write queries to:
• Add employees and departments
• Update employee roles and salaries
• Generate department-wise employee lists
• Calculate average salaries by department

7. Online Store Database

Create a schema for an online store, including tables for products, customers,
orders, and payments. Write queries to:
• Add new products and customers
• Record orders and payments
• List all orders for a customer
• Calculate total sales for a period
8. Movie Rental System

Design a database for a movie rental store, with tables for movies, customers,
rentals, and returns. Write queries to:
• Add movies and customers
• Record rentals and returns
• List all currently rented movies
• Calculate late fees for overdue returns

MongoDB
MongoDB is a powerful, flexible, and scalable NoSQL database that is perfect for
handling large volumes of unstructured or semi-structured data.
If you're just starting out, you can skip MongoDB as it's often not required by
entry-level jobs. However, familiarity with NoSQL databases can be an advantage.
Time requires: 1 month
Essential Concepts
• Basics: SQL vs NoSQL, documents and collections, data types
• Methods: insert(), find(), update(), deleteOne(), bulkeWrite()
• Comparison Operators: $eq, $gt, $lt, $lte, $gte, $ne
• Logical Operators: $and, $or, $not, $nor
• Array Operators: $in, $nin, $all, $elemMatch, $size
• Element Operators: $exists, $type, $regex
• Projection Operators: $project, $include, $exclude, $slice
• Indexes: Single field, compound, text
• Aggregation: $match, $group, $sort, $project, $skip, $limit, $unwind,

$lookup, $sum
• Transactions
• Security: Managing user roles, authentication, and authorization

Web Frameworks
Web frameworks provide us with tools and a structured approach to building
backend applications. They simplify the development process by offering pre-built
components and functionalities, so we can focus on creating our application
rather than dealing with repetitive tasks like routing, database connections, and
user authentication. By using web frameworks, we can develop faster, write
cleaner code, and ensure our applications are scalable and maintainable.
Language Web Framework

Python Django
Java Spring Boot
JavaScript Express.js
C# ASP.NET Core
Ruby Ruby on Rails
Go Gin
You don't need to learn all of these frameworks. Just focus on learning one that
matches the programming language you're skilled at.

Django
Django is a high-level Python web framework that encourages rapid development
and clean, pragmatic design. It's known for its "batteries-included" philosophy,
providing a wide range of built-in features to help you build robust and scalable
web applications quickly.
Course: The Ultimate Django Series
Essential Concepts
• Basics: Models, views, URLs, templates
• Models: Creating models, fields, relationships, generic relationships
• Migrations: Creating, running, reverting
• Django ORM Managers, QuerySets, CRUD operations, sorting, limiting,

selecting and deferring fields
• Admin Interface: Customizing pages, custom actions, custom forms
• RESTful APIs: Resources, HTTP methods, API views, serializers
• Advanced API Concepts: Class-based views, mixins, generic views,

ViewSets, routers, filtering, searching, sorting, pagination
• Authentication: Managing user models, profiles, groups, permissions
• Deployment

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Spring Boot
Spring Boot is a powerful and widely-used framework for building enterprise-level
applications in Java. It simplifies the development process by providing pre-
configured templates and reducing the need for boilerplate code, enabling rapid
development and deployment.
Essential Concepts
• Spring Core: Dependency Injection DI , Spring IOC, Spring AOP, Spring MVC,
annotations, configuration
• Spring Boot: Starters, auto configuration, actuators, embedded server,

hibernate
• Database Integration: Spring Data JPA, Spring Data MongoDB
• Security: Spring Security (authentication, authorization, OAuth2, JWT

authentication)
• Testing: JPA Test, MockMVC
• Deployment

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Project Ideas
Here are some project ideas, ordered from simple to complex:
1. Personal Blog API

Create an API for a personal blog where users can create, read, update, and
delete posts. Implement user authentication and basic CRUD operations.
Key Features:
• User authentication (signup, login, logout)
• CRUD operations for blog posts
• Endpoints for managing user profiles
2. To-Do List API

Build an API for a to-do list application where users can manage their tasks.
Include user authentication and the ability to categorize tasks.
Key Features:
• User authentication
• CRUD operations for tasks
• Categorization and filtering of tasks
• Endpoints for task management
3. Simple E-commerce API

Develop an API for a basic e-commerce site where users can browse products,
add them to a cart, and checkout. Include user authentication and order
management.

Key Features:
• CRUD operations for products
• Shopping cart management
• Order processing and management
4. Event Management API

Create an API for managing events, where users can create events, register for
events, and see a list of attendees.
Key Features:
• CRUD operations for events
• Registration and attendee management
• Endpoints for event management
5. Social Media API

Build an API for a social media platform where users can create profiles, post
updates, follow other users, and like posts.
Key Features:
• CRUD operations for posts
• User following and unfollowing

• Like and comment functionality
6. Online Learning Platform API

Develop an API for an online learning platform where instructors can create
courses, and students can enroll in and complete courses. Include progress
tracking and course reviews.
Key Features:
• CRUD operations for courses
• Enrollment and progress tracking
• Course review management
7. Job Board API

Create an API for a job board where companies can post job listings, and users
can apply for jobs. Include user authentication and resume uploads.
Key Features:
• CRUD operations for job listings
• Job application submission and tracking
• Resume management
8. Real-Time Chat API

Build an API for a real-time chat application where users can join chat rooms and
send messages. Implement user authentication and real-time message updates.

Key Features:
• CRUD operations for chat rooms
• Real-time messaging using WebSockets
• Message history and retrieval

Additional Skills
As you advance in your backend development career, learning additional skills can
help you reach senior levels. Here are some key areas to focus on:
• Database Management: Query optimization, replication, sharding,

transactions, concurrency
• API Design: GraphQL, gRPC
• Security: OAuth, JWT, TLS/SSL, common security vulnerabilities SQL

injection, XSS, CSRF
• Scalability and Performance: Load balancing, caching Redis, Memcached),

asynchronous processing with message queues RabbitMQ
• System Design and Architecture: Microservices, Service-Oriented

Architecture SOA , Event-Driven Architecture, Domain-Driven Design DDD ,
Command Query Responsibility Segregation CQRS , Event Sourcing
• DevOps and CI/CD Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Docker, Kubernetes
• Cloud Computing: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud

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Learning to code is a journey. Be patient with yourself and
stay persistent, even when things get tough.
- Mosh

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THE COMPLETE

BACK END DEVELOPER

Go from zero to a back-end developer in 12 months

Hi! I am Mosh Hamedani, a software engineer with over 20

Over the past 10 years, I ve had the privilege of teaching

It s my mission to make software engineering accessible to

Copyright 2024 Code with Mosh codewithmosh.com

Copyright 2024 Code with Mosh codewithmosh.com

• YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/programmingwithmosh

• Full Courses: https://codewithmosh.com

Copyright 2024 Code with Mosh codewithmosh.com

Essential Skills and Learning Timeline

Skill Time required Learning Phase

Copyright 2024 Code with Mosh codewithmosh.com

Top Tips Every Beginner Should Know

8. Read Documentation: Familiarize yourself with official documentation. It s an

Copyright 2024 Code with Mosh codewithmosh.com

9. Stay Updated: Back-end development is always evolving. Follow industry

10.Be Patient and Persistent: Learning to code is a journey. Be patient with

Good luck, and happy coding!

Copyright 2024 Code with Mosh codewithmosh.com

Language Use Case

• For beginners, I d recommend Python because it s the easiest.

• For more serious leaners, I d recommend Java because it is a classic language

Copyright 2024 Code with Mosh codewithmosh.com

Time required: 2 months

Course: Complete Python Mastery

• Functions: Defining functions, arguments, keyword args, default args, xargs,

• Data Structures: Arrays, lists, tuples, sets, stacks, queues, dictionaries,

• Exception Handling: try/except, with statements, raising exceptions

• Object-oriented Programming: Classes, constructors, instance vs class

• Modules: Built-in modules, creating modules, packages, sub-packages

• Package Management: Pypi, pip, virtual environments, pipenv, Pipfile

Copyright 2024 Code with Mosh codewithmosh.com

Time required: 2 months

Course: The Ultimate Java Series

• Control Flow: Comparison operators, logical operators, ternary operator, if/

• Object-oriented Programming: Classes, objects, getters/setters,

• Exceptions: Exceptions hierarchy, try/catch/finally, throw, custom exceptions

• Generics: Generic classes/methods/interfaces, constraints, type erasure,

• Collections Framework: Iterable, Iterator, Collection, List, Comparable,

• Functional interfaces: Lambda expressions, Consumer, Supplier, Function,

• Streams: Creating streams, mapping, filtering, slicing, sorting, peeking,

Copyright 2024 Code with Mosh codewithmosh.com

2. Number Guessing Game

Copyright 2024 Code with Mosh codewithmosh.com

Copyright 2024 Code with Mosh codewithmosh.com

Time required: 1 2 weeks

Course: The Ultimate Git Course

• Inspect and Compare: git log, git diff, git show

• Branching: git branch, git checkout, git merge

• Temporary Commits: git stash

• GitHub: fork, pull request, code review

Copyright 2024 Code with Mosh codewithmosh.com

Data Structures & Algorithms

Time required: 2 months

Course: The Ultimate Data Structures & Algorithms Course

• Arrays and Linked Lists

• Stacks and Queues