1. Backend Web Development Overview

Refresher

• We’re already a little familiar with the topic by now, but just as a quick referesher before we get into today:
  • A “backend” is the server side part of an application. In web development, the backend is the server side part of our site that actually handles the user’s requests
  • The “frontend” is the part that the user see’s and interacts with
    • Technically your frontend is basically integrated into your backend when you use SSR, but this is roughly the definition

Backend Stack

• You can (usually) break your (javascript) backend up into a few parts, known as your “stack”:
  • The server which hosts the application and actually recieves the incoming network requests
  • The database which stores and retrieves data needed by the database
  • The application logic which is what handles actually responding to the requests
• This simplifcation doesn’t work for all stacks, as an example the formerly really popular LAMP stack doesn’t really fit this breakdown
• Common examples include:
  • MEAN
    • MongoDB: Backend database
    • Express.js: Backend application logic
    • Angular: Frontend
    • Node.js: Backend server
  • PERN
    • PostgreSQL: Backend database
    • Express.js: Backend application logic
    • React: Frontend
    • Node.js: Backend server
  • There are lots of different stacks, and what you use depends on your personal preferences and requirements
• Usually, one big defining features of a stack is the main language it uses, but the database it uses can also be important