Back-end developers are needed more than ever. But do you know what the best back-end developer courses should learn to be a professional?
If not, below are the 8 best for you, these will offer you knowledge ranging from programming languages to operating version control tools.
If yes, don’t leave just yet. Maybe now is the right time to get in-depth at some advanced study to enhance your career.
Learn Programming Languages Used by a Back-end Developer
To be honest, a back-end developer should know as many languages as Java, JavaScript, C#, and PHP, but in this article people at Designveloper will only focus on Java and PHP which are two of the most important programming languages of back-end development.
3 best courses for Java programming languages
1. Java Code Geeks
Thanks to clear navigation including 3 categories: core Java, desktop Java, and enterprise Java, programmers who want to learn advanced knowledge and practices of Java can easily access their amazing resources. Besides Java courses, Java Code Geeks’ authors also publish new articles every day regarding Java practices, examples, and daily issues on the site so that learners could dig deeper into this language.
More than 500 authors have contributed to this site. Their topics mostly show practical issues and solutions to solve them. Those articles are short but concise. What’s more? Many intuitive examples are listed so that programmers could practice at once.
Who should use this site? Intermediate and advanced programmers.
Upsides
- Resources are rich and regularly published.
- Easy to keep up with new knowledge.
- Authors are industry professionals.
- The site covers many areas related to Java.
Downsides
- Not user-friendly.
- Some of their tutorials are quite messy.
Recommended reading: IT Courses for Tech Leads: Enhancing Management and Leadership Skills
2. Java Brain
Java Brain was established by Koushik Kothagal. This guy is a staff engineer at LinkedIn and has more than 14 years of experience when it comes to software development.
Learners have two ways to access resources from Koushik Kothagal: via the website and via the Youtube channel. Both of them are organized nicely so that we can save time on finding the topic. However, we recommend you to surf his Youtube channel since there are way more tutorials than the website. Up to now, Koushik has uploaded more than 600 videos to the Youtube channel and the channel has about 300.000 subscribers.
According to learners, on the one hand, the videos are simple but logically explained, on the other hand, each course is able to cover all the knowledge needed.
On the website, we can count 10 topics ranging from Angular, and Build Systems to Spring Framework.
Who should use this site? Beginner and intermediate programmers.
Upsides
- Wrapping many Java knowledge.
- Easy to understand and navigate.
- The tutorials are well-structured.
Downsides
- Nothing so far.
3. Oracle Java Tutorial
It’s no doubt that Oracle is a great source to learn Java since it is the owner of this programming language. Its tutorials are informative, they cover both basic and specialized topics such as Custom Networking, Internationalization, Full-Screen Exclusive Mode API, etc.
Along with theoretical knowledge, there are also many examples so that learners could practice. However, many commented that Oracle’s course was a good reference but not in-depth enough to learn new concepts.
Who should use this site? Beginners.
Upsides
- Informative.
- Easy to navigate and find needed topics.
Downsides
- There is no update for new versions of Java.
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2 Best courses for PHP programming languages
1. Beginner PHP and MySQL Tutorial
This one is a free course on Udemy, but hey, don’t underestimate the knowledge you will get. Many programmers consider it one of the most well-structured PHP courses on this education site.
As you progress to study, there are various resources to look at. Furthermore, this course does not just teach and talk about the theory, it also helps a back-end developer understand the concept and lets you do your own work.
Robert Tucker is the narrator of the course. He is also known as an experienced technical trainer and lecturer. He will help you understand the creation of PHP and MySQL interfaces, and explain and talk about important theories and practices toward these languages.
The course includes 13 essential lessons in PHP and MySQL so that all levels of programmers could pick this one to widen their knowledge. In other words, you will learn how to download and install tools and frameworks onto the server; the way to work with a UI and a database back-end, etc.
The only issue is that there has been no update for the latest version of PHP and MySQL.
2. Building Web Applications in PHP
Who knows there are so many free but helpful sources in this world to learn things. Well, let me introduce you to another one – Building Web Applications in PHP.
As you enroll, the course will show you the basic structure of a web app, and how your web browsers work and interact with web servers. Furthermore, chances are that learners could extend their knowledge of the request/response cycle.
In only 8 weeks or less, you will also dig deep into the understanding of HTML5 (Hypertext Markup Language), and the basic syntax and data structures of PHP.
Resources including videos, articles, and quizzes will help us learn PHP in a more intuitive and active way.
We recommend this course to PHP beginners since it will show you a lot of comprehensive PHP theory and background. However, it is also a weakness of the course as it lacks practical exercises and examples.
2 Best Database and Query Languages Courses
1. Introduction to Databases and SQL Querying
This short free course has helped more than 200000 learners widen their knowledge of Database and SQL Querying.
It is a good source to get familiar with the basic concept of database and query. Learners will finish the course with a good understanding of Dates, String Manipulation, aggregation, etc. Along with those, you will learn how to write simple and basic SQL syntax. As a result, no programming experience is needed to enroll in this one.
The simple and concise presentation gives this course a plus point. Furthermore, the information taught is explained smoothly and articulately for a back-end developer with zero experience.
On the other hand, many suggested that this course should add more practical examples and knowledge.
Because it is easy to learn so people at Designveloper recommended this one to programmers who have little to no knowledge of database and query languages.
2. SQL & Database Design A-Z™: Learn MS SQL Server + PostgreSQL
This $11 course is a great source to learn SQL in depth. You will find everything an application programmer should be acquainted with SQL.
The course will explain basic SQL queryings, and how to create them as well as introduce various types of joins such as right and left join, cross join, self-join, etc.
Furthermore, this one will bring you many well-explained tutorials on advanced concepts like indexes.
The database design concept is a more important lesson here too. You will get to learn normalization and many different normal forms.
Learners will use both Microsoft SQL Server and PostgreSQL and they are able to focus on improving and enhancing data analytics skills with practical exercises.
As this course only requires us to have a basic knowledge of computers so we recommend this to anyone who is interested in this technical area or wants to learn some courses for a back-end developer.
Use Control Version Tools
1. Short and Sweet: Get Started with Git and GitHub Right Now
This free course is a simple and effective one to get to know more about Git. After completing it, programmers will be able to install and configure Git for the local environment.
At the same time, learners will get familiar with communicating with local and remote source repositories, including content to local and remote repositories, and creating comments on code.
Basically, it’s a short (30 minutes only!), simple and essential course to understand how Git works. We suggest that newbies to programming should take this one to prepare for their professional work.
These best courses for a back-end developer not only cover knowledge for back-end development but are also good to improve certain skills such as Java coding, Git operating, etc. Therefore we at Designveloper hope this concise review will help you be a skillful back-end developer eventually.
How To Become a Backend Developer?
If you have a basic understanding of how logic works, it can prove to be quite beneficial. Learning backend development helps you get acquainted with several programming languages which can help give your career a great boost.
1. Be well versed with the basics of Data Structures & Algorithm
You should revise basic Data Structures and algorithms Stack and Queue, Linked List, Tree, Graph, Hashing, Sorting & Searching Algorithms, and other core concepts of programming. Most web developers skip this step and move forward to learning frameworks. However, it is always better to know the data structure and algorithm basics.
2. Learn a Programming Language and choose a Framework
Programming languages like Python, PHP, Ruby, and JavaScript are sought after in recent times. Becoming a web developer takes effort, time, and patience. So, decide on a timeline and the absolutely essential basic programming languages that you wish to learn.
3. Learn the basics of Databases
Almost all websites today boast some sort of storage, so learning about databases is always beneficial. So, adding a database system to your portfolio would be the next logical step. There are many easy-to-use relational database management systems available from which you can select one.
4. Start your practical training
The best way to do this is by working on small projects or assignments. You need to use the tools and practice regularly to better understand the theoretical knowledge you have learned so far. You will not understand how stuff really works until you actually start doing it practically.
5. Hosting — AWS/Heroku
Now you’re ready to spread your wings! Deploy your product on a cloud service provider so it can be accessed from the WWW. AWS can be the first preference as it provides almost a year of free hosting (limited usage).
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