EP157: How to Learn Backend Development?

This ByteByteGo newsletter (EP157) provides a comprehensive guide to backend development, covering fundamentals, programming languages, databases, APIs, hosting, and DevOps. It also includes insights into Git workflows, virtualization vs. containerization, and Netflix’s distributed counter system. The content is structured as a technical refresher with actionable takeaways for developers.

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Core Technical Concepts/Technologies Discussed

• Backend Development: Languages (Java, Python, JS, Go, Rust, C#), databases (SQL, NoSQL, NewSQL), APIs (REST, GraphQL, gRPC), hosting (AWS, Azure, GCP), DevOps (CI/CD, IaC, monitoring).
• Git Workflow: Commands (git add, git commit, git push, git pull, git merge, git diff).
• Virtualization vs. Containerization: Bare metal, VMs (hypervisor), containers (Docker, Kubernetes), hybrid approaches.
• Distributed Systems: Netflix’s counter abstraction (client API, event logging, rollup pipeline, caching).

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Main Points

1. How to Learn Backend Development?

• Fundamentals: Client-server architecture, DNS, backend vs. frontend.
• Languages: Java, Python, JavaScript, Go, Rust, C#.
• Databases: SQL (PostgreSQL,