Backend engineer
Become a backend engineer who builds, ships and runs services in production, in the language you choose, in 24 weeks.
The second most common role: 14.2% of respondentsStack Overflow Developer Survey 2025
- 3
- language tracks
- 24
- weeks each
- ~40 h
- a week
- 5
- milestones on one project
- 103
- subtopics, 20 topics
Pick your language
One purchase opens every track. Each track is the same plan and the same project, written for its own language, and keeps its own progress.
Java
Java 25, Spring Boot
The language named most often in the job postings we read, in large companies and in India. Weeks 1 and 2 teach it from the start.
Python
Python 3.14, FastAPI
The same plan and project in Python. Fast to start, and common in startups and data-heavy products.
TypeScript / Node.js
TypeScript, Node 26, Express
The same plan and project in TypeScript on Node.js. One language from browser to server; common in startups and full-stack teams.
What you will be able to do
- 01
Write solid code in Java, Python or TypeScript, and design and tune PostgreSQL databases.
- 02
Build secure REST APIs: login, roles, transactions and tests.
- 03
Handle concurrency, caching with Redis, events with Kafka, and payment webhooks.
- 04
Deploy to AWS with Docker, Terraform and CI/CD, then watch it with logs, metrics and traces.
- 05
Design systems, split services, and finish with a portfolio and interview practice.
01The route
Six months, one month at a time.
Each month ends in a milestone project, so you always have something to show for the work.
Month 1 · Weeks 1–4
Language and data foundations
Your language in depth, SQL and PostgreSQL, HTTP and a first API, with tests.
MilestoneA booking API that refuses double bookings, with tests in CI
Month 2 · Weeks 5–8
Production backend
Data access and transactions, security and OAuth, testing strategy, Docker and Linux.
MilestoneA secure multi-tenant API running in Docker
Month 3 · Weeks 9–12
Concurrency, caching and events
Concurrency in your language, Redis, Kafka and the outbox, payments, real-time updates.
MilestoneAn event-driven system with idempotent payments
Month 4 · Weeks 13–16
Cloud and operations
Observability, AWS, Terraform and CI/CD, Kubernetes basics, load testing and performance.
MilestoneThe product live on AWS with dashboards and a load-test report
Month 5 · Weeks 17–20
Architecture
System design, services and sagas, gRPC, search, files, privacy, and AI features in a backend.
MilestoneA grown-up architecture with design records
Month 6 · Weeks 21–24
Capstone and job search
Polish and case studies, interview preparation, a speed project and applications.
MilestoneA portfolio and a working job-search pipeline
03What is inside
Everything a week comes with.
Every week is built the same way, so once you have done one you know how all of them work.
- 01
One project, SlotBook
A booking system you grow week by week, so every topic lands in something real.
- 02
A day-by-day plan
Each week has a Learn part and a Do part, a checklist and self-test questions.
- 03
20 reference topics
Each ends with "you know it when you can" checks, so you can test yourself.
- 04
A job track
Interview practice, a question bank for your language, portfolio, resume and an application plan.
- 05
A progress tracker
Your progress, applications and weekly reviews in one place.
- 06
Built from real postings
Based on 36 full backend job postings from India, Europe and North America read in October 2026.
04Is it for you
Who this is, and is not, for.
Better to know before you start than six weeks in.
It is for you if
- You can already write small programs in some language (variables, loops, functions, a basic class) and want a backend job.
- You want the skills backend job postings ask for, in a fixed order, with one real project.
- You want to choose Java, Python or TypeScript, and can give about 40 hours a week for six months.
It is not for you if
- You have never written code. Do a beginner course first.
- You want a job guarantee. Nobody can promise that, and this roadmap does not.
- You want Go, Ruby, C# or PHP. They are not taught here.
- You want frontend, mobile or machine learning. This roadmap leaves them out on purpose.
?Questions
Before you start
- Which language should I pick?
- In the backend job postings we read in October 2026, Java was named most often (half of the full postings), then Python and TypeScript. If you already have a target employer or country, look at what its postings ask for. If you are unsure, pick the one you enjoy writing, since the ideas (SQL, transactions, caching, queues, testing, operations) are the same in all three.
- Can I switch language later?
- Yes. One purchase unlocks all three tracks. Each track keeps its own progress, so a switch starts that track from the beginning.
- Do I need to know the language already?
- No. Weeks 1 and 2 teach it. You do need to have written small programs in some language.
- How long does it take?
- About 40 hours a week for 24 weeks, roughly 960 hours. With fewer hours, keep the order and take longer over each week.
- What does it cost to run the project?
- Most work runs on your own computer for free. The cloud weeks use a small AWS bill and a capped LLM budget; the budget page shows the numbers and how to stay inside them.
- Has every example been run?
- Almost. In October 2026 we ran the Java track up to week 11, the SQL week, and the Python and Node tracks on Python 3.14 and Node 26 with the real services they use (Docker, PostgreSQL, Redis, Kafka, a local mail server, monitoring tools and load tests), and corrected the pages where a run showed a mistake. Not run yet: Java weeks 12 to 20, the AWS weeks, one whole-stack check, and steps that need your own accounts (GitHub, Google, Stripe, a paid AI model) or a browser. Those steps carry a "Not run yet" note on their page, and the output shown next to them is the expected output. If a page and your computer disagree, trust your computer and tell us.
- Will it get me a job?
- It gives you skills and proof of work. It cannot promise a job on a fixed date, because hiring depends on the market, your location and your past work.
Ready to start?
Buy once to open every week, or see all roadmaps.