Backend
The Best SQL Certifications of 2026 (and Which to Skip)
by Maya Chen - Computer science and programming educator at Boot.dev
Every SQL certification worth knowing in 2026: Microsoft's brand-new DP-800, Oracle 1Z0-071, DataCamp, free options, and when a portfolio beats them all.
How to Become a Backend Developer in 2026
by Maya Chen - Computer science and programming educator at Boot.dev
How to become a backend developer in 2026: real salary data from five sources, what AI actually did to hiring, realistic timelines, and what employers screen for.
Database Normalization: 1NF, 2NF, and 3NF
by Boot.dev Team - Programming course authors and video producers
Database normalization gives each fact in a relational database one reliable home. It reduces duplicate data and prevents rows from contradicting each other. The first three normal forms, 1NF, 2NF, and 3NF, provide a practical way to find those problems.
SQL Aggregate Functions: COUNT, SUM, AVG, MIN, and MAX
by Boot.dev Team - Programming course authors and video producers
SQL aggregate functions calculate one result from a set of rows. An aggregate query can return an order count, total revenue, average payment, lowest price, or highest score. The five you'll use most are COUNT, SUM, AVG, MIN, and MAX. GROUP BY, HAVING, and NULL values control what they calculate.
SQL Constraints: PRIMARY KEY, FOREIGN KEY, UNIQUE, and NOT NULL
by Boot.dev Team - Programming course authors and video producers
SQL constraints prevent invalid data from entering a database. PRIMARY KEY, FOREIGN KEY, UNIQUE, and NOT NULL identify rows, preserve relationships, reject duplicates, and require values.
SQL CREATE TABLE: How to Create and Alter Tables
by Boot.dev Team - Programming course authors and video producers
The SQL CREATE TABLE statement defines a table, its columns, and the data each column should hold. It can also enforce rules such as required values and unique identifiers.
SQL CRUD: Create, Read, Update, and Delete Data
by Boot.dev Team - Programming course authors and video producers
SQL CRUD is the set of operations you use to create, read, update, and delete data in a relational database. In SQL, those operations usually map to INSERT, SELECT, UPDATE, and DELETE.
SQL Indexes: How to Speed Up Database Queries
by Boot.dev Team - Programming course authors and video producers
A query that slows down as its table grows may be scanning far more rows than it returns. SQL indexes give the database a faster route to matching rows, often letting it jump to a small set instead of inspecting the whole table.
SQL Joins: INNER, LEFT, RIGHT, and FULL JOIN
by Boot.dev Team - Programming course authors and video producers
Relational data is often split across tables, but applications need it brought back together. SQL joins combine those rows: an INNER JOIN keeps matches, a LEFT JOIN or RIGHT JOIN preserves one side, and a FULL JOIN preserves both.
SQL LIKE Operator
by Boot.dev Team - Programming course authors and video producers
The SQL LIKE operator filters text using a simple pattern. Use it when you know part of a value but not the whole thing: a name that starts with Al, an email address that ends with a company domain, or a product name that contains banana. Its two wildcards, % and , stand in for unknown characters. Case sensitivity depends on the database.
SQL ORDER BY and LIMIT
by Boot.dev Team - Programming course authors and video producers
SQL's ORDER BY clause sorts query results, and LIMIT caps how many rows the database returns. Together, they answer questions like "Which five products cost the most?" Sort direction and tie-breakers determine the order; without ORDER BY, LIMIT doesn't define which rows you'll get.
SQL SELECT Statement
by Boot.dev Team - Programming course authors and video producers
The SQL SELECT statement reads data from a database. Every read query begins by describing the result you want: stored columns, calculated values, or a combination of both. At its simplest, SELECT name FROM users; returns the name column from every row in users. Real queries can select several columns, rename them with aliases, remove duplicate results, and combine SELECT with clauses that filter, group, sort, or limit rows. This guide starts with the basic syntax, then explains wildcards, expressions, DISTINCT, clause order, and the mistakes that most often make a query fail or return a surprising result.
SQL Subqueries With Examples
by Boot.dev Team - Programming course authors and video producers
Sometimes one query needs the result of another. A SQL subquery nests that inner query inside another SQL statement so its value or result set can filter, calculate, or select data.
SQL WHERE Clause
by Boot.dev Team - Programming course authors and video producers
The SQL WHERE clause filters out rows that don't meet a condition. It lets a SELECT return specific records and keeps an UPDATE or DELETE from touching rows it shouldn't. You can build its conditions with comparisons, NULL checks, AND, OR, IN, and BETWEEN.
What Is SQL?
by Boot.dev Team - Programming course authors and video producers
SQL (Structured Query Language) is the standard language for working with relational databases. You use it to define tables, read data, insert records, update records, and delete records. It's everywhere in backend development and data analysis because it handles repeatable queries over large datasets without spreadsheet busywork.
Backend Developer Roadmap
by Maya Chen - Computer science and programming educator at Boot.dev
So you've decided you want to learn backend development so you can get a job - congratulations! Many self-taught coders have a hard time deciding between all the various programming job options, but it's much easier to learn effectively if you have a clear backend developer roadmap to follow. Before we get started, if you want the quick answer, check out Boot.dev's back-end roadmap - it's built from the ground up to teach backend development completely online. You will never learn to become a backend developer just by reading a blog post. Instead of trying to teach you backend development in just this post, I'll offer a deep dive into the things you need to learn. If that sounds useful, read on.
Put that Framework Down Before Someone Gets Hurt
by Lane Wagner - Boot.dev co-founder and backend engineer
There is only one question that ignites my inner rage more than "How do I get a developer job in 3 months?"? That question is:
What is Backend Web Development?
by Natalie Schooner - Computer science educator and technical writer
The boring answer is that backend web development is the process of building the server-side of websites and web applications. It primarily focuses on handling the logic, data processing, and communication between the user's web browser and the server.
The Pros and Cons of Django for Backend Development
by Natalie Schooner - Computer science educator and technical writer
Django is a popular Python-based framework for building web applications. It provides pre-built components and conventions, which simplifies the web app development process and allows developers to focus on writing their application's specific logic rather than dealing with repetitive tasks. Basically, it’s all about reusability.
I Mock Your Mocks
by Lane Wagner - Boot.dev co-founder and backend engineer
Several years ago I started my first job as a "senior" Go developer. You see, after a modest 3 years in the industry, my arcane ability to use the Go standard library's strings.Contains() function managed to leave a powerful impression on the hiring team.
The Best Backend for Vue: 6 Options
by Natalie Schooner - Computer science educator and technical writer
Part of being in the software development space means I’m near a lot of entrepreneurs. Code is a powerful building block, and that appeals to a lot of self-taught big thinkers.
Frontend? Gross. This is Why I've Always Preferred the Backend
by Lane Wagner - Boot.dev co-founder and backend engineer
As a kid, I always wanted to be good at drawing. I practiced drawing my favorite anime characters, but frankly, my mom was the only one who thought they were good.
What’s the Best Backend For React? 5 Options to Choose From
by Natalie Schooner - Computer science educator and technical writer
"I already know React," mused my friend. "What popular backend language should I learn that will make me a useful hire to companies?"
Introduction to Asynchronous Flows and Webhooks
by Nick Abbene
In this post, we'll be talking about coding with a common integration pattern with an external API called a webhook. Loosely speaking, there are three main types of communication you'll see when building an application.
Do Backend Developers Need to Know SQL?
by Natalie Schooner - Computer science educator and technical writer
A while back, one of my friends bragged that he bagged a six-figure backend developer job after watching a few YouTube videos on APIs and reading parts a bit of the PostgreSQL documentation.
