Track · ~7 months · 39 nodes

Backend.

APIs, databases, auth, and shipping production services.

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Foundations

How the server side of the web actually works.

  1. How servers workProcesses, ports, requests, and the request lifecycle.
  2. HTTP from the server sideMethods, status codes, headers, and what a handler returns.
  3. DNS & domainsHow a hostname resolves to the box your service runs on.
  4. Networking basicsTCP/IP, TLS, ports, and load balancers in plain terms.

Language

The runtime you'll write services in, and how to debug it.

  1. Node.js fundamentalsThe event loop, modules, async I/O, and the standard library.
  2. Data structures essentialsArrays, maps, sets, queues — and when each one fits.
  3. Error handling & loggingThrowing, catching, structured logs, and useful messages.
  4. Debugging server codeBreakpoints, inspectors, stack traces, and reproducing bugs.
  5. Package managementnpm/pnpm, semver, lockfiles, and dependency hygiene.

Databases

Storing, querying, and not losing data under load.

  1. SQL fundamentalsSELECT, JOIN, GROUP BY — the language of relational data.
  2. PostgreSQL deep diveTypes, schemas, constraints in the relational leader.
  3. Indexing & query plansWhy a query is slow and how an index fixes it.
  4. TransactionsACID, isolation levels, and not corrupting your data.
  5. NoSQL: when and whyDocument, key-value, and wide-column — and their trade-offs.
  6. Redis & cachingIn-memory stores, cache strategies, and invalidation.

APIs

The contracts other systems and frontends talk to.

  1. REST API designResources, verbs, status codes, and versioning that scales.
  2. GraphQLSchemas, resolvers, and when a graph beats REST.
  3. tRPCEnd-to-end typesafe APIs without a schema language.
  4. OpenAPI & docsDescribing an API so humans and tools can consume it.
  5. WebSockets & streamingReal-time channels, server-sent events, and backpressure.

Auth & Security

Who is this, what can they do, and how not to get breached.

  1. Auth fundamentalsAuthentication vs authorization, sessions vs tokens.
  2. OAuth & JWTDelegated auth, token flows, and verifying claims.
  3. OWASP Top 10The vulnerabilities that actually get services breached.
  4. Secrets managementEnv vars, vaults, rotation, and never committing keys.

Production

Ship it, containerize it, watch it, keep it fast.

  1. ObservabilityLogs, metrics, and traces — knowing what your service does.
  2. Deployment optionsVPS, PaaS, serverless, containers — picking the right one.
  3. Docker basicsImages, containers, and reproducible runtime environments.
  4. CI/CD pipelinesAutomated test, build, and deploy on every push.
  5. Performance & scalingProfiling, connection pools, and horizontal scaling.
  6. PostgreSQL in productionBackups, replication, migrations, and connection limits.

System design

Thinking in systems when one box stops being enough.

  1. Systems thinkingLatency, throughput, bottlenecks, and reasoning about scale.
  2. Queues & background jobsOffloading slow work and retrying it safely.
  3. Event-driven basicsPub/sub, message brokers, and eventual consistency.
  4. Multi-region considerationsReplication lag, data residency, and failover.
  5. Cost & trade-offsReading a cloud bill and choosing what to optimize.

Beyond the basics

Testing depth, interviews, and the job hunt.

  1. Testing the backendUnit, integration, and contract tests for services.
  2. Working with AI toolsUsing Copilot/Claude on backend code without shipping bugs.
  3. System design interviewsStructuring the whiteboard answer hiring teams expect.
  4. Get hired (backend)Portfolio services, resume, take-homes, and interviews.

Outcomes

When you finish this track:

Schedule

~220 hours total.

At 8–10 hours a week, that’s about 7 months. Each stage has its own pace.

  1. Foundations4 nodes13–17h
  2. Language5 nodes32–42h
  3. Databases6 nodes39–51h
  4. APIs5 nodes28–36h
  5. Auth & Security4 nodes20–26h
  6. Production6 nodes33–43h
  7. System design5 nodes23–30h
  8. Beyond the basics4 nodes32–42h

Other tracks

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HTML, CSS, JS, React, and the patterns real teams use.

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Mobile

React Native or Flutter, native APIs, store deployment.

Full-Stack

Frontend + Backend depth, with the seams that connect them.