web development / backend

Backend Development, Free

Build the engine behind the app — servers, APIs, databases, and auth. Learn the roadmap, then the tools, starting with the Node.js and Express stack that dominates the JavaScript world. All resources free and current.

The backend is where the real logic lives: handling requests, talking to databases, enforcing security, and serving data to the frontend. It's a big field, so start with a roadmap to see the whole landscape, then go deep on a stack. Node.js + Express is the most common starting point for web developers since it's the same language as the frontend — learn it from the official sources below.