What Are the Top Backend Technologies in 2023?
Can you imagine a world without the websites and apps we are surrounded by today? From shopping, dining, and information to online banking, we use websites and apps for many reasons.
“Every website or web app, no matter their size or layout, is built from two main components: front end and back end. Developing an effective website requires the selection of the right tech stack to build these components.”
The front end is crucial for user experience.
But you also need a robust backend to make a secure, fast-performing, and interactive web application or website. Of course, it’s no brainer!
Do you want to choose the best technology for backend development project? Luckily, there is an abundance of technologies to be used in back end development.
Here I will discuss the top backend technologies in 2023 you can choose for creating an efficient and secure backend. It can be for your website or web app.
So, let’s dive into the details without further ado.
What is the Backend and a Backend Technology in an Easy Way?
Have you ever wondered what the backend is and how it works?
In simple terms, the backend is the server side of a website where business logic and database are present. It is the part of a website that is not visible to users, and they cannot access it either.
Then what’s the point of discussing it? Well, the reason for its discussion is that it’s the backbone for a web solution, without which a website or web app is inanimated.
The backend, which is also referred to as the “behind the scene” structure, handles data, processes inputs, generates output, and make your website or app interactive.
Further, how users react to your website or web app is much influenced by the working of its backend. Therefore, a poorly designed backend can leave you in a lurch with a bad impact on the performance and functionality of your website or web app.
What are backend technologies, then? Backend technologies are frameworks, libraries, and programming languages that are used in backend development.
If you are more curious about the backend and want to learn a lot about it, the backend development stories on Medium can help you go for the quest.
Top Back-End Technologies in 2023
As the most crucial part of a website or web app, the backend needs to be developed strategically. It can break or make a website depending on its quality and capabilities.
PHP
Do you want an open-source technology that is also quite popular in backend development? PHP is the answer. It is powerful and flexible to accommodate your requirements precisely.
PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is the most popular server-side scripting language.
According to W3techs, 77.8% of websites using a server language works on PHP. It can handle sessions, process form data, and dynamically generate HTML.
The code in PHP is executed on the server, and the processed plain HTML is returned to the client or web browser. It is used for developing dynamic and feature-rich websites and web apps. PHP is widely used for many kinds of web development projects.
It is compatible with most servers and operating systems. As a versatile language, PHP has many uses in web development.
Benefits of PHP in backend development
It is often more beneficial to choose PHP development services for web development over any other technology. And it is best when the project requires dynamic content generation, server-side scripting, compatibility with multiple platforms and servers, etc.
PHP is a versatile and feature-rich backend development technology with lots of benefits.
- Cost-effective
PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is open-source and free. So, you need not pay for the license of this server-side language to use it for your web development project.
- Dynamic content creation
The ability to execute PHP codes on the server side allows developers to create dynamic content.
- Supports different databases
Another advantage of this backend development technology is that it supports multiple databases. It can work with MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, Sybase, etc.
- Strong security features
PHP has many built-in security features that prevent common attacks like cross-site scripting (XSS) and SQL injection.
- Supported by many hosting providers
PHP is supported on various servers. Also, different hosting providers provide compatibility with PHP.
Different Use Cases of PHP
- Web Development
- CMS (Content Management System)
- eCommerce
- Server-side Scripting
- CRM and ERP
- Custom APIs Development (RESTful APIs)
- Web Applications
Top Companies Using PHP in Web Development
- Wikipedia
- Etsy
- Slack
Python
One of the key backend programming languages that are gaining a strong foothold in web development is Python. It is a robust programming language with a simple syntax and powerful features.
Its simplicity and versatility make Python a popular language for beginners and experienced developers alike. Finding a reliable Python web development service provider is not difficult these days because there are many.
Python is one of the popular backend web development languages today that is used for creating secure and high-performance backends. Moreover, Python has many applications like web development, artificial intelligence, data analysis, and more.
Benefits of Python
Being among the top backend languages, Python provides several advantages in web development. Let’s check the top benefits of using Python for your backend development project.
- Ease of use
Python offers a simple and clear syntax that enables developers to work with this programming language efficiently.
- Many tools and libraries
There are lots of libraries and tools available with Python. They help build robust web solutions with cutting-edge features.
- Scalability
A web app or website built with Python can handle an increasing amount of data and traffic due to its scalability.
- Versatility
This is not just a backend development technology, but Python can be used for many types of projects.
- Integration with other systems
It’s easy to integrate with other tools and technologies, providing advanced functionalities.
Different use cases of Python
- Web App Development
- Server-side Web Development
- Web Scraping
- Web Services
- CMS (Content Management System)
- CRM Systems
- eCommerce Platforms
- Web App Security
Top companies using Python
- Dropbox
- Uber
- Netflix
- NASA
NodeJS and JavaScript
You might be aware of JavaScript. It is the fundamental language for web development. Almost every modern web browser supports JavaScript today, and various web solutions use it.
JavaScript can be considered the best backend programming language because it is supported on both the front-end and back-end sides. Moreover, Node.js is a JavaScript runtime environment. It allows JavaScript code to be executed outside of a web browser.
With a professional NodeJS development service, you can build a robust backend or create a web application.
There are several applications of NodeJS, like web apps, real-time apps (chat apps and games), and API development.
Benefits of NodeJS
Using NodeJS for backend development enables you to build a flexible, efficient, and feature-rich backend. The following are some benefits of NodeJS backend technology.
- Fast performance
NodeJS offers faster execution of code due to the use of Google’s V8 engine.
- Scalability
Node.js is one of the top backend technologies in terms of scalability. It is designed to build scalable network applications.
- Large ecosystem
There is a wide variety of packages and modules available with NodeJS used in web development.
- Event-driven architecture
The event-driven architecture of NodeJS makes it well-suited for real-time apps such as online games and chat apps.
- Lightweight
As an efficient and lightweight web development technology, NodeJS is useful for creating and deploying apps for the cloud.
- Microservices
NodeJS is suitable for developing and deploying microservices.
- Non-blocking I/O
Its non-blocking I/O enables NodeJS to handle multiple requests without blocking the main thread.
Different use cases of NodeJS
- Web Applications
- Real-Time Communication Apps
- Single Page Applications
- Microservices
- APIs
- Automation
Top companies using NodeJS
- Medium
- eBay
- The New York Times
- Trello
- PayPal
Ruby on Rails (ROR)
It is a web development framework written in the Ruby programming language. The framework is used for various web development projects. It is also a popular backend development technology.
ROR follows the MVC approach that separates the business logic from the presentation layer. As a result, creating efficient and feature-rich web solutions is possible with this framework.
The Ruby on Rails framework is known for ease of use, productivity, and convention. It is popular for developing scalable, fast, and feature-rich web solutions.
ROR can handle server-side tasks like data processing, data management, and generating dynamic content.
Benefits of ROR
ROR offers many advantages as a backend technology enabling developers to build robust backend solutions. Here are the key benefits of Ruby on Rails when used for backend development.
- Productivity
It provides many built-in tools for various common web development tasks.
- Scalability
It can handle a large amount of traffic and data, providing a scalable solution.
- Stability
Ruby on Rails follows strict coding conventions that make it stable, reliable, and secure.
- Quick development
ROR allows developers to build web solutions quickly because it’s fast, flexible, and intuitive.
- Test-driven development
It includes writing automated tests before writing the actual code. As a result, the code is reliable, bug-free, and easy to maintain.
Different use cases of ROR
- eCommerce
- Web App Development
- CMS
- API Development
- SaaS Applications
- Collaborative Applications
Top companies using ROR
- Github
- Airbnb
- SoundCloud
- BaseCamp
- Square
The following Google trends graph shows the interest in various backend technologies over a year.
Till now, you have seen the most used backend language for web development, but there are other technologies. The server, database, and other tools form the backend.
The following is a list of technologies for backend development other than the above-mentioned programming languages or frameworks.
- Databases like MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, SQLite, MariaDB, etc.
- Servers like Nginx, Apache, and more.
How to Choose the Right Backend Technology?
Choosing the right backend development technology is important for a quality solution. You can find out various pros and cons of different tech to decide which technology you should choose for the backend development projects.
Here are some points you should consider for selecting a good backend technology.
- Project requirements: Determine the features and requirements for your backend project and choose the technology that meets those needs best.
- Performance: Consider the speed and scalability requirements of your project to choose a technology that can handle a large amount of data and traffic.
- Community: Pick a backend development technology with activity community support for useful resources and support.
- Integrations: Look for a back end technology that can easily integrate with other systems and tools.
- Cost: Pick a back-end web technology that can meet your budget requirements.
- Security: Security is crucial when evaluating back end technologies to pick that meet security requirements.
Summing It Up: The Final Word!
I have walked you through the top technologies in backend development that are relevant in 2023 and will continue to be for some time. Also, backend development is constantly evolving with new frameworks and technologies emerging.
You can either choose a service provider or learn it yourself to build the backend. There are many resources on how to start learning backend development.
Moreover, the backend technologies I mentioned here, like Python, Node.js, and Ruby on Rails, will continue to dominate in 2023. Each of these techs has its own weaknesses and strengths.
The best choice for a backend technology depends on the specific project requirements and goals. Regardless of which technology you choose, backend development will be critical for websites and web apps.
