Last Updated on November 23, 2022 by
No one can deny the importance of writing good code as it can make or break your software application. Backend developers play an integral role in making a software development project a big hit. Basically, backend developers deal with the behind-the-scenes functionality of web applications. Backend development team works with the front-end developers to deliver a functional product to the end user.
Sadly, many clients overlook the job performed by backend developers and only get impressed by the frontend part of the application. It is because many clients are unaware of the complexity involved in the backend coding part. From making the dynamic URL to the implementation of API, developers have to deal with a lot of complex tasks to make the application fully functional and extra-efficient.
Your development team needs to focus on code optimization and follow the best coding practices when it comes to dealing with the backend part of the web application. Let’s explore some of the really useful coding practices for backend developers that will make it a bit easier for them to come up with a flawless and high performance product for end users.
Table of Contents
1. Validate Inputs and Handle Errors
As a backend developer, one thing that you should keep in mind is to never trust the data submitted by users. Hackers may try to penetrate the system once your app goes live on the server. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to implement the best practices to validate the inputs coming into your system.
Many backend developers are unaware of the process of input validation that allows them to identify errors. Your web development company members can validate backend inputs at two levels.
API Gateway – You can validate input via using policies, and schema format.
Micro services – This type of validation can check the existence of entities. Developers can use libraries for input validation depending on the development stack you are using.
These validation methods help you identify the errors, now it’s your responsibility to deal with errors. Keep in mind, with proper input validation and error handling, you will make sure your app will not crash or create any issues on the server. Moreover, it will also reduce the need for troubleshooting for the software applications.
2. Automate Everything
As a backend developer, you may come across so many repetitive tasks in your daily tasks. Automating repetitive tasks such as command line (bash scripts), refactoring, building, integrating, testing and more, is a sensible idea to make your life easier. Keep in mind that automated processes are vulnerable to errors. If you forget one step, you might get lost in the flow. There are a number of libraries available for reusable components and scripts that make repetitive tasks such as authentication, registration scripts, SQL CRUD scripts and other tasks easier.
3. Organize, Structure and Maintain Your Code
For many developers, organizing, structuring and maintaining code is a daunting task. Following a separation of concerns concept is a great idea to save you a lot of time and effort. With the separation of concern, you can divide the application into different sections or modules that help you better organize and maintain the code. This approach will eventually increase the readability of the code while making it easier for the app development team to collaborate with each other.
The MVC framework is one of the famous design patterns that allow you to structure your code. Using this practice in software architecture will help your app development team to improve the speed and efficiency of the software application.
4. Versioning for Services
Developing and launching the app is not enough. Your development team needs to continuously make changes to the app to add highly advanced features to fulfill the needs of users. When you are supposed to make frequent changes to your app, it is advised to have proper versioning. It helps developers to implement and test app updates while running the current version.
Developers can either follow the URL versioning approach or the header versioning approach. Both options have pros and cons, it’s advised to carefully decide which option is better.
5. Writing Test Cases
Many Dallas software development companies follow the practice of writing tests before the actual coding begins. It is a sensible approach to plan and visualize the end product and minimize changes. Having proper test cases will prevent app developers from making frequent changes in the codebase that will improve the efficiency and speed of your development project.
Following the Test-driven development (TDD) approach to writing test cases before the development process starts offers a lot of benefits. Moreover, you can use testing frameworks that will help you write test cases.
Many startup companies don’t realize the importance of documentation until their development team grows bigger. Their ultimate goal is to develop and deliver the product to the client as soon as possible. When developers need to reach out to other developers to clarify the codebase, it’s time to write documentation for the code to improve the productivity of your development team. When every developer is able to understand the code, it will make it super easier to develop the software application without any problem.
6. Debug and Clean Code
“Any fool can write code that a computer can understand. Good programmers write code that humans can understand.”- Martin Fowler
As a back-end developer, you need to polish your debugging skills to come up with a perfect web application. Writing clean code is important to make your application successful. If a single line of code is missing, it will transform a good product into a disaster. Similarly, debugging is important to make the program free from any error.
For many developers, debugging is a more complex process than writing clean code. So, avoid the bug when you are writing the program to reduce the probability of errors in your application. Developers are advised to get acquainted with all the debugging strategies and tools to identify and fix bugs to make sure the program is free from bugs.
Concluding Note
The life of backend developers isn’t easy. They have to deal with too many intricate tasks during the app development process. Regardless of the backend development technology you choose for your project, the key is to follow the best coding practices to efficiently juggle complex development projects and develop awesome applications.
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