Learn when to block a client request waiting for a response and when to offload tasks to a background worker using message queues or event streams. Push vs. Pull
If a course misses any of these, supplement them yourself:
Learn how routing at the transport layer differs from routing at the application layer, and how it impacts CPU and memory consumption.
Nasser himself suggests a specific learning path for those looking to build a complete understanding from the ground up:
Understand the critical roles that Reverse Proxies (like Nginx) and Load Balancers (like HAProxy) play in TLS termination, caching, and traffic distribution. 5. Advanced Database Internals
A good backend course must teach you to build API that are scalable and easy to use. This includes: Scaffolding APIs efficiently.
Many developers rush into learning a specific framework (like Express.js, Django, or Laravel) without understanding the core principles. While this might get a project running, it often leads to: Insecure applications. Poorly designed databases. Inefficient APIs that fail under load.
Fundamentals of Backend Engineering is widely praised for its tool-agnostic approach