Ask HN: What back end skills do I need to become 'fullstack'?

4 points by anandr2013 9 years ago | 3 comments

Hi HN, I'm a 'frontend' web developer. I've been working with web apps for the last 3 years and I'm fairly proficient with my stack. I have a good understanding of how the backend works in a general sense too. I've worked as a freelancer and am currently working with a team building a product with react.

I want to become a fullstack developer, at least enough to be valued in a backend role as well. I'm trying to come up with a list of concept/skill checkpoints based on what I would need to typically do as a 'backend' developer.

Here's what I've put together so far, in no particular order:

> Data modelling and using a database: simple e-commerce site on Postgres

> Building an authentication system: implementing a server-side google oauth2 login

> Building & deploying an API service of 3 different types: db interaction, using auth, using 3rd party APIs (nodejs/python)

> Serving static files (nginx)

> Deploying and putting a simple CMS site together (wordpress)

> Deploying a full app with a domain name

> Building and deploying a batch job to create reports from the database

> Migrating app + data from one VM to another

What do you all think? Something I should add/remove? Should I take a completely different approach?

codr4life 9 years ago |

Different approach. The whole idea of full stack developers is a corporate wet dream; they managed to reduce the developer role into something that looks more like a janitor, someone who takes care of everything that no one else wants to deal with. It's been proven over and over again that mastery is what really drives motivation and satisfaction, being really good at what you're doing; but corporate a-holes couldn't care less about humans except as means for more awesome profits.

anandr2013 9 years ago | |

Hm...I guess.

But don't you think getting a basic idea of all the different things happening on the backend (by doing them once since that seems to be the only way to really know something) would help when I focus on specific area again.

Things move so quickly that having a detailed understanding of different moving parts would seem to help. It's kind of how I grew into doing interactive stuff from just HTML/CSS too.

codr4life 9 years ago | | |

Having a clue about how it all fits together is definitely a good idea, always was. But this is more about pushing the software developer profession further into mediocre generalist land, where those pesky computer magicians are reduced to convenient corporate building blocks.