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Software Engineering vocabulary · Web, Mobile and Interface Development

Back end

Meaning in software engineering, with examples

/ˈbæk ˌend/nounCore term

In software engineering, back end means: The server side of a website or app that users do not see: it stores data, runs business logic and sends the front end what it needs.

In Turkish: arka uç, backend, sunucu tarafı

How it is used

Back-end developers work with servers, databases and APIs, using languages and platforms such as PHP, Python, Java, C#, Go and Node.js. As with front end, the hyphen appears before a noun: back-end service, back-end team.

Example sentences

  1. The page is slow because the back end takes three seconds to answer.

  2. She moved from front-end work to the back-end team last year.

Common collocations

  • back-end developer
  • back-end service
  • on the back end
  • back-end logic
  • front endThe part of a website or web app that users see and interact with in the browser, built mainly with HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
  • serverA computer or program that waits for requests from browsers and other clients and sends back pages, files or data.
  • databaseAn organized store of data, such as users, orders or posts, that a back end can save to, search and update quickly.
  • APIShort for application programming interface: a set of rules that lets one program ask another program for data or actions in a fixed, documented way.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Web, Mobile and Interface Development

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