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Everything on the Server — databases, APIs, authentication, and the logic behind your application. New here? Start with our frontend guide first.
Don't worry — you won't write any backend code by hand. Your AI tool handles all the technical parts. This guide helps you understand the concepts so you can describe what you want.
Listens for requests, sends back responses.
Where all data lives — users, posts, products.
Bridge between frontend and backend.
Login, signup, permissions.
JavaScript on the Server
Run JS outside the browser. Most popular for fullstack devs — same language everywhere.
Simple & Powerful
Clean, readable syntax. Popular for web (Django, Flask), data science, and AI/ML.
Powers 77% of the Web
Language behind WordPress. Still widely used, especially with Laravel framework.
Developer Happiness
Known for Ruby on Rails — rapid prototyping and convention over configuration.
By Google
Fast, simple, great for high-performance APIs and microservices.
Performance & Safety
Systems language focused on safety. Growing in web backends via Actix, Axum.
Node.js Framework
Most popular Node.js framework. Minimal and flexible — great for APIs.
Python Framework
Batteries-included: admin panel, ORM, auth out of the box.
Python Micro-Frameworks
Flask is lightweight. FastAPI is modern and auto-generates API documentation.
PHP Framework
Elegant syntax, Eloquent ORM, built-in auth. Amazing PHP ecosystem.
Ruby Framework
Convention-over-configuration. Powers GitHub, Shopify, Airbnb.
Tables with rows and columns. Use SQL to query. Great for structured data with relationships. See our database design guide for a deeper dive.
Most advanced open-source DB. The go-to choice.
RecommendedMost widely-used open-source DB. Powers WordPress.
ClassicFile-based, no server needed. Perfect for small apps.
SimpleFlexible formats like documents (JSON), key-value pairs, or graphs.
Document database storing JSON-like objects. Popular with Node.js.
Most Popular NoSQLIn-memory data store. Blazing fast caching and real-time data.
SpeedGoogle's cloud database. Real-time sync, no server needed.
ServerlessMost common style. Uses HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) with URL endpoints. Returns JSON.
Most CommonClient specifies exact data needed, reducing over-fetching. Created by Facebook.
FlexibleTwo-way real-time communication. Used for chat, live updates, games.
Real-TimeReady-made backends so you can focus on the frontend. Great for AI coding! Learn how to connect them to external services in our API integration guide.
Open Source Firebase Alternative
PostgreSQL, auth, storage, and real-time subscriptions with auto-generated APIs.
By Google
Real-time database, auth, hosting, storage, cloud functions. Very fast to start.
Serverless Postgres
Serverless PostgreSQL with branching (like git for your database). Generous free tier.
Backend in 1 File
Database, auth, file storage, admin UI — all in a single executable file.
Copy-paste these prompts into your AI tool to apply what you just learned.
SET UP A BACKEND WITH SUPABASE
"Set up a backend for my app using Supabase. I need tables for [users, posts, comments]. Include row-level security policies so users can only edit their own data."
ADD AN API ROUTE
"Add an API route to my Next.js app that [creates/reads/updates/deletes] [resource] from my database. Include error handling and return proper status codes."
CONNECT FRONTEND TO BACKEND
"Connect my frontend to my Supabase backend. Fetch [posts/products/users] from the database and display them on the [homepage/dashboard]. Add loading and error states."
Authentication = "Who are you?" | Authorization = "What can you do?" Keep your API keys safe with environment variables.
Drop-in auth with beautiful UI components and social logins.
PopularEnterprise-grade auth with MFA and SSO.
EnterpriseOpen-source auth for Next.js with many providers.
FreeStandard for secure session tokens without server storage.
Standard