Backend Engineering with Node.js
Design and ship the APIs and data layers that power real products.
Overview
Why backend, why Node.js
Every product you admire is held up by services most users never see: APIs, data models, authentication, the unglamorous reliability that makes software trustworthy. Node.js lets you build that layer in the same language as the frontend, which is exactly why so many teams reach for it.
This track treats the backend as a craft. You'll design APIs other developers can actually use, model data that holds up under real queries, and build in the security and testing that production demands.
How you'll learn
You'll move from HTTP fundamentals to a deployed, documented, tested service — guided by live mentor sessions and reinforced through hands-on labs. The capstone isn't a toy: it's a scoped backend feature for a partner company, submitted for the same kind of review a junior engineer faces on the job.
You'll finish able to explain your data model, justify your endpoints, and show tests that prove your code works — the signals hiring teams look for in a backend hire.
Who it's for
Students who enjoy logic and systems and want a backend or full-stack career. Start from the fundamentals — no prior industry experience needed, just persistence and curiosity about how things work underneath.
What you'll walk away with
- Design and build secure REST APIs with authentication and validation
- Model relational data and write efficient queries
- Write automated tests and pass professional code review
- Ship a backend feature on a real company project for stipend eligibility
What you'll cover
- Module 1
Foundations
- JavaScript and the Node.js runtime
- HTTP, REST, and API design principles
- Git, GitHub, and environment management
- Module 2
Building APIs
- Express routing, middleware, and error handling
- Authentication, authorization, and security basics
- Input validation and request/response design
- Module 3
Data & reliability
- Relational modeling with PostgreSQL and Prisma
- Automated testing and debugging
- Logging, environment config, and deployment
- Module 4
Company project + review
- Implement a scoped API for a partner company
- Submit for structured code review
- Iterate to a stipend-eligibility decision
Skills & tools you'll use
Skills
Tools
The capstone
A real company project
A documented, tested REST API with authentication and a PostgreSQL data model, deployed and reviewed by a backend mentor.
Ideal for: Students who enjoy logic and systems and want a backend or full-stack career path.
Explore other tracks
Ready to start the Node.js Backend track?
Register, train on real material, and build a project companies actually value.