Understanding the concepts of Back-End Web Development is not easy for beginners if they don’t find a good resource or a book. There’s so much to learn about the backend and so many frameworks or libraries releasing every week that it’s hard to find out where to start everything from scratch to an advanced level. Not only for beginners but also experienced people in software development sometimes look for some good resources or books to brush up on their skills. In this article, we’re compiling some of the best books to learn back end web development.
Being an entry-level or experienced developer there are some books you need to keep on your shelf for reference or to start your journey in programming as a beginner. We have categorized these books on a server-side language basis for beginners and experienced both. Also, we highly recommend you scratch your brain, apply your logic in programming and run your own code for in-depth and better learning.
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Best Back-End Web Development Books for Beginners:
1. Head First Java: By Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates:
This one is the best beginners friendly and classic book to learn Java from scratch and it covers all the concepts with proper diagrams and visuals. This book doesn’t require any pre-requisite knowledge. The best part of this book is its simplicity and you will find a lot of real-life examples to clarify all the concepts. All the chapters in this book end with quizzes, exercises, and puzzles for a good grasp of the Java language. This book covers all the concepts of OOP which are really important in Java. In the beginning, it covers class, object, thread, collection, language features like Generics, Enum, variable arguments or auto-boxing, etc. The advanced section covers Swing, networking and Java IO, etc and that is the best learning curve for all beginners. This book is a bit outdated but still, this one is the best book if you are new to programming and Java both.
2. Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++: By Bjarne Stroustrup:
This book has more than 1200 pages and may be scary for complete beginners due to its size but after reading this book you will be more confident in programming. It is written by the original implementor of C++ and is good for absolute beginners. It covers both generic programming and object-oriented programming. At the beginning of this book, you will learn how to structure your code. You will find a brief discussion on programming, and computer science and then you will be moving to the core concepts of C++ like an object, types, statements, functions, errors, vectors, classes, I/O, etc. This book also includes dozens of exercises to make your concepts more clear.
3. Learn Python The Hard Way: By Zed A. Shaw:
This book has really helped a lot of people learn Python with a practical approach. The author has included exercises in a way that you need to type code on your own and then you need to fix the mistake in your code. Solving these exercises will help you to write a good program also it will help you in learning some tricks for debugging as well. In the beginning, you will learn about the installation of the Python environment, then it covers basic mathematics, variables, program design, data structure, strings, files, loops, and other fundamental concepts. If you really want to learn Python from scratch with hands-on experience then go for this book.
4. The Joy of PHP Programming: By Alan Forbes:
If you are an absolute beginner in programming and want to become a professional web developer but have no idea where to start then this book is best for you to learn everything from scratch. The book covers HTML basics first so that a newbie can easily start with it and then step by step it covers all the concepts of PHP and helps you to read, write, modify, and make your own dynamic website. The book includes the installation of PHP, PHP syntax, control structures, and MySQL as well. Initially, you will be learning to create and run basic PHP script then you will be moving to modify web pages also you will be solving some series of challenging and fun exercises throughout this book.
5. Beginning Node.js: By Basarat Ali Syed:
The book covers all the core concepts of NodeJS and will walk you through all the principles. You will be learning to set up the complete environment, SPA(Single page application) concept, packages, streams, handling callbacks along with testing and debugging your application. You will also learn about the Express framework, data maintenance, and how to deploy your web application on the internet. Everything in this book is covered through examples and diagrams for better understanding and from a beginner’s perspective learning curve.
Best Back-End Web Development Books for Experienced:
1. Java: The Complete Reference, Eleventh Edition: By Herbert Schildt:
Herbert Schildt has written best-selling books on different programming languages and this book has everything for in-depth knowledge to become a master in Java programming language. This book is good for professionals for reference. It includes real-world examples and explains all the basics and advanced concepts of Java like JavaBeans, servlets, applets, swing, and Java 8 APIs as well.
2. The C++ Programming Language: By Bjarne Stroustrup:
We recommend this book for intermediate or advanced programmers in C++ which is written by the original implementer of this language. The fourth edition of this book includes the features of C++11 and the standard library. It starts with some basics of C++ and then slowly you will move to the structures, statements, functions, unions, and enumerations. It also includes containers, algorithms, abstraction mechanisms, concurrency, utilities, templates, and metaprogramming.
3. Python Cookbook: Recipes for Mastering Python 3:
If you are an experienced Python programmer then this book is good for you to master your programming skill. The complete book is on Python3 code so it will help you in programming using modern tools and idioms instead of standard coding techniques. This book beautifully explains why and how the code works. Each recipe in this book starts with the problem statement and the solution is given with extended code and discussion. You will get guidance on topics like data encoding, data structures, algorithms, meta-programming, concurrency, iterators, functions, classes, modules, decorator patterns, closures, packages, testing, debugging, and exceptions.
4. PHP & MySQL: The Missing Manual:
If you already have experience in PHP programming then this book will take you to the next level. This book has 546 pages that help programmers manage content, build a database, and interact with users. You will also learn about the connectivity of PHP and MySQL with the proper guidance of the database management system. A few concepts that you will learn in this book are handling images and complexity, binary objects and image loading, listing, iterating and administrating, authentication & authorization, and making dynamic web pages & web apps.
Other Books:
Conclusion
Above mentioned are a few books that are good for beginners as well as experts. You can choose the same according to your needs and choice. In these books, all the concepts are explained properly and you can learn them very easily.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What should I learn to become a back-end web developer?
Ans. Here are a few things that you should learn in order to become a back-end web developer:
- Python
- JAVA
- PHP
- SQL
- GIT
- Communication
2. Which book is best for web development for beginners?
Ans. These are the books that are best for web development beginners:
- Head First Java: By Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates
- Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++: By Bjarne Stroustrup
- Learn Python The Hard Way: By Zed A. Shaw
- The Joy of PHP Programming: By Alan Forbes
3. Is Back-End Web Development Hard?
Ans. Back-End development is one of the easiest programming things that you can learn and you can grab a decent job as a Beck-End developer by learning a few more languages, such as HTML and CSS.
