This article delves into the ways backend development has evolved over the past 20 years, shedding light on the aspects that contribute to its perceived increase in difficulty.

Vladi Stevanovic

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Being a backend developer today is more challenging due to higher user expectations, increased scale and system complexity, overwhelming choice, and the need for a different set of skills.

Being a Backend Developer Today Feels Harder Than 20 Years Ago

Hmmm, arguably, a lot of these user expectations are UX and depend solely on how the frontend will serve stuff, and not backend-related.
Other than that, it’s a well-put piece.
I’d make another argument, which is, that 20y ago, it was much harder to do things than it is today, for the same reason. They had fewer options, hence to do remotely the same (and a fairly simple) thing in today’s perspective, they had to jump through hoops and, abuse the stacks they had, henceforth also killing the performance.
I’d say it’s harder to know it all nowadays, but who needs that?

The things that were harder back then are easier now, but the complexity nowadays has far outgrown what we had to do then. The number of technologies we have to deal with is far greater. I remember creating most of the things I use today as a component, and for these components to become great, and not only useful, took a lot of time for each of them. Today, most of the time when I need an external component, it has to be done by going through the API docs, understanding how it was made, and so on, and only then incorporate it into my own project in a way that it remains scalable, easy to understand, and able to be upgraded without breaking the rest of the code and other components. So, I think that might be one of the reasons why the gap between top and lower level understanding about code has become more noticeable.

Wow, what a fantastic read! This article really got the wheels turning in my head about so many things I’ve been pondering for years. It’s amazing to see how much has changed - the landscape of ideas and solutions isn’t just complex, it’s a whole different world now.
Remember the days when finding the right tools was like searching for a needle in a haystack? You either had to hunt them down yourself or get creative and make your own. Fast forward to today, and we’re spoilt for choice with tools that are just a click away. This accessibility has definitely upped the game, requiring new developers to grasp a vast array of tools and actions like never before.
So, a big thank you to the author! Your insights have not only enlightened me but have also given me great ideas on how to guide my team through the evolving landscape of past, present, and future development practices. Here’s to building new solutions with joy and innovation!

I think its “harder TO BE” a backend developer nowadays because as mentioned in the article you have to be knowledgeable in so many tools, programming languages, SaaS platforms, SDK etc.

I like the mention of polyglot large codebases. That’s also due to the evolution of languages like C++ (already complex in 1998). Today, C++ is three times as big and it encompasses multiple programming paradigms and abstraction layers, making true expertise nearly unattainable for a single individual.