# Backend development: 18 questions | Muhammad Shahid URL: https://shahid09.netlify.app/faq/backend-development/ Author: Muhammad Shahid, Senior AI Software Engineer & Backend Developer (https://shahid09.netlify.app/) ## Which backend technologies do you use? Node.js and Express.js for APIs, MongoDB with Mongoose for data, Redis for caching, REST APIs with JWT authentication, EJS for server-rendered pages, and Heroku, VPS servers or Netlify for deployment. Link: https://shahid09.netlify.app/faq/backend-development/#which-backend-technologies-do-you-use ## Are you a Node.js developer? Yes. Node.js is my main backend language. I have used it in production at Quecko Inc. and Dlux Soft for products with millions of users, including DOP, TheCryptoBasic and CV Maker. Link: https://shahid09.netlify.app/faq/backend-development/#are-you-a-node-js-developer ## Do you build REST APIs? Yes. I build production Express and MongoDB REST APIs with request validation, centralised error handling, logging, JWT authentication, caching and pagination. Link: https://shahid09.netlify.app/faq/backend-development/#do-you-build-rest-apis ## Do you work with MongoDB? Yes, it is my main database. I design schemas and compound indexes, write aggregation pipelines and use Mongoose. I also hold the MongoDB and Mongoose certification from MongoDB University. Link: https://shahid09.netlify.app/faq/backend-development/#do-you-work-with-mongodb ## How do you use Redis? Mainly to cache read-heavy routes. At DOP I added a Redis caching layer together with new MongoDB indexes, which brought API timeouts and database CPU load under control at 300M+ users. Link: https://shahid09.netlify.app/faq/backend-development/#how-do-you-use-redis ## Can you fix login and session problems? Yes. At TheCryptoBasic users were being logged out at random. I traced it to incorrect JWT expiry and refresh-token handling and rewrote the session flow so sessions now persist as intended. Link: https://shahid09.netlify.app/faq/backend-development/#can-you-fix-login-and-session-problems ## Can you build the backend for a mobile app? Yes. I developed the backend of CV Maker – Resume Builder, an Android app on Google Play with 1M+ users worldwide, and worked with the mobile and design teams to ship its releases. Link: https://shahid09.netlify.app/faq/backend-development/#can-you-build-the-backend-for-a-mobile-app ## Can you integrate third-party APIs? Yes. I built the live market-data pipeline at TheCryptoBasic, connected 5 RPC providers at DOP, and build API and LLM integrations for AI agents. Link: https://shahid09.netlify.app/faq/backend-development/#can-you-integrate-third-party-apis ## Do you work with real-time data and WebSockets? Yes. TheCryptoBasic serves live market data to 2M+ users, and my open-source project cmcprice-Websocket streams live crypto prices over WebSockets. Link: https://shahid09.netlify.app/faq/backend-development/#do-you-work-with-real-time-data-and-websockets ## Where do you deploy backends? Node.js backends on Heroku or VPS servers, and static and Next.js sites, like this one, on Netlify. Link: https://shahid09.netlify.app/faq/backend-development/#where-do-you-deploy-backends ## Can you fix payment and transaction failures? Yes. At Quecko I investigated user-reported payment and transaction failures, traced the root causes, shipped fixes on tight timelines, restored reliable payments and added monitoring and error alerts to catch failures early. Link: https://shahid09.netlify.app/faq/backend-development/#can-you-fix-payment-and-transaction-failures ## How do you make a backend reliable? Request validation, centralised error handling, logging, monitoring and error alerts, and testing before every release. At Dlux Soft this approach reduced production errors. Link: https://shahid09.netlify.app/faq/backend-development/#how-do-you-make-a-backend-reliable ## Can you add monitoring and error alerts? Yes. I add monitoring and alerts as part of every fix, so the next failure is caught by the system instead of being reported by users. Link: https://shahid09.netlify.app/faq/backend-development/#can-you-add-monitoring-and-error-alerts ## Can you build a full-stack app on your own? Yes. I built New-Waffle, an NFT raffle web application, end to end on my own: the raffle logic, the backend and the web client, deployed solo. Link: https://shahid09.netlify.app/faq/backend-development/#can-you-build-a-full-stack-app-on-your-own ## Do you build internal tools? Yes. Two of my open-source tools are mongodb-data-exporter, which exports every collection in a MongoDB database to its own JSON file, and video-splitter-with-text, which splits videos and burns in text overlays. Link: https://shahid09.netlify.app/faq/backend-development/#do-you-build-internal-tools ## Can you work on a backend someone else built? Yes, that is most of my work. I have taken over live products with millions of users and fixed their performance, session and payment bugs without rewriting them. Link: https://shahid09.netlify.app/faq/backend-development/#can-you-work-on-a-backend-someone-else-built ## Do you use NestJS? Yes. I build Node.js backends with NestJS when a project benefits from its modules and dependency injection, and with Express when a lighter setup fits better. Link: https://shahid09.netlify.app/faq/backend-development/#do-you-use-nestjs ## Do you build GraphQL APIs? Yes. I build GraphQL APIs as well as REST APIs, and choose between them based on how the clients need to fetch data. Link: https://shahid09.netlify.app/faq/backend-development/#do-you-build-graphql-apis