Backend Engineer: Facts, Skills, and Next Paths

A Backend Engineer builds and maintains the server-side logic that powers web and mobile applications. Day-to-day, this means designing APIs, managing databases, and ensuring systems can handle growing amounts of traffic reliably. You'll write code in languages like Java, Go, or Python, and deploy services on cloud platforms such as AWS.

Core responsibilities include leading the development of new services (e.g., a lifecycle-orchestrator at Affirm) or scaling message processing platforms by several times over a year (as at Polymarket). You'll collaborate with product and frontend teams, mentor engineers, and drive technical strategy on features tied to data pipelines, distributed systems, and cloud infrastructure. The role sits within engineering teams at companies like Affirm, Naytal, Kerrigan Robotics, and Polymarket.

Based on current job postings, the median salary for this role is approximately $176,846, with the most-requested skills being Cloud Platforms (70% of postings), Distributed Systems (50%), and Backend Development (50% of postings).