Meta Back-End Developer Professional Certificate (Coursera)

Meta Back-End Developer Professional Certificate Course Overview

Ready to gain new skills and learn the tools developers use to create websites and web applications? This 10-course program, designed by the software engineering experts at Meta, will prepare you for an entry-level career as a back-end developer.

On completion, you’ll get exclusive access to the Meta Career Programs Job Board—a job search platform that connects you with 200+ employers who have committed to sourcing talent through Meta’s certificate programs and career support resources to help you with your job search.

In this program, you’ll learn:

• Python Syntax—is the most popular choice for machine learning, data science and artificial intelligence.
• In-demand programming skills and how to confidently use code to solve problems.
• Linux commands and Git repositories to implement version control.
• The world of data storage and databases using MySQL, and how to craft sophisticated SQL queries.
• Django web framework and how the front-end consumes data from the REST APIs.
• How to prepare for technical interviews for back-end developer roles.

Any third-party trademarks and other intellectual property (including logos and icons) referenced in the learning experience remain the property of their respective owners. Unless specifically identified as such, Coursera’s use of the third-party intellectual property does not indicate any relationship, sponsorship, or endorsement between Coursera and the owners of these trademarks or other intellectual property.

Applied Learning Project

Throughout the program, you’ll engage in applied learning through hands-on activities to help level up your knowledge. At the end of each course, you’ll complete 10 micro-projects that will help prepare you for the next steps in your engineering career journey.

In these projects, you’ll use a lab environment or a web application to perform tasks such as:

• Solve problems using Python code.
• Manage a project in GitHub using version control in Git, Git repositories and the Linux Terminal.
• Design and build a simple Django app.

At the end of the program, there will be a Capstone project where you will bring all of your knowledge together to create a Django web app.

Course Syllabus

Introduction to Back-End Development

Welcome to Introduction to Back-End Development, the first course in the Meta Back-End Developer program.

This course is a good place to start if you want to become a web developer. You will learn about the day-to-day responsibilities of a web developer and get a general understanding of the core and underlying technologies that power the internet. You will learn how front-end developers create websites and applications that work well and are easy to maintain.

You’ll be introduced to the core web development technologies like HTML and CSS and get opportunities to practice using them. You will also be introduced to modern UI frameworks such as Bootstrap and React that make it easy to create interactive user experiences.

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

• Describe the front-end developer role
• Explain the core and underlying technologies that power the internet
• Use HTML to create a simple webpage
• Use CSS to control the appearance of a simple webpage
• Explain what React is
• Describe the applications and characteristics of the most popular UI frameworks

For the final project in this course, you will create and edit a webpage using HTML and the Bootstrap CSS framework. Using a responsive layout grid, you will construct a responsive webpage containing text and images that looks great on any size screen.

This is a beginner course intended for learners eager to learn the fundamentals of web development. To succeed in this course, you do not need prior web development experience, only basic internet navigation skills and an eagerness to get started with coding.

Programming in Python

In this course, you will be introduced to foundational programming skills with basic Python Syntax. You’ll learn how to use code to solve problems. You’ll dive deep into the Python ecosystem and learn popular modules, libraries and tools for Python.

You’ll also get hands-on with objects, classes and methods in Python, and utilize variables, data types, control flow and loops, functions and data structures. You’ll learn how to recognize and handle errors and you’ll write unit tests for your Python code and practice test-driven development.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Prepare your computer system for Python programming
• Show understanding of Python syntax and how to control the flow of code
• Demonstrate knowledge of how to handle errors and exceptions
• Explain object-oriented programming and the major concepts associated with it
• Explain the importance of testing in Python, and when to apply particular methods

This is a beginner course for learners who would like to prepare themselves for a career in back-end development or database engineering. To succeed in this course, you do not need prior web development experience, only basic internet navigation skills and an eagerness to get started with coding.

Version Control

Learn how modern software developers collaborate across the world without messing up each other’s code. You will look at the different version control systems and how to create an effective software development workflow. You will be introduced to some of the most commonly used Linux commands that you can use to work with files on your hard drive and create powerful workflows that will automate your work, saving you time and effort.

Finally, you will see how Git can be used in software development projects to manage team files. And you will create a repository that can manage code revisions.

Introduction to Databases for Back-End Development

Back-end developers write applications that end-users use to interact with databases. Some common tasks that end-users carry out using these applications include storing, searching, extracting and manipulating data.

Therefore, it’s essential that all back-end developers possess strong knowledge and experience with how databases work.

In this course, you’ll receive an introduction to databases and explore the different ways in which they can be used to store and manage data. You’ll also learn to distinguish between different types of database management systems. You’ll then practice basic creation and data selection tasks with the use of Structured Query Language (SQL) commands.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:

• Demonstrate a working knowledge of the concepts and principles that underpin how databases work
• Identify and explain the different types of core technology and management systems used in
  databases
• Identify and interpret basic SQL statements and commands
• Manipulate records in a database with the use of SQL statements and commands
• Outline alternatives to SQL
• and plan and design a simple relational database system

You’ll also gain experience with the following:

• Fundamental concepts in database
• Basic MySQL syntax and commands
• Database management systems
• Relational databases

Django Web Framework

It’s time to build something bigger. In this course, you will use the Django web framework to build, secure and administer a web server. You will have the opportunity to create, design and configure a web app using the Django framework in-line with best practices.

Explore the usage of models in Django and their relationship to databases. Use views to render requested data to meaningful template structures for a composed user interface (UI). Implement proactive security practices and mitigate common security risks.

APIs

Delve deeper into the processes and concepts behind APIs and their infrastructure. Explore the key concepts that underpin API development and the principles of representational state transfer architectural style (REST) architecture. Build basic API and REST data backbones for web apps using Django. Discover emerging API technology and practice other ways to build and work with APIs. Finally, you will test, optimize and develop documentation for an API.

The Full Stack

Practice bringing together multiple skills to build a full-stack Django app. You’ll start by setting up an environment for a local practical project and refactoring the front and back ends of an existing application. You will then have the opportunity to create the front and back ends of a new application using your full-stack developer skills.

Cloud Computing

Learn about the different tools and systems involved in cloud computing and dev ops. Explore popular cloud solutions and the benefits of cloud computing along with the core cloud architecture concepts and approaches.

You’ll also learn about the pipelines, integration techniques and workflows involved in dev ops. You’ll understand the methods and tools involved in delivery and deployment. Plus, you’ll learn about the core concepts that underpin the use of containers such as Docker and Kubernetes and how they are used. Finally, discover how all the different dev ops principles come together to form the practice of site reliability engineering.

Back-End Developer Capstone

The Capstone project enables you to demonstrate multiple skills by solving an authentic real-world problem. You’ll test your abilities in full-stack back-end development in a real-life scenario by composing a Django web app.

You will use clean and bug-free coding to create a Django web server with multiple API endpoints and connect it to a MySQL database. You’ll also create a template system driven by Django views.

On completion of the Capstone project, you’ll have a project-based portfolio that you can show to potential employers when interviewing for an engineering role.

Coding Interview Preparation

The final course in this program will help prepare you for the unique aspects of a coding job interview, with approaches to problem-solving, computer science foundations and soft skills needed to land the job.

You’ll gain strategic insights and tips for successful interviewing. And, you’ll have the opportunity to openly discuss the emotional components of the interview process with other learners taking this course.

Course Instructor

Meta Staff