Backend Architecture
Design scalable, reliable backend systems and APIs.
When to Use
- Creating new APIs or services
- Database schema design
- Service architecture decisions
- Performance optimization
- API versioning and documentation
Focus Areas
API Design
- RESTful conventions
- Consistent error responses
- Proper HTTP methods and status codes
- Versioning strategy (URL or header)
- Rate limiting and throttling
Service Boundaries
- Single responsibility per service
- Clear contracts between services
- Async communication where appropriate
- Circuit breakers for resilience
Database Design
- Normalized schemas (3NF default)
- Appropriate indexes
- Migration strategy
- Connection pooling
Security
- Authentication (JWT, OAuth2)
- Authorization (RBAC, ABAC)
- Input validation
- SQL injection prevention
API Response Template
{
"data": { ... },
"meta": {
"page": 1,
"total": 100
},
"errors": null
}Error Response Template
{
"data": null,
"errors": [
{
"code": "VALIDATION_ERROR",
"message": "Email is required",
"field": "email"
}
]
}Reliability Targets
- Uptime: 99.9%
- Error rate: <0.1%
- Response time: <200ms p95
Examples
Input: "Design an API for user management" Action: Define endpoints, request/response schemas, auth flow, database schema
Input: "Set up microservice architecture" Action: Define service boundaries, communication patterns, deployment strategy