Focus on mastering these essentials to level up your backend skills:

API Fundamentals

• HTTP Methods: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE.
• RESTful Design & Endpoints.
• Authentication & Authorization: API Keys, OAuth, JWT.
• Rate Limiting, Versioning, CORS, Error Handling.
• API Integrations & Clear Documentation.

Core Backend Concepts

• Databases: SQL (PostgreSQL, MySQL) & NoSQL (MongoDB).
• Scalability: Load Balancing, Vertical & Horizontal Scaling.
• Error Handling & Logging: Centralized monitoring tools like Logstash or Sentry.
• Testing: Unit & Integration Tests (e.g., Jest, Pytest).
• Deployment: CI/CD pipelines, containerization.
• Version Control: Git mastery (branches, rebases, etc.).

Advanced Skills

• Microservices Architecture & API Gateways.
• Docker & Kubernetes (less common in Kenya but essential for scaling).
• Caching: Redis, Memcached.
• Asynchronous Processing: RabbitMQ, Kafka, Celery.
• Cloud Platforms: AWS, Azure, GCP.

Languages & Frameworks

• Learn a language aligned with your goals: Node.js, Python, Java, Go, Ruby, PHP, or C#.
• Master frameworks like Express.js, Django, Laravel, Spring Boot, or FastAPI.

💡 Pro Tip: Pick one language, dive deep, and build projects to solidify your knowledge. Real-world experience > theory!

Let me know if you'd like to tweak this further! 😊