No matter what you're going to read here (and there's all good stuff), number #1-3 on my list are simple requirements engineering: - Understanding in depth wha

No matter what you're going to read here (and there's all good stuff), number #1-3 on my list are simple requirements engineering: - Understanding in depth what you are supposed to be building, as directly as possible from the stakeholders. Nothing is worse than building the wrong thing perfectly right. - Coding that understanding into a data model (read: database schema) with great, clear naming, correct entity relationships and as many constraints as possible (including correct types) early on. - Understanding the front end part that will serve your application and how it interfaces with the users. Only that will give you the details on how to build the API that will serve it. Iterate these three points until you're done with the application skeleton and only then write the first line of code. If there's anything that will make you insanely productive as a backend developer, it's these crucial first steps of requirements engineering.