Top Backend books recommended by experts

At MentorCruise, we are all about making the most out of the experience of others. As part of that, we've connected and asked dozens of experts and professionals about their favourite Backend books – and here are the answers.

Table of Contents

Fundamentals of Backend

Understanding the concepts of Backend starts with understanding the fundamentals. On your way to mastery, it's crucial for you to understand how certain concepts were derived, and why things work like they do. Starting with these resources is the best way to do so.

Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series)

Patterns allow designers to create more flexible, elegant, and ultimately reusable designs without having to rediscover the design solutions themselves. Highly influential, Design Patterns is a modern classic that introduces what patterns are and how they can help you design object-oriented software and provides a catalog of simple solutions for those already programming in at last one object-…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Python Crash Course: A Hands-on, Project-based Introduction to Programming

If you've been thinking about learning how to code or picking up Python, this internationally bestselling guide to the most popular programming language is your quickest, easiest way to get started and go! Even if you have no experience whatsoever, Python Crash Course, 2nd Edition, will have you writing programs, solving problems, building computer games, and creating data visualizations in no…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Eloquent JavaScript: A Modern Introduction to Programming

JavaScript lies at the heart of almost every modern web application, from social apps like Twitter to browser-based game frameworks like Phaser and Babylon. Though simple for beginners to pick up and play with, JavaScript is a flexible, complex language that you can use to build full-scale applications.
This much anticipated and thoroughly revised third edition of Eloquent JavaScript dives …

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship

Noted software expert Robert C. Martin, presents a revolutionary paradigm with Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship. Martin, who has helped bring agile principles from a practitioner’s point of view to tens of thousands of programmers, has teamed up with his colleagues from Object Mentor to distill their best agile practice of cleaning code “on the fly” into a book that will …

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Designing Data-Intensive Applications

Data is at the center of many challenges in system design today. Difficult issues need to be figured out, such as scalability, consistency, reliability, efficiency, and maintainability. In addition, we have an overwhelming variety of tools, including relational databases, NoSQL datastores, stream or batch processors, and message brokers. What are the right choices for your application? How do …

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Java: The Complete Reference, Twelfth Edition

Fully updated for Java SE 17, Java™: The Complete Reference, Twelfth Edition explains how to develop, compile, debug, and run Java programs. Best-selling programming author Herb Schildt covers the entire Java language, including its syntax, keywords, and fundamental programming principles. You’ll also find information on key portions of the Java API library, such as I/O, the Collections Framew…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

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I am a Senior Software Engineer at Booking.com, the largest travel company in the world. Before joining here, I was working as a Senior Software Engineer at Grab, the leading delivery, mobility, financial, and enterprise services company in Southeast Asia. In my career so far, I have always been working …

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Hello there! 👋 I'm a seasoned software engineer with a passion for mentoring and helping other engineers grow. My specialty is helping mid-career engineers overcome career stagnation and fire up their careers. Whether you're seeking to 1) advance your career, 2) get a new job, 3) expand your technical skills, …

$400 / month

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👋 Hi! I’m Kuai, currently a Director of Engineering at a Fintech unicorn. With experience at Two Sigma, Google, and Citadel, I have a decade-long track record in tech and finance. I mentor both software engineers and managers, helping them navigate and succeed in their engineering careers. My mentees have …

$160 / month

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I am a full-stack software engineering manager/lead. I started my career as a frontend leaning full-stack engineer, then transitioned into a solely backend role before transitioning to the infrastructure and DevOps side of things. I have helped a number of self taught or recent bootcamp grads land their first job …

$170 / month

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Tech Lead / Senior software engineer with 20+ years in full cycle development, dedicated to mentoring growth. Throughout my career, I have honed my skills in software architecture, design, and development while working on a wide range of projects for clients such as startups, established businesses, and large corporations. My …

$240 / month

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With over 15 years of experience, I'm a passionate technologist with a robust engineering background. My journey has taken me from the inception of early-stage startups to the intricacies of large-scale enterprises. My expertise lies in coaching engineers and cultivating leadership skills. Having mentored hundreds of engineers, I can confidently …

$350 / month

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  • "Naz is an amazing person and a wonderful mentor. She is supportive and knowledgeable with extensive practical experience. Having been a manager at Netflix, she also knows a ton about working with teams at scale. Highly recommended."

  • "Brandon has been supporting me with a software engineering job hunt and has provided amazing value with his industry knowledge, tips unique to my situation and support as I prepared for my interviews and applications."

  • "Sandrina helped me improve as an engineer. Looking back, I took a huge step, beyond my expectations."