Hire the Best Remote
Back-End Developer

Arc helps you find and hire top Back-End developers for both freelance and full-time jobs. With 1,002 Back-End programmers available for hire on a freelance or full-time basis, we have one of the largest network of vetted talent. Our Silicon Valley-caliber vetting process helps ensure that you hire Back-End developers and experts that you can trust.

5.0 / 5 Clients Rate Arc Back-End Developers

Here are just a few of our great Back-End developers available to hire:

Peter H., freelance Back-End developer
Peter H.
Back-End Developer
United Kingdom
Hire Peter

I am a very experienced full stack web app developer of more than 20 years, specialised in Node, React and React Native, GraphQL and AWS

I enjoy building solutions to problems, using new and also established technology that is the right fit for the job. I am diligent but also pragmatic. I have worked at small to medium-sized companies as a principal developer, deve...

Hire Peter
Satwik K., freelance Back-End programmer
Satwik K.
Back-End Developer
India
Hire Satwik

6 years Exp. |Trading | Backend | Blockchain | Python and Pine Script

https://satwikkansal.xyz I have been freelancing since 2k17. I love the process of turning ideas into code, and you can count on me for writing good quality code. Aside from freelancing, I've authored a popular developer project...

Hire Satwik
Nick O., Back-End developer for hire
Nick O.
Back-End Developer
United States
Hire Nick

Senior Software Engineer at Tesla, Backend focused, Bachelor's in C.S.

Senior software engineer with 5+ years of experience in backend web technologies including Ruby on Rails, Python, Go, and MySQL. Currently at Tesla, previously EasyPost. Bachelor's in Computer Science. Main strengths include archi...

Hire Nick
Ahmed I., freelance Back-End developer
Ahmed I.
Back-End Developer
Netherlands
Hire Ahmed

Senior Software Engineer

Detail-oriented software engineer and backend developer with 6+ years’ success developing complex and innovative solutions. Solid research knowledge with experience analyzing algorithms and solving comprehensive problem with cutti...

Hire Ahmed
Adebayo A., Back-End freelance developer
Adebayo A.
Back-End Developer
Japan
Hire Adebayo

Hands-on Engineering Manager

I am a polyglot, an engineering manager, and a problem solver. I embrace complex problems with the mind of proffering solutions through effective collaboration. I love to hear about creative and innovative ideas. With over a deca...

Hire Adebayo
BIKESH K., freelance Back-End programmer
BIKESH K.
Back-End Developer
Nepal
Hire BIKESH

Python/Django Backend Developer

I am passionate about programming , solving problems and creating beautiful applications. Experienced and Results-driven Backend Developer with expertise in designing, developing, and deploying scalable solutions. Proficient in P...

Hire BIKESH
Konstantin Y., top Back-End developer
Konstantin Y.
Back-End Developer
Georgia
Hire Konstantin

Developing quality software, solving hard problems, messing around with Linux.

Professional Software Developer since 2005 (and been excited to build software since 1991). I specialize in web applications and backend services, although I also dabbled in frontend development, data science and signal processing...

Hire Konstantin
Chandan M., Back-End freelance developer
Chandan M.
Back-End Developer
Germany
Hire Chandan

Backend and DevOps Engineer

Software engineer with extensive experience in companies ranging from startups to established firms. Lifelong learner who likes solving problems .

Hire Chandan
Anuvrat P., Back-End freelance developer
Anuvrat P.
Back-End Developer
India
Hire Anuvrat

Engineer turned entrepreneur debugging software for 15 years.

I succeed or your **money back.** Skillset includes: python, elixir, rust, golang, c++, lua et al. Diving into, understanding and debugging codebases alien to me is one of my core expertise. I run a software development shop ca...

Hire Anuvrat
Andy K., Back-End developer for hire
Andy K.
Back-End Developer
Canada
Hire Andy

Technology Abstractionist and Object Orienter

Excellent communication skills, based out of Toronto Canada, English is my first and only language. No accent and a great ability to calmly explain what's going on in terms you understand. I am a true **full stack developer**. Fro...

Hire Andy
View All Back-End Developers Available to Hire

Why Choose Arc to Hire Full-time & Freelance Back-End Developers

  1. Curated talent you can trust

    Curated talent you can trust

    Meet Back-End developers with verified technical and communication skills who are ready to interview.

  2. Trusted global talent pool

    Trusted global talent pool

    Access “hidden gem” Back-End developers outside your local area.

  3. Hire 4x faster

    Hire 4x faster

    Hire a Back-End developer in 72 hours for freelance contracts and 14 days for full-time employment.

Trusted by leading startups and businesses:
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It's Easy to Hire Full-time & Freelance
Back-End Developers With Arc

easy to hire
1

Tell us about your request

Describe the Back-End developer you're looking for.

2

Interview candidates

Receive vetted candidate profiles matching your engineering needs.

3

Hire developer candidates

When ready, select a developer to hire.

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Unlike front-end developers, who focus on delivering great user experience on the client-side, back-end developers focus on the processes that occur “behind” an application that users don’t typically see — from communication with its server and database to the app’s overall architecture.

Developers who specialize in back-end development may also focus on security, application programming interface (APIs), and much more. If you’re looking to hire a solid back-end developer for your team, here’s what will help make your search easier.

The Most In-Demand Back-End Programming Languages

The backend programming languages most often requested on job boards and marketplaces include:

  • Java, the core component of the Sun Microsystems Java platform, has been around since 1995. Developers love it, especially for client-server web applications. Designed to give the look and feel of C++ apps without its complexity, Java is easier to use, write, compile, debug, and learn than its object-oriented alternative.
  • Python was first released in 1989. This popular open source scripting language is used in internet development. Developers point to its versatility, supportive community, user-friendly data structures, and ease with which they can produce fast, easy-to-use applications.
  • Node.js (aka JavaScript for the back-end). In 2009, Node.js launched as a JavaScript runtime built on the Chrome V8 JS engine. Node.js uses an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model that makes it lightweight and efficient — perfect for data-intensive, real-time applications that run across distributed devices.
  • R is a programming language and development environment used for statistical computing and graphics. It’s free, open source, powerful, and highly extensible. It’s widely used by data miners and other analysts who develop statistical software and analyze data.
  • PHP. Although declining in popularity, PHP is still a widely used open-source, general-purpose scripting language. Developers use it to build 30 percent of all websites. PHP is still popular because it’s easy to learn and can be hosted inexpensively.

Widely Used Back-end Development Frameworks

Languages are just part of the developer’s toolkit. Programming frameworks (tools and languages used in server-side programming in a web development environment) also play an important role in building efficient, secure apps and networks.

Here’s a list of frameworks that are currently being used in the back-end development environment:

  • Ruby on Rails. Originally released in 2005, Ruby on Rails is a server-side web app framework written in the Ruby programming language and run on Linux. Its popularity is based on being easy to compile, test, and learn.
  • Django. This high-level, open-source web framework is used in Python database-driven websites. Created for rapid web project development, Django enables developers to quickly grasp a project’s structure. It also provides the tools needed to develop design ideas quickly and accurately.
  • Laravel. Released in 2011, this open source, PHP framework is popular for extensive back-end web application development. It eliminates the use of complex code and simplifies development generally.
  • Express. Released in 2010 to develop complete web applications and APIs, Express (also called Express.js) creates web applications quickly with minimal development effort. Express.js is open source software, which many developers view as the standard framework for Node development.

Back-end Developer Job Descriptions: Defining What You Need

Hiring the best back-end developers can be divided into three steps:

  1. Clearly defining the backend developer skills and experience you need
  2. Knowing where to look for talent, and
  3. Offering competitive pay rates.

The best backend developer job descriptions enable you to successfully hire backend developers with minimum time and effort on your part. Effective job postings provide a clear, complete description of the work you need to be worked on and the capabilities of a successful candidate.

It’s important to imagine your successful candidate in terms of scenarios rather than a list of capabilities. In essence, you’re telling a story about the work, the work environment, and your expectations.

Technical Knowledge

What should candidates know about — or better yet, understand — in each language, framework, or topic area? Examples include:

  • Detailed understanding of the syntax and nuances of Ruby.
  • Detailed understanding of MVC frameworks.
  • Knowledge of the complexities of coding network security solutions.

Skills

What specifically should candidates be able to do? To hire back-end developers, you should use verbs, not nouns, in your job descriptions. Additionally, you should define specific capabilities that map out on specific skill levels, For example:

  • Build connectors to various external APIs that will be implemented.
  • Investigate and fix reported bugs.
  • Collaborate with team members in application design, development, and maintenance.

Don’t forget to mention subjective technical skills when they are part of your expectations. For example:

  • Writes clean code.
  • Turns around revisions quickly, without the need for rework.
  • Rapidly understands and interprets the meaning of code he/she didn’t write.

And, also remember to mention soft skills. You hire candidates to code, but you also need your backend developer to have reliable communication and collaboration skills. It’s hard to evaluate soft skills purely by looking at a back-end developer’s resume. As such, ensure you spend a good amount of time learning about your candidate’s soft skills during your interviewing process.

These important skills are often mentioned vaguely in job posts (“Must have first-rate communications skills,” for example). Unfortunately, they are seldom described in real-life terms that apply to specific work environments. Contrast this with specific examples, like “Candidate must be comfortable meeting with other team members and critiquing each other’s work.”

Experience

You can think of experience in traditional terms, as time spent doing a task. However, it might be more helpful, to think about a candidate’s experience in terms of scenarios — your candidate should have experience dealing with specific tasks at specific levels of expertise while using specific types of tools in specific work environments.

Here are some detailed examples:

  • Building APIs, including authentication, cleanliness, and role-based access permissions
  • Using Ruby on Rails and other common libraries such as RSpec and Sidekiq

The more vivid the picture you paint, the more likely your candidate will meet and speak on the same wavelength. Be sure to include some indication of what you expect. For example, a robust experience statement might look like this:

Candidate should have at least 2 years’ experience coding security solutions. Successful experience coding in Agile environments and large, distributed workgroups is a must.

Providing a job description that’s vivid, accurate, and complete boosts the chance of finding the right back-end developer candidate and reduces the risk of an off-the-mark hire.

Where to Find the Best Back-end Developers

The best developers care about what they do at work. Many have a real passion for coding. That enthusiasm and dedication can help you find them. The trick is knowing:

  • Where they spend their free time. The challenge is to find the hangout spots that developers frequent.
  • Challenges they face in a developer role. If developers must provide first-rate user experience or network security, you’ll probably find them in a community or interest group dedicated to these topics.
  • What they look for in new job opportunities. Committed developers often want to use specific tools or learn or improve specific skills. That means they might give special consideration to positions that provide a chance for professional development.

With this knowledge, you can make an intelligent search for back-end developers. The following lists are only examples — there are far too many back-end languages, frameworks, and interest areas to list here. You can also check out more strategies to find developers for your developer team.

Online Communities for Back-end Developers

You can find communities by specifying popular languages and frameworks, topic areas (such as data and network security), and locations in browser searches. Some of the biggest and most vibrant groups include:

  • Stack Overflow dedicates pages to specific languages that back-end developers use. Information includes background info, news, applications, documentation, chat rooms, moderated discussions, and more.
  • Reddit provides community to registered users by gathering programming-related social news, rating web content, and discussing all things website. Popular subreddits for back-end developers are usually the ones that focus on the programming language the developer uses, such as /r/PHP, /r/java, and /r/node.
  • GitHub Community Forum is a respected public platform where programmers can join or create communities focused on a specific language, framework, or topic.
  • LinkedIn Groups for Back-end Developers provide classes, tutorials, training and discussions for developers in many interest areas.
  • Facebook Groups for Developers enable developers to improve their coding skills and connect with experts.
  • Codementor has an active community of experienced developers you can get to know and learn from. Their developer community pages include tutorials, posts, and featured questions. You can choose which topics and authors to follow to personalize your experience.

Specialized community sites include:

Face-to-Face Communities: Conferences and Other Events

Face-to-face encounters at conferences, hackathons, local meetups, and talks are a very effective way to discover programming talent.

Meetups

At last count, back-end developer groups in the Meetup.com network had almost 46,000 members spread throughout 97 locations globally. Start here to find a group near you.

U.S. Conferences

The emphasis of these get-togethers ranges from back-end-related frameworks, technologies, and coding methods:

  • Developer Week - San Francisco, CA & hybrid
  • DevOPs Con - Berlin, Germany
  • DockerCon - Los Angeles, CA
  • But, when all is said and done, you’ll probably need a competitive pay rate to add the best developers to your projects.

Back-end Developer Pay Rates

To attract the right back-end developer, you’ll need to offer compensation consistent with market rates in your area. Here’s a summary of the results:

Annual Salaries

To calculate the national and local average salaries for back-end developers, we used data from Talent’s salary pages. Here are the annual average salaries of:

  • Entry-level back-end developer salary: $97,500
  • Medium back-end developer salary: $118,875
  • Senior-level back-end developer salary: $155,000

Here is a list of back-end developer salaries for a selection of states in the United States with tech hubs or a high ratio of software development job openings:

  • Washington: $120,000
  • California: $136,500
  • New York: $126,750
  • Massachusetts: $135,000
  • Texas: $120,374
  • Colorado: $120,000

Freelance Rates

According to our survey of over 9,000 vetted freelance developers, the average hourly rate for back-end freelance developers ranges from $61 to $80 per hour. However, competitive freelance pay rates will vary based on experience and geographical location. Experienced back-end engineers based in the U.S., Canada, Australia, or New Zealand can command much higher rates of $100 per hour or more.

When calculated to monthly and annual pay, this pay range looks like this:

  • Average monthly back-end developer salary: $9,760 to $12,800
  • Average annual back-end developer salary: $117,120 to $153,600

You can find a complete look at hiring freelance versus full-time staff developers in Cost of Hiring Full-time vs. Freelance Software Engineers to get a better understanding about the discrepancy in the salaries/rates.

Next Steps

Skilled, experienced back-end developers are the engine of the apps and processes that your business uses every day. Hiring the best possible back-end developers helps your team deliver the most efficient and appropriate services to your business and your customers.

Here are the steps that can help you get the greatest value from the time, effort, and cost of the hiring process:

  • Customize your job description using keywords to emphasize the technical experience you are looking for. Be thorough about the requirements in your job descriptions by describing relevant knowledge, skills (technical and soft), and experience for each task.
  • Make sure to attract the best candidates by using each job description as a chance to brand your company as a desirable place to work.
  • Engage in different types of events, at face-to-face and virtual venues. Remember, developers, who participate at these meetings are very likely to help you make high-quality networking connections or may be good back-end developers.
  • Set your budget to be in line with developer salary expectations in your region. Or, consider working with a remote freelance developer. Do some background research to fully understand the indirect costs of bringing on a full-time employee.

Now that you have the ammunition you need, it’s time to begin recruiting your back-end developer!

FAQs

What kinds of Back-End programmers are available for hire through Arc?

You can find a variety of Back-End developers for hire on Arc! At Arc, you can hire on a freelance, full-time, part-time, or contract-to-hire basis. For freelance Back-End programmers, Arc matches you with the right senior developer in roughly 72 hours. As for full-time remote Back-End developers for hire, you can expect to make a successful hire in 14 days. To extend a freelance engagement to a full-time hire, a contract-to-hire fee will apply.

In addition to a variety of engagement types, Arc also offers a wide range of developers located in different geographical locations, such as Latin America and Eastern Europe. Depending on your needs, Arc offers a global network of skilled software engineers in various different time zones and countries for you to choose from.

Lastly, our remote-ready Back-End developers for hire are all mid-level and senior-level professionals. They are ready to start coding straight away, anytime, anywhere.

Why is Arc the best choice for hiring Back-End developers?

Arc is trusted by hundreds of startups and tech companies around the world, and we’ve matched thousands of skilled Back-End developers with both freelance and full-time jobs. We’ve successfully helped Silicon Valley startups and larger tech companies like Spotify and Automattic hire Back-End developers.

Every Back-End developer for hire in our network goes through a vetting process to verify their communication abilities, remote work readiness, and technical skills (both for depth in Back-End and breadth across the greater domain). Additionally, HireAI, our GPT-4-powered AI recruiter, enables you to get instant candidate matches without searching and screening.

Not only can you expect to find the most qualified Back-End engineer on Arc, but you can also count on your account manager and the support team to make each hire a success. Enjoy a streamlined hiring experience with Arc, where we provide you with the developer you need, and take care of the logistics so you don’t need to.

How does Arc vet a developer’s Back-End skills?

Arc has a rigorous and transparent vetting process for all types of developers. To become a vetted Back-End developer for hire on Arc, developers must pass a profile screening, complete a behavioral interview, and pass a technical interview or pair programming.

While Arc has a strict vetting process for its verified Back-End developers, if you’re using Arc’s free job posting plan, you will only have access to non-vetted developers. If you’re using Arc to hire Back-End developers, you can rest assured that all remote Back-End developers have been thoroughly vetted for the high-caliber communication and technical skills you need in a successful hire.

How long does it take to find Back-End developers on Arc?

Arc pre-screens all of our remote Back-End developers before we present them to you. As such, all the remote Back-End developers you see on your Arc dashboard are interview-ready candidates who make up the top 2% of applicants who pass our technical and communication assessment. You can expect the interview process to happen within days of posting your jobs to 300,000 candidates. You can also expect to hire a freelance Back-End programmer in 72 hours, or find a full-time Back-End programmer that fits your company’s needs in 14 days.

Here’s a quote from Philip, the Director of Engineering at Chegg:

“The biggest advantage and benefit of working with Arc is the tremendous reduction in time spent sourcing quality candidates. We’re able to identify the talent in a matter of days.”

Find out more about how Arc successfully helped our partners in hiring remote Back-End developers.

How much does a freelance Back-End developer charge per hour?

Depending on the freelance developer job board you use, freelance remote Back-End developers' hourly rates can vary drastically. For instance, if you're looking on general marketplaces like Upwork and Fiverr, you can find Back-End developers for hire at as low as $10 per hour. However, high-quality freelance developers often avoid general freelance platforms like Fiverr to avoid the bidding wars.

When you hire Back-End developers through Arc, they typically charge between $60-100+/hour (USD). To get a better understanding of contract costs, check out our freelance developer rate explorer.

How much does it cost to hire a full time Back-End developer?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the medium annual wage for software developers in the U.S. was $120,730 in May 2021. What this amounts to is around $70-100 per hour. Note that this does not include the direct cost of hiring, which totals to about $4000 per new recruit, according to Glassdoor.

Your remote Back-End developer’s annual salary may differ dramatically depending on their years of experience, related technical skills, education, and country of residence. For instance, if the developer is located in Eastern Europe or Latin America, the hourly rate for developers will be around $75-95 per hour.

For more frequently asked questions on hiring Back-End developers, check out our FAQs page.

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