Backend Developer (PHP)
Developing web applications and APIs in PHP using modern frameworks
Backend Developer (PHP) is a role in the Backend Engineering family. It has 63 skills across 5 levels (from Junior to Principal). 198 skills are mandatory. Key domains: Programming Fundamentals, Backend Development, Database Management.
Technology Stack
Focus by Level
Building CRUD functionality in Laravel/Symfony. Writing migrations and Eloquent/Doctrine models. Writing feature tests. Fixing bugs. Working with Blade/Twig templates.
Designing REST APIs. Working with queues (Laravel Queue/Symfony Messenger). Optimizing N+1 queries. Setting up caching. Integrating with external APIs. Code review.
Application architecture design (DDD, Hexagonal). Performance optimization (OPcache, Swoole/RoadRunner). Migration to PHP 8.3+. Event-driven system design.
Microservice architecture on PHP. Coding standards. Legacy code modernization strategy. Framework selection. Coordinating backend and frontend.
Technology strategy: PHP vs other languages. Modernizing enterprise applications. Scalable system architecture. Participating in PHP community.
Skill Matrix
63 skills × 5 levels. Click on a cell for details.
AI-Assisted Development
4 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot | A | W | A | E | E |
| Cursor IDE | A | W | A | A | — |
| ChatGPT / Claude | A | W | W | A | E |
| Prompt Engineering for Code | A | W | A | E | — |
API & Integration
9 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REST API Design | A | W | A | E | E |
| GraphQL Design | A | W | A | E | E |
| WebSocket API Design | A | W | A | A | E |
| gRPC & Protocol Buffers | A | W | A | E | E |
| gRPC & Protocol Buffers | A | W | A | A | E |
| API Versioning Strategies | A | W | A | E | E |
| API Documentation | A | W | A | E | E |
| API Testing | A | W | A | E | E |
| Rate Limiting & Throttling | A | W | A | E | E |
Architecture & System Design
5 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| System Design Fundamentals | A | W | A | E | E |
| Microservices Decomposition | A | W | A | A | E |
| Clean Architecture | A | W | A | E | E |
| CQRS | A | W | A | E | E |
| Event-Driven Architecture | A | W | A | E | E |
Backend Development
8 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHP Frameworks | A | W | A | E | E |
| Apache Kafka | A | W | A | E | — |
| RabbitMQ | A | W | A | E | E |
| Message Broker Patterns | A | W | A | E | E |
| Redis | A | W | A | E | E |
| Caching Strategies | A | W | A | E | E |
| Task Queues | A | W | A | E | E |
| Elasticsearch / OpenSearch | A | W | A | E | E |
Cloud & Infrastructure
5 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Docker | A | W | A | E | E |
| Kubernetes Core | A | W | A | E | E |
| Terraform | A | W | W | A | E |
| AWS | A | W | A | E | E |
| Network Fundamentals | A | W | A | — | — |
Database Management
9 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PostgreSQL | A | W | A | E | E |
| MySQL / MariaDB | A | W | A | E | E |
| Database Indexing | A | W | A | E | E |
| Query Optimization | A | W | A | E | E |
| Transactions & Concurrency | A | W | A | E | E |
| Connection Pooling | A | W | A | E | E |
| Database Sharding | A | W | A | E | E |
| Data Modeling & Schema Design | A | W | A | E | E |
| Database Migrations | A | W | A | E | E |
DevOps & CI/CD
1 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Actions / GitLab CI | A | W | A | E | E |
Observability & Monitoring
5 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structured Logging | A | W | A | E | E |
| ELK Stack | A | W | A | A | E |
| Prometheus & Grafana | A | W | A | E | E |
| OpenTelemetry | A | W | A | A | E |
| SLI / SLO / SLA | A | W | A | A | E |
Programming Fundamentals
8 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algorithms & Complexity | A | W | A | E | E |
| Data Structures | A | W | A | E | E |
| OOP & SOLID Principles | A | W | A | E | E |
| Design Patterns | A | W | A | E | E |
| Multithreading | A | W | A | A | E |
| Async Programming | A | W | A | E | E |
| Code Quality & Refactoring | A | W | A | E | E |
| Type Safety & Type Systems | A | W | A | E | E |
Security
3 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OWASP & Application Security | A | W | A | E | E |
| Secure Coding Practices | A | W | A | E | E |
| JWT / OAuth2 / OIDC | A | W | A | E | E |
Testing & QA
4 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TDD & BDD | A | W | A | E | E |
| Unit Testing | A | W | A | E | E |
| Integration Testing | A | W | A | E | E |
| E2E Testing | A | W | A | A | E |
Version Control & Collaboration
2 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Git Advanced | A | W | A | E | E |
| Code Review | A | W | A | E | E |
FAQ
What skills are needed for the Backend Developer (PHP) role?
The Backend Developer (PHP) role requires 63 skills, of which 198 are mandatory. Skills are distributed across 5 levels: from Junior to Principal. See full matrix.
How to advance to the next level in the Backend Developer (PHP) role?
Use the Grade Calculator to assess your current level and get personalized recommendations. The system will show which skills need to be developed for the next level.
What tech stack is used in the Backend Developer (PHP) role?
The stack includes 5 technologies at different levels. PHP 8.3+, Laravel 11/Symfony 7, MySQL/PostgreSQL, Eloquent/Doctrine, Composer, PHPUnit, Docker, REST API basics, PHP 8.3+, Laravel/Symfony, PostgreSQL/Redis, RabbitMQ basics, PHPStan/Psalm, Laravel Horizon/Symfony Messenger, Docker Compose, CI/CD, PHP 8.3+, Swoole/RoadRunner/FrankenPHP, DDD, PostgreSQL/Redis/Elasticsearch, Kafka, Xdebug/Blackfire profiling, Kubernetes basics...
How does the community define requirements for the Backend Developer (PHP) role?
Role requirements are shaped by the community through a proposal system. Any member can suggest changes that go through voting and expert review.