Backend definition
The backend, also known as the “back end”, represents the technical system of a website and its content. It comprises the administrative area, which is closely linked to the information system and acts as a counterpart to the front end, which represents the user interface visible to the site visitor. Especially in web design and web development, the backend refers to the technical administration in the background that makes it possible to make the website usable in the frontend.
For content management systems (CMS) in particular, the backend is the heart of the system, as it provides the hidden administration interface through which new posts can be created and made visible on the website. This structure enables a clear separation between the part that the user sees and the administrative area, which is not visible to the user and can only be accessed with access data.
An overview
The backend essentially consists of three parts: the application, the server and the database. While the user’s interaction takes place in the front end, the resulting data in the back end is stored by the application in a database on the server. This interaction gives the backend a multi-layered and hierarchical structure.
The main tasks of the backend are content administration, which includes controlling and managing various users, customizing the design, maintaining the content of texts, videos and images, installing plug-ins for tools such as SEO and social media, and managing orders in store systems.
The backend in our everyday lives
In everyday life, the backend supports users when they use the Internet, especially with user-dependent or personal content such as customer accounts, online banking and online stores. The backend also plays a decisive role in the creation and management of website content, for example with CMS such as Joomla or WordPress. Professional developers design the backend software, using high-level programming languages such as PHP, Ruby or Python.
The backend and search engine optimization
In the area of search engine optimization (SEO), the backend plays an important role, as this is where the targeted modification of websites takes place as part of on-page optimization. This includes the definition of meta tags, content optimization, page analyses and other measures to improve findability and performance online.