This article outlines the responsibilities of a backend intern and explains how those responsibilities connect to building and delivering core product capabilities. It covers RESTful API development, PostgreSQL schema design, scalable Node.js/Express.js business logic, security and reliability expectations, integrations like JWT and Razorpay, collaboration with frontend and AI teams, testing, debugging, deployment assistance, and project management involvement.
Core Backend Development and System Design
The intern is responsible for implementing and maintaining the backend foundations that drive core product features. Primary responsibilities include:
- Build and maintain RESTful APIs that support catalogue management, test generation, session handling, payments, and more — creating and evolving endpoints that expose these core features to other services and clients.
- Design and optimize relational database schemas using PostgreSQL to store and retrieve product data reliably and in a way that supports the API surface and business workflows.
- Work with Node.js and Express.js to implement scalable business logic, translating product requirements into server-side routes, controllers, and services that handle requests consistently.
- Ensure high reliability, performance, and security across backend systems by focusing on predictable behavior, responsive handling of requests, and protecting data and flows that the system depends on.
- Write clean, modular, and well-documented code following SOLID principles so the codebase remains maintainable and understandable as features grow and evolve.
- Handle data validations, authentication flows (JWT), and third-party integrations (like Razorpay) as part of endpoint implementation, ensuring input is validated, user sessions are authenticated, and external payment flows are integrated.
Collaboration, Quality Assurance, and Delivery
Beyond core implementation, the intern participates in the full delivery lifecycle by collaborating with teams, validating behavior, and supporting releases. Key responsibilities include:
- Collaborate with frontend and AI teams to integrate dynamic test engines and learning models, ensuring backend services provide the data and endpoints needed for client features and AI integrations to function together.
- Debug issues, write unit tests, and assist in deployment processes to identify defects, verify functionality at the unit level, and help move code through release workflows.
- Be part of the project management team to align backend work with product schedules, feature priorities, and cross-team coordination.
- End to end testing to validate that APIs, database interactions, authentication, payment flows, and integrations work together from a user or system perspective before release.
In conclusion, the intern role covers end-to-end backend responsibilities: building and maintaining RESTful APIs, designing PostgreSQL schemas, implementing scalable Node.js/Express.js logic, and ensuring reliability, performance, and security. It also includes authentication and payment integrations, writing SOLID, documented code, collaborating with frontend and AI teams, debugging, unit and end-to-end testing, deployment assistance, and active participation in project management to deliver production-ready features.
