The Backend - Data Management

CHAPTER 7

Every time you use a website—whether you're logging in, reading a blog post, or adding something to your cart—there’s data being handled behind the scenes.

But not all data is the same.

Two Main Types of Data in a Website

1. User Data (Personal Data)

This is the information you provide to the website, such as your comments under a blog, profile data or that’s created based on your activity.

Where it goes:

This data is stored securely in a database so that the next time you visit, the website can fetch it by using the backend services.

2. Web Data (Website Content)

This is the data that the website owner or developer creates and manages. It’s what you see even without logging in, such as blog posts, product details and Images. 

Where it goes:

This is also stored in a database, and sometimes in cloud storage (for large files like images or videos). It’s available to all users.

Is the Data Safe?

Yes—websites use things like:

• Password hashing (so no one can see your real password)
• Data encryption (use of algorithms to scramble data and hide its true meaning)
• User permissions (only you can see your personal data) 

Major Aspects of a Website:

Frontend : The Website's user interface that the user can interact with.It mainly comprises of HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

Backend: Sometimes called as "server side", it handles behind the scene activities like storing/managing data (Storage Layer / Databases), process requests and fetching contents from databases (API Layer).

 

As you’re reading this blog post, you’re actually experiencing how the backend works in real time — even if it’s all invisible to you.

When you first accessed this page, your browser (frontend) sent an HTTP request to the website’s backend server. This server is responsible for handling all the logic and data behind the scenes.

Here’s what happened in the background:

• The backend received your request and identified which blog post you were trying to access — based on the request URL or Payload.
• The data was structured (usually in JSON format) and sent back as a response.
• Your browser received this data and used JavaScript (on the frontend) to render the blog content on the page you’re seeing now, most of the time this happens without reloading the entire page.

So while you're just reading, in the background, a full request-response cycle happened between your browser, the backend server, and the database — all within milliseconds.

Does all the Website requires both Frontend and Backend ? 

    Not really, Static Sites such as portfolio and landing pages typically only requires a frontend. If your website's functionality is limited to displaying static content, you can successfully host it without a backend. However, if you require dynamic features, you will need some backend support.

Do you love to see a complete picture of Web - including Frontend, Backend, Servers, Databases. Move on to Web chart >>>