Question 1

What's included in a back-end development gig?

Accepted Answer

The server-side half of a product: the database, the APIs your app or site calls, the business logic, user accounts and authentication, and the integrations with third-party services like Stripe, your CRM or an email tool. It's the part users never see, but it's what keeps the product reliable. A proper gig also includes testing, deployment to your hosting, and a handover so the code, the repository and the server logins end up in your name.

Question 2

What's the difference between front-end and back-end development?

Accepted Answer

Front-end is everything the user sees and clicks, the interface in the browser or app. Back-end is the engine behind it: the database, the APIs, the logic that processes a payment or saves an order. When you submit a form, the front-end collects it and the back-end stores and acts on it. Small sites with no accounts or data barely need a back-end. Anything with logins, payments or stored records does, and you want a back-end developer for it.

Question 3

What language or stack should the back-end be built on?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the brief, not the developer's habit. Common choices are Node.js, Python (Django or FastAPI), Ruby on Rails, PHP (Laravel) and Go, paired with a database like PostgreSQL, MySQL or MongoDB. Plenty of products run on managed back-ends like Supabase or Firebase to move faster. A good developer recommends a stack off your actual requirements, your budget and who'll maintain it later, then explains the trade-offs in plain English.

Question 4

What's an API, and do I need one built?

Accepted Answer

An API is the set of endpoints your front-end, mobile app or another service calls to read and write data. You need one whenever something other than the database itself talks to your back-end: a web app fetching a user's orders, a mobile app logging someone in, or a partner pulling your stock levels. If you're building a product with both a website and an app, a clean API is what lets them share the same back-end instead of you building it twice.

Question 5

How long does back-end development take?

Accepted Answer

A small API with a database and a few endpoints can be stood up in 2 to 4 weeks. A full back-end for a product with accounts, payments, roles and third-party integrations usually runs 2 to 5 months for a first working version. The slow parts are usually the edge cases (what happens when a payment fails, how refunds work, who can see what), so nail those rules down in the brief before the build starts.

Question 6

Can I use a no-code or off-the-shelf back-end instead?

Accepted Answer

Often, yes, and it's a smart way to start. Tools like Supabase, Firebase, Xano and Airtable give you a database, authentication and APIs without writing the plumbing yourself, which is plenty for an early product or an internal tool. The catch comes when you need custom logic, heavy data, tight performance or full control, where managed tools get expensive or hit a wall. A common path is to start on a managed back-end, then have a developer build out the custom parts once the business case is proven.

Question 7

How do I know the back-end is secure and will scale?

Accepted Answer

Ask how they handle the basics: passwords hashed not stored, data validated on the server, secrets kept out of the code, and access locked down so users only see their own records. For load, the questions are whether the database is indexed sensibly and whether the work can grow without a rewrite. You don't need to understand the answers in detail, but a good developer can explain them plainly, and that explanation tells you a lot.

Question 8

Who owns the code when the gig is done?

Accepted Answer

You do. The code, the repository, the database, the server or hosting account and any third-party logins (Stripe, analytics, email) should all sit in your name at handover, along with a doc on how to run and deploy it. Write that into the gig brief before work starts. On Unjumble, handover is a standard stage you sign off, or raise an issue on, before the final payment goes out.

Question 9

How much does back-end development cost in Adelaide?

Accepted Answer

Freelance back-end developers in Adelaide typically charge $95 to $190 an hour, depending on experience and specialty. Priced by scope, a small API with a database often lands around $3,000 to $8,000, while a full back-end with accounts, payments and integrations can run $10,000 to $30,000 or more. Get a fixed quote against a written scope where you can.

Question 10

How do I choose a good back-end developer?

Accepted Answer

Look for someone who's shipped products like yours and can point to live ones that handle real data and traffic. Match their stack to your needs, ask how they handle security, testing, deployment and backups, and confirm the handover includes documentation and a clean repository. Read their verified reviews on Unjumble for whether past businesses actually got a maintainable build. A short chat about your requirements tells you fast whether they get it.

Question 11

How does posting a back-end development gig on Unjumble work?

Accepted Answer

Post a back-end development gig in 60 seconds. Describe the work, set your budget and timeframe, and choose whether it is time-based or outcome-based. Local freelancers send a bid with a quote, you compare their profiles, portfolios and reviews, then pick the one that fits. Posting a gig is free. When you accept a bid, each stage is the freelancer's price, plus GST if they're registered, plus our 5% platform fee (worked out on the price before GST, GST included). A $1,000 stage from a GST-registered freelancer comes to $1,150.

Question 12

How do payments work for a back-end development gig on Unjumble?

Accepted Answer

Every gig runs on a payment schedule you both agree on up front, and every payment runs through Stripe. On an outcome-based gig each stage is charged before the work starts and held by Unjumble until sign-off, or until it pays out on its own 14 days after it's submitted. On a time-based gig you're charged for each month as it starts, and it pays out when the next month starts unless you raise an issue.

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