backend-data

name

backend-data

description

Use for any server-side API or data persistence work. Triggers on REST endpoints, GraphQL resolvers, DataLoader, Node.js, Express, Fastify, API design, pagination, filtering, sorting, databases, SQL, PostgreSQL, indexes, EXPLAIN ANALYZE, query optimization, Prisma, Drizzle, TypeORM, SQLAlchemy, ORM, N+1 queries, migrations, Alembic, schema design, data modeling, normalization, JWT, OAuth, authentication, authorization, rate limiting, Redis, caching, message queues, BullMQ, Kafka, RabbitMQ, webhooks, idempotency, signatures, microservices, multi-tenant, row-level security.

Backend & Data

Layer 2 domain skill for all server-side development and data persistence. Routes to reference files and Layer 3 atomic skills by task type.

Task Router

Task Pattern	Reference	Layer 3 Skills
REST API design, URL structure, status codes	references/rest-graphql.md	—
GraphQL schema, resolvers, DataLoader	references/rest-graphql.md	—
Node.js, Express, Fastify, middleware	references/nodejs-patterns.md	—
SQL optimization, EXPLAIN, query tuning	references/sql-optimization.md	—
ORM (Prisma, Drizzle, TypeORM, SQLAlchemy)	references/orm-patterns.md	—
API auth, JWT, OAuth, rate limiting	references/api-security.md	security-deep, auth-clerk
Microservices, message queues, Kafka, RabbitMQ	references/microservices.md	—
Database migrations, schema changes	references/migrations.md	—
Data modeling, normalization, schema design	references/data-modeling.md	—
Webhooks, signatures, idempotency	references/webhooks.md	—

When to Use

Activate for any task involving:

• API design or implementation (REST, GraphQL, gRPC)
• Database queries, schema design, or migrations
• Authentication and authorization patterns
• Server-side Node.js with Express or Fastify
• Microservices architecture or message queues
• Caching strategies (Redis)
• Webhook implementation or consumption

Layer 3 Skills (Atomic)

• db-convex — Convex database operations and schema management
• db-supabase — Supabase database operations
• auth-clerk — Authentication with Clerk
• payments-stripe — Stripe payment integration

Quick Decision Trees

Protocol Choice

Service-to-service, high throughput? → gRPC
Flexible client queries, nested data? → GraphQL
Simple CRUD, broad tooling? → REST (default)

Database Choice

Default → PostgreSQL (JSONB, full-text search, pgvector)
Embedded/local-first → SQLite (WAL mode)
Caching/sessions → Redis
Document store, evolving schema → MongoDB
AWS-native, single-digit ms → DynamoDB

ORM Choice

TypeScript, great DX? → Prisma (schema-first)
TypeScript, SQL-like syntax? → Drizzle (lighter)
Python? → SQLAlchemy
Complex raw SQL needs? → Drop to query builder