TLS & Certificates

Encrypting connections and proving who you're talking to.

Backend Engineer track

Junior

Write correct code, ship small changes safely, ask good questions.

Let's EncryptA free, automated certificate authority.
TLS CertificateA file proving a server controls a domain, signed by a trusted authority.

Mid-level

Own a feature end to end without hand-holding.

Core: start here

TLSThe protocol that encrypts and authenticates network connections.

4 more mid-level concepts

Certificate AuthorityAn organization trusted to sign certificates.
Certificate ExpiryExpired certificates as a classic cause of outages, and automating renewal.
Self-Signed CertificateA certificate not signed by a trusted authority, used in development.
TLS TerminationDecrypting TLS at a load balancer or proxy in front of your app.

Senior

Own a system, its failure modes, and its trade-offs.

Certificate ChainLeaf, intermediate and root certificates linking to a trusted root.
SNITelling the server which hostname you want during the TLS handshake.
TLS HandshakeHow client and server agree on keys before sending data.

Staff

Shape how many teams build, across systems.

Nothing here yet.

Principal

Set technical direction for the organization.

Nothing here yet.

Data Engineer track

Junior

Build and fix pipelines from clear specs; write correct SQL.

Let's EncryptA free, automated certificate authority.
TLS CertificateA file proving a server controls a domain, signed by a trusted authority.

Mid-level

Own pipelines and models end to end, including their quality.

Certificate AuthorityAn organization trusted to sign certificates.
Certificate ExpiryExpired certificates as a classic cause of outages, and automating renewal.
Self-Signed CertificateA certificate not signed by a trusted authority, used in development.
TLSThe protocol that encrypts and authenticates network connections.

Senior

Design the platform's storage, processing and modeling choices.

Certificate ChainLeaf, intermediate and root certificates linking to a trusted root.
TLS HandshakeHow client and server agree on keys before sending data.

Staff

Shape how the whole organization produces and uses data.

Nothing here yet.

Principal

Set data strategy and architecture across the company.

Nothing here yet.

Frontend Engineer track

Junior

Build UI that works, ship small changes safely, ask good questions.

Let's EncryptA free, automated certificate authority.
TLS CertificateA file proving a server controls a domain, signed by a trusted authority.

Mid-level

Own a feature end to end without hand-holding.

Certificate AuthorityAn organization trusted to sign certificates.
Certificate ExpiryExpired certificates as a classic cause of outages, and automating renewal.
Self-Signed CertificateA certificate not signed by a trusted authority, used in development.
TLSThe protocol that encrypts and authenticates network connections.

Senior

Own an app's architecture, performance, and failure modes.

Certificate ChainLeaf, intermediate and root certificates linking to a trusted root.
TLS HandshakeHow client and server agree on keys before sending data.

Staff

Shape how many teams build, across apps.

Nothing here yet.

Principal

Set technical direction for the organization.

Nothing here yet.