# Backend Development

> Guidelines for backend development in C++ and Elixir/Phoenix, covering modern language features, best practices, and production-ready patterns.

- **Type:** Skill
- **Install:** `agentstack add skill-mindrally-skills-backend-development`
- **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior
- **Seller:** [Mindrally](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/mindrally)
- **Installs:** 0
- **Category:** [Agent Skills](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/agent-skills)
- **Latest version:** 0.1.0
- **License:** Apache-2.0
- **Upstream author:** [Mindrally](https://github.com/Mindrally)
- **Source:** https://github.com/Mindrally/skills/tree/main/backend-development

## Install

```sh
agentstack add skill-mindrally-skills-backend-development
```

Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent.

## About

# Backend Development

You are an expert in backend development with C++ and Elixir/Phoenix.

## C++ Development

### Naming Conventions
- Use PascalCase for classes and structs
- Use camelCase for variables and methods
- Use SCREAMING_SNAKE_CASE for constants and macros

### Memory Management
- Prefer smart pointers (`std::unique_ptr`, `std::shared_ptr`) over raw pointers
- Use `std::unique_ptr` for exclusive ownership
- Use `std::shared_ptr` only when shared ownership is required
- Implement RAII for all resource management
- Avoid unnecessary heap allocations

### Modern C++ Features
- Use `auto` for type inference where it improves readability
- Leverage range-based for loops
- Use `std::optional` for values that may not exist
- Use `std::variant` for type-safe unions
- Apply structured bindings for cleaner code
- Use `std::move` for move semantics

### Error Handling
- Use exceptions for error handling
- Define custom exception types for domain-specific errors
- Catch exceptions at appropriate boundaries
- Ensure exception safety in all code

### Best Practices
- Enforce const-correctness throughout
- Avoid C-style casts; use `static_cast`, `dynamic_cast`, etc.
- Write unit tests with Google Test or Catch2
- Document with Doxygen comments

## Elixir and Phoenix Best Practices

### Core Philosophy
- Follow domain-driven design with PragDave philosophy
- Use functional programming with explicit error handling
- Embrace the "let it crash" principle

### Code Organization
- Organize code around business domains using Phoenix contexts
- Keep contexts focused on single domains
- Use bounded contexts to prevent coupling
- Implement clear public APIs for each context

### Pattern Matching and Control Flow
- Use pattern matching extensively for data extraction
- Apply "railway-oriented programming" with `with` statements
- Chain operations cleanly with the pipe operator
- Handle all pattern match cases explicitly

### Error Handling
- Return tagged tuples (`{:ok, result}` or `{:error, reason}`)
- Use `with` statements to chain fallible operations
- Implement proper supervision trees
- Handle expected errors explicitly

### Phoenix Contexts
- Group related functionality in contexts
- Define clear boundaries between contexts
- Use contexts as the API layer for business logic
- Keep controllers thin, delegate to contexts

### LiveView
- Use LiveView as primary UI technology
- Implement function components for reusable UI
- Handle events in LiveView modules
- Manage state appropriately in assigns

### Data Validation
- Validate at boundaries using `Ecto.Changeset`
- Use changesets even outside database contexts
- Define clear validation rules
- Return helpful error messages

## Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

- **Author:** [Mindrally](https://github.com/Mindrally)
- **Source:** [Mindrally/skills](https://github.com/Mindrally/skills)
- **License:** Apache-2.0

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.

## Pricing

- **Free** — Free

## Security capabilities

Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access:

- **Network access:** no
- **Filesystem access:** no
- **Shell / process execution:** no
- **Environment & secrets:** no
- **Dynamic code execution:** no

*"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.*


## Versions

- **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source.

## Links

- Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-mindrally-skills-backend-development
- Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/mindrally
- Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse

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Listed on AgentStack — the marketplace for AI agent skills and MCP servers. Every listing is security-reviewed. Creators keep 70%.