Backend Intern

Round 1: Technical coding challenge (30 min) → Round 2: System design discussion (45 min) → Round 3: HR interview (30 min)

CodeChef fosters a collaborative, inclusive environment where ideas are valued over hierarchy. Engineers enjoy flexible work hours, a healthy work‑life balance, and frequent learning opportunities through internal tech talks and hackathons.

Candidates can expect a structured interview process: a quick coding test to assess algorithmic thinking, followed by a system design discussion that evaluates architectural knowledge, and a final HR round focusing on cultural fit and communication skills. The difficulty is moderate, with emphasis on clean code, edge‑case handling, and clear explanations.

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field. Minimum 70% aggregate or equivalent CGPA. Fresh graduates from 2025‑2027 batches are eligible. No backlog policy; however, candidates with a single backlog in the final year may be considered on a case‑by‑case basis.

CodeChef, founded in 2009, has grown into one of the world’s largest competitive programming platforms, hosting thousands of contests and nurturing a vibrant community of coders across India and beyond. The platform powers a suite of products that help learners sharpen algorithmic thinking, prepare for technical interviews, and build real-world software solutions. With a mission to democratise coding education, CodeChef has become a hub for aspiring developers, data scientists, and software engineers, offering a blend of online contests, tutorials, and community-driven projects. We are looking for a Backend Intern to join our Bangalore team for a 6‑month engagement, with the possibility of a full‑time offer based on performance. As a backend intern, you will collaborate with senior engineers to design, develop, and maintain scalable services that power CodeChef’s contest infrastructure, user management, and analytics pipelines. You will work on microservices written in Java and Python, expose RESTful APIs, and integrate with databases such as PostgreSQL and Redis. Your contributions will directly impact the experience of millions of users who rely on our platform for learning and competition. Key responsibilities include: 1. Designing and implementing REST APIs for contest creation and user management. 2. Writing clean, maintainable code following best practices. 3. Collaborating with frontend and data teams to deliver end‑to‑end features. 4. Optimising database queries and ensuring high performance under load. 5. Participating in code reviews and providing constructive feedback. 6. Writing unit and integration tests to guarantee reliability. 7. Deploying services to cloud environments (AWS) using CI/CD pipelines. 8. Monitoring application health and troubleshooting production issues. 9. Documenting APIs and internal design decisions. 10. Staying updated with emerging backend technologies. Tech stack: Java (Spring Boot), Python (FastAPI), SQL (PostgreSQL), NoSQL (Redis), Docker, Kubernetes, AWS (EC2, RDS, S3), Git, Jenkins. Growth path: Interns who demonstrate strong coding skills and a passion for scalable systems may be offered a full‑time backend developer role, with opportunities to move into senior engineering, tech lead, or product management tracks. Why join CodeChef? You’ll work in a fast‑paced, collaborative environment that values learning and innovation. The platform’s global reach means your work will touch millions of users, and you’ll have access to mentorship from seasoned engineers, regular tech talks, and a culture that encourages experimentation and continuous improvement.