Hire backend developers who can run it.
Writing the endpoint is half the job. Candidates take a service that will not talk to its database, or a monolith that has to be split, and make it work in an isolated cloud environment. What comes back is a system that runs, or does not.
$ docker compose up -d
3 services started
$ systemctl status api
active (running)
$ curl -s localhost:8080/health
{"status":"ok"}
Live environment
Running- vmlab-vm-01Ready
- svcapi-serverReady
- lbgatewayProvisioning
2h 12m left of the 3h limit
A backend interview rarely touches a running backend
Without Scalyz
With Scalyz
What is at stake
The endpoint that compiles is not the one that stays up
Backend work is judged in production, not in a pull request. The gap between code that looks right and a system that holds is where a wrong hire shows.
Where it shows
Under load, not in review
Code that reads cleanly can still fall over when it has to connect, migrate, and answer at the same time. That is the part you are hiring for.
What a puzzle misses
The real failure
Reversing a binary tree does not tell you who can bring a dead service back. The job is the second thing.
What you need to see
It runs at the end
Not a description of how they would fix it. Whether, given a broken system, they actually did.
Live in an afternoon
Three steps from the job post to a shortlist you can defend, with no screening calls.
Backend hiring, July
Open
6 invited · 4 completed
Closes Friday, 18:00
Invite the whole list at once
You pick the test and the deadline, then send your whole applicant list at once, by email, CSV, or a shareable link.
Live environment
Running- vmlab-vm-01Ready
- svcapi-serverReady
- lbgatewayProvisioning
2h 12m left of the 3h limit
Candidates work when it suits them
Each candidate gets their own machine, a real one, with a real task already loaded.
Camille Durand
DevOps assessment
No integrity flags
The shortlist ranks itself
Scoring runs automatically against the task you set, so the ranking builds as candidates finish.
$ docker compose up -d
3 services started
$ systemctl status api
active (running)
$ curl -s localhost:8080/health
{"status":"ok"}
Mission
3h limitShip it behind a load balancer
- Set up the web server
- Deploy the API service
- Route traffic through the load balancer
- Prove the health checks pass
2 of 4 complete
Real services that have to come back up
The published missions here are systems, not puzzles: a Node and Postgres stack that will not connect, and a monolith that has to be split into services. Each runs in a real environment and is scored on what the system does at the end. These test the backend that has to run in production, not algorithm trivia.
- Every mission runs in an isolated cloud environment, one per candidate
- Scored automatically on what the system does at the end, not on an answer
- You can import your own scenario as a .zip and run it yourself before you send it
The published missions for this role
The questions we get
Straight answers on how the tests, the scoring and the credits actually work.
What is a Scalyz lab, exactly?
A real virtual machine with a real mission, not a quiz. The candidate works with the same tools they'd use on the job, and the session is recorded so you can review the evidence later.
Who scores it?
Automatically. The checks run against what the candidate delivered, and you get a report broken down skill by skill, so no one on your team grades a thing by hand.
Can they cheat with AI?
A chatbot can suggest commands, but it can't run a live system for the candidate. The mission has to be done on the machine itself, and any cheating signals come with context, so you can judge them yourself.
What do I pay?
In credits: one per candidate. A credit is reserved when you send an invitation and released if it expires unused. You pay per candidate tested, never per user.
Can I bring my own exercise?
Yes. Upload your files as a .zip, rename the mission to match your role, and run it yourself for one credit first. What you tested is exactly what candidates get.
What is it like for candidates?
On their own time. They start when it suits them, work with real tools on a real machine, and finish in one sitting. It runs in English and French.
Test the backend that has to run
Book a demo and we will run one of these missions on your own open role.
One credit per candidate, reserved on send, released on expiry
