Course Overview
This hands-on course provides an in-depth exploration of server-side web application development, focusing on industry standard best practices, scalability, and security. Participants will develop sophisticated web applications using modern architectural patterns, while gaining experience with the Go and PHP programming languages. COMP 4015 emphasizes secure development practices, database integration with PostgreSQL, and the foundations that underpin robust web application design. Labs and exercises include building scalable, secure, and maintainable server-side applications. There is an emphasis on the broader ecosystem of web application development technologies and long-term scalability strategies. COMP 4015 replaces COMP 3015 as an elective in the Applied Web Development (AWD), and as a required course in the Web and Mobile Application Development (WMA) Associate Certificates, and the CST FLEX Diploma. Upon successful completion, students will be able to develop secure, scalable, commercial quality server-side web applications.
Credits
3.0
Registration requirements
Departmental approval is required to register for this course. You must have approval from the department to register. Students accepted into a program can register directly.
Domestic fees
$576.74
International fees are typically 3.4 times the domestic tuition. Exact cost will be calculated upon completion of registration.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Build industry standard database-driven applications with a focus on security and scalability.
- Identify and mitigate common web vulnerabilities such as Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF), and SQL injection.
- Follow industry standard best practices for using cryptographic password hashing functions.
- Configure and use industry-standard debugging tools for server-side applications.
- Understand architectural patterns for load balancing, horizontal scalability, and queuing.
- Apply typical Git workflows including branching strategies and pull requests.
- Understand deployment strategies including blue-green deployments and rolling updates.
- Analyse and compare server-side execution environments (e.g. PHP-FPM with Nginx, Goroutines) and their implications for performance and scalability.
- Design and implement RESTful Web APIs following industry standards and best practices.
- Develop comprehensive test suites with CI/CD pipeline integration and code coverage analysis.
- Analyse reliability and correctness challenges in server-side web applications including race conditions, retries, idempotency, and timeouts.
Effective as of Spring/Summer 2026
Related Programs
Advanced Web Application Development (COMP 4015) is offered as a part of the following programs:
- Indicates programs accepting international students.
- Indicates programs eligible for students to apply for Post-graduation Work Permit (PGWP).
School of Computing and Academic Studies
- Applied Web Development
Associate Certificate Part-time
- Computer Systems
Diploma Part-time
- Web and Mobile Application Development
Associate Certificate Part-time
Course Offerings
Fall 2026
Below is one offering of COMP 4015 for the Fall 2026 term.
CRN 52733
Dates
Sep 14 - Dec 07 Loading
- CRN 52733
- $576.74 Domestic fees
Class meeting times
Duration
12 weeks
Instructor
Christian Fenn
Course outline
Course outline TBD — see Learning Outcomes in the interim.
Important information
- Important course information will be sent to you prior to your course start date. Check your myBCIT email account to access this information.
- Please email cstflex@bcit.ca for Departmental approval. Include your Student number (A0#) and COMP__ and preferred CRN __ and Program Declaration____. This course is delivered online synchronously with exams on-campus. The course is 36 hours. Final Exam: December 7, 1830-2130 at DTC Room 370. Please Note: Attendance, participation in class and the BCIT Learning Hub are mandatory. You should prepare to spend 2-3 hours on homework for every 1 hour of class time. This course may require an average total time commitment of 9-12+ hours per week. 3 hours of synchronous class time and 6-9+ hours per week for homework. Late registration is not permitted. BCIT Computing is primarily a Microsoft Windows environment. Students must provide their own current model Windows-compatible PC with microphone and video camera. i5 or higher equivalent processor, with 8 GB of RAM minimum, and 256 GB minimum storage. Highspeed internet access is needed for online sections and for homework. Mac users must have the ability to manage and support their iOS computer. They may need to create a virtual Windows environment using Parallels or VMWare Fusion. COMP instructors may not be able to assist Mac users with software compatibility issues. BCIT does not provide access to Parallels or support for students to use a Mac to run Windows. No class October 12 (Thanksgiving).
Confirmation
Required
To proceed with registration and add this course to the cart, please confirm:
No approval yet? Request approval You must have approval from the department to register. Students accepted into a program can register directly.
Status
If you have any questions about this course, please contact us.
Programs and courses are subject to change without notice. Find out more about BCIT course cancellations.