Tech Careers• 14 min read

Software Engineer Resume Keywords: Complete 2025 List (150+ Terms)

The ultimate list of software engineering keywords that pass ATS and get you hired. Includes programming languages, frameworks, tools, and methodologies for every tech stack.

Tech recruiters scan for specific keywords in seconds. Miss the right terms and your resume gets filtered out—even if you're a perfect fit. This comprehensive guide covers 150+ software engineering keywords organized by category, skill level, and specialization.

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Core Programming Languages

These are the most searched keywords in software engineering resumes. Include the languages you actually know with proficiency context.

Backend Languages

PythonJavaC++C#GoRustPHPRubyKotlinScalaSwift

Frontend Languages

JavaScriptTypeScriptHTML5CSS3Sass/SCSSLessWebAssembly

Web Development Frameworks

Frontend Frameworks

React Ecosystem:

  • • React.js
  • • Next.js
  • • React Native
  • • Redux
  • • React Hooks
  • • Context API

Angular Ecosystem:

  • • Angular
  • • TypeScript
  • • RxJS
  • • NgRx

Other:

  • • Vue.js
  • • Svelte
  • • jQuery
  • • Ember.js

Backend Frameworks

Node.js:

  • • Express.js
  • • Nest.js
  • • Koa.js
  • • Fastify

Python:

  • • Django
  • • Flask
  • • FastAPI
  • • Pyramid

Other:

  • • Spring Boot (Java)
  • • Ruby on Rails
  • • ASP.NET (C#)
  • • Laravel (PHP)

Databases & Data Storage

SQL Databases

  • • PostgreSQL
  • • MySQL
  • • Microsoft SQL Server
  • • Oracle Database
  • • SQLite
  • • MariaDB

NoSQL Databases

  • • MongoDB
  • • Redis
  • • Cassandra
  • • DynamoDB
  • • Elasticsearch
  • • Neo4j

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Cloud Platforms & DevOps

Cloud Platforms

AWS:

  • • EC2
  • • S3
  • • Lambda
  • • RDS
  • • CloudFront
  • • ECS/EKS

Azure:

  • • Azure VMs
  • • Azure Functions
  • • Azure DevOps
  • • AKS

GCP:

  • • Compute Engine
  • • Cloud Functions
  • • GKE
  • • BigQuery

DevOps & CI/CD

DockerKubernetesJenkinsGitLab CIGitHub ActionsCircleCITravis CITerraformAnsibleChefPuppet

Version Control & Collaboration

Essential:

  • • Git
  • • GitHub
  • • GitLab
  • • Bitbucket
  • • Pull Requests/Merge Requests
  • • Code Review

Project Management:

  • • Jira
  • • Confluence
  • • Trello
  • • Asana
  • • Monday.com

Testing & Quality Assurance

Testing Types:

  • • Unit Testing
  • • Integration Testing
  • • E2E Testing
  • • TDD/BDD

Frameworks:

  • • Jest
  • • Mocha
  • • PyTest
  • • JUnit
  • • Selenium

Tools:

  • • Cypress
  • • Playwright
  • • Postman
  • • SonarQube

Methodologies & Best Practices

Development Methodologies

  • • Agile Development
  • • Scrum
  • • Kanban
  • • Waterfall
  • • DevOps
  • • Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)

Design Patterns & Architecture

  • • Microservices
  • • RESTful API
  • • GraphQL
  • • MVC Architecture
  • • SOLID Principles
  • • Design Patterns

Specialized Keywords by Role

Full-Stack Developer

MERN StackMEAN StackFull-Stack DevelopmentFrontend + BackendResponsive DesignAPI IntegrationDatabase DesignAuthenticationWebSocketsServer-Side Rendering

Backend/Systems Engineer

Distributed SystemsScalabilityLoad BalancingCachingMessage QueuesRabbitMQKafkaSystem DesignHigh AvailabilityPerformance Optimization

Mobile Developer

iOS DevelopmentAndroid DevelopmentSwiftKotlinReact NativeFlutterXamarinMobile UI/UXApp StoreGoogle PlayPush Notifications

ML/AI Engineer

Machine LearningDeep LearningTensorFlowPyTorchscikit-learnNeural NetworksNLPComputer VisionData ScienceFeature EngineeringModel Training

Soft Skills Keywords (Important!)

Don't neglect soft skills! ATS scans for these too, especially for senior positions.

  • • Team Collaboration
  • • Code Review
  • • Mentoring
  • • Technical Leadership
  • • Problem Solving
  • • Critical Thinking
  • • Communication
  • • Cross-functional Teams
  • • Project Management
  • • Agile Ceremonies
  • • Documentation
  • • Stakeholder Management

How to Use These Keywords Effectively

✅ DO: Use Keywords in Context

"Built RESTful APIs using Node.js and Express.js, serving 10M+ requests daily with 99.9% uptime. Implemented Redis caching to reduce response time by 60%."

✓ Contains 5 keywords (RESTful API, Node.js, Express.js, Redis, caching) with quantified results

❌ DON'T: List Keywords Without Context

"Skills: JavaScript, React, Node.js, Python, Django, Docker, Kubernetes, AWS, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, Redis..."

✗ Just a list with no proof of usage or achievement

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