Popular Tech Stacks Used By Software Development Service Providers To Rule The Industry!
Table of Content
1. What is a technology stack?
2. Why do you want a tech stack to build your application?
2.1 The MEAN Stack
2.2 MERN
2.4 Serverless
2.5 LAMP
3. Important considerations about the technology stack in 2020
4. Conclusion
If you are thinking about developing web and mobile apps for your company then you should have a basic understanding of the development tools used to create them. Sometimes, the requirements can be fulfilled or ideas can be shaped using just one technology framework but as the digital age makes advancements, more and more complicated yet innovative solutions are seen implied around the world. And most of the time, one framework isn’t enough to meet all your business needs. A technology stack affects the development process, cost, scalability, and many more aspects related to your web application.
But to find the right pick for your next web or mobile app development project can be time-consuming. So, to help you a little, I have compiled a list of top technology stacks in this article. It might pique your interest to know that these tools are effectively used by tech giants like Airbnb, Netflix, and more.
What is a technology stack?
A technology stack or software stack or development stack whatever you know it as is a data ecosystem that offers various tools, technology frameworks, and libraries to build and run software applications. For example, the Facebook app is built using a development stack that includes frameworks like PHP, React, GraphQL, Cassandra, Hadoop, Swift, and more.
Tech Stack can be classified into two parts — client-side and server-side or as they are popularly known as frontend and backend. Here, frontend technologies include HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and UI frameworks and libraries. And backend technologies include programming languages, servers, operating systems, and web frameworks.
Why do you want a tech stack to build your application?
For the applications, computer stacks are their deep foundations and girders. You can get a competitive advantage in the market depending upon which type of tech stack you choose for the development project. The software stack you choose for developing your web app is here to stay forever as it affects the following aspects of your application -
- How well your app works
- How it will work in the future
- Your product’s scalability
- The aim of the project/business
- Your choice of data and storage of applications (Cloud or Local)
- Power of your server systems (whether for high-reading or high-write operations)
The IT industry is constantly evolving as new technology trends come and go in the blink of an eye so it is also necessary for you and your company to adapt to the latest software standards and technology trends of the markets.
Draw out the pros and cons of the development stacks and see what can work for you. Which framework stack can fulfil all your business needs. Using these stacks, you should also learn to design the product while mitigating all the risks that come with it. Now, let us have the look at the list of popular tech stacks -
1. The MEAN Stack
MEAN is one of the most widely used technology stacks in recent times. It consists of frameworks like MongoDB, Express.js, AngularJS, and Node.js. It is an end-to-end JavaScript tech stack as it uses only one language throughout the entire stack. This allows you to reuse your application code and you won’t have to re-invent similar components again and again for every app you build.
Sponsored by a thriving online community of developers, the biggest benefit of using MEAN is that it is one of the free, open-source tech stacks. It is adaptable, scalable, and extensible which makes MEAN ideal for cloud hosting purposes. Having its web server, you can easily deploy this tech stack. You can also scale up the MEAN database when you are facing temporary user spikes.
A team of JavaScript developers can work with an agile approach thanks to the MEAN tech stack. Although this is not ideal for all types of functions, the MEAN stack does come in handy during uses like news aggregation sites, calendars, mapping and location searches, and more.
2. MERN
There is no need to explain what MERN stack is as it is completely the same as the MEAN stack but with a minor change that instead of Angular.JS framework it uses React as its frontend programming language. Allow me to give you an overview of what this tech stack looks like -
- MongoDB as the database
- js as the backend development framework
- React library for building user interfaces
- js built on Chrome’s V8 that handles the server
In this tech stack, two programming languages are used — JavaScript and JSON. Both of them are used to build and manage everything from server-side to client-side back and forth.
With just a minor difference, MEAN and MERN stack are very much alike. And that’s why they are pitted against each other more often. Now, we have already looked at the advantages of using the MEAN tech stack so, let us get through the benefits of using the MERN stack.
- If you get stuck somewhere then the experts from its community can help you figure out how to get out of the mess without wasting any time.
- Four programming languages used in this stack are highly compatible with each other. And this would help you lower your expenses on your software development project.
- Using React means you have an opportunity for a full-stack. The React library makes it easy and fast for developers to come up with a very convenient user design.
Although there are many benefits of using it, there is one limitation — In MERN, Express.JS is a fully-fledged framework whereas React is just a library. So there will come a time when you may find yourself out of options but your extended family of fellow community developers will come to your aid.
3. The Stack of MEVN
Just like the above versions, this too is similar to MEAN but has a single difference where instead of Angular, Vue.JS is a front-end programming language. Though it is launched after the previous two tech stacks, somehow it has managed to gain enormous popularity recently. One of the reasons behind it can be believed as the VueJS framework is because it offers out-of-the-box features that can be very helpful in the software development process. Moreover, you can extend these features using third-party providers. VueJS is a perfect combination of the best of Angular and React so it ought to give you the best results and a vast pool of resources for software development.
4. Serverless
Serverless is the newly emerging technology of the IT industry. It completely disrupts the traditional form of development. It is a new idea that promotes software development without keeping your own server or making any special arrangements for it. Tech giants like Amazon Web Services and Google have already started offering their services for the same.
Let’s take Amazon for instance, it offers Amazon Lambda and Amazon EventBridge for the development and Amazon DynamoDB to protect your online database. Now, let us discuss some advantages of serverless.
- The best thing about opting for Serverless is that there is no bounds for your growth as the plans are specially devised to meet your requirements. You just pay for what you use and you will never have to deal with any shortages or unnecessary resources.
- When you use serverless, you will be using the best storage and processors available in the market. It might not be possible for you to deploy resources like TPUs and SSDs during the initial stages of web development on your own but if you opt for serverless then you sure can use these resources provided by Amazon and Google.
5. LAMP stack
LAMP is one of the most conventional tech stacks out there. It consists following set of tools:
- Linux
- Apache as the server
- MySQL as the database
- PHP as the backend language
But the most impressive thing about LAMP stack is that you can make changes or customize it as per your business requirements. So if you want to make WAMP, then change Linux with Windows and if you are working with MacOS then you can make it MAMP. you can also change your backend programming language from PHP to Pearl or Python which is a very rich framework with an extensive library. Python is becoming popular because it is very fast and adaptive. It’s built around C++ language and is very easy to learn and use.
Now let us have a look at the advantages of LAMP -
- There isn’t any chance that you might come across the problem using LAMP that hasn’t already been solved. Because this stack has been tried and tested and being used for many years now.
- LAMP has an open-source set of tools with a seasoned community of developers. By the way, all the tools are free for use.
- LAMP stack is agile and works very well with the web pages that have to be refreshed every now and then.
By being the longest time in the market, LAMP has become highly compatible with a wide range of platforms. It has become so successful that sometimes it defines the industry standards for software development. It has become a preference for other platforms like Wordpress that empowers more than 50% of the sites present on the internet.
Important considerations about the technology stack in 2020
Scalability
So, how does a tech stack define the scalability of any web application? Yes it is a base on which app is built and can be altered to get desired results but there are chances for improvements. But what kind of improvements in scalability do you need? Because there are two types of scalability — vertical and horizontal. Vertical scalability means adding more elements and data to an application whereas Horizontal scalability means the capability of running on more devices. So if you want your business to be effective and successful then you would need both kind of scalability.
Performance
The performance of the web app is defined in two ways. The first is at what level the app can fulfill the business requirements or the purpose for what it was built for. And second is what kind of tools and technologies it can handle under complicated situations. How fast the system can process the user request and how many requests it can process at a time are some of the factors that decide the requirements of the operating characteristics of your web application.
When you go out shopping for a tech stack it is important to consider operating characteristics requirements to make the right decision. Since your software must react to thousands of requests every second, considering performance seems the most reliable way to pick the right stack.
Costs
One of the most complex things about software and web development is budget. More than often it happens that the development costs occur beyond the predetermined budget. You never know what kind of challenge or setback you fall into so you must have a strong financial backup to get over with all the problems and then there is a long list of expenses including Hosting costs for keeping the product data, Developers’ salaries, Technology education & licensing fees, and Subsequent maintenance costs. So the solution here is that you need to balance things out and avoid overspending as much as possible.
Conclusion
Understanding the purpose and functionalities of various technology stacks is the first step towards software app development. Developing an app can take a few months or more. It demands thorough research and learning, not to mention the need to be highly skilled in coding and getting rid of any errors that arise.
But one more important aspect of software development is choosing the right framework and as we discussed if the requirements demand, you will need more than one technology. You might need a full-stack. When the right tech stack combines with the right talent, your project will be guided towards success and prosperity. You should choose both considering where you want to take your project in the meantime.
