Tech Stack: Choose your Stack Wisely!

The rising need for technological solutions makes one aspect clear—choosing the right tech stack is more imperative than ever. Why? Well, when developing software for your startup and business, technology stacks are a necessary element! So along with planning your budget, time, and effort, choosing a technology stack correctly to kick off your project successfully and on the right foot is crucial.

In this blog, we will show you what tech stack should you choose, why you need to choose one, what popular tech stacks exist, and more!

What is a Technical Stack?

So first things first! What is a technical stack? A Tech Stack is a set of technologies to develop websites or applications, it’s also called technology infrastructure or solutions stack. Choosing the right tech stack is so much more essential for accomplishing any project in time, wisely, and successfully. It has an impact on the design, functionality, and future scalability of a website or application in many ways. So, before starting a project, it's crucial to take the time to research and analyze different options when it comes to choosing a tech stack. If you're wondering "what is tech stack mean?" This article will explain the components and models of the technology stack and a bit about the trendy tech stacks.


 

The Importance of Choosing the Right Tech Stack

Choosing tech stack wisely matters so much! The importance of choosing the right tech stack is so great that it determines the performance, scalability, and maintainability of an application or website. A horribly chosen tech stack can lead to delayed development, higher expenses, security flaws, and difficulties in hiring qualified developers. In contrast, the right tech stack can improve development effectiveness, improve the application's performance and security, and make it simpler to manage and upgrade.

Components of Tech Stack

There are three components of Tech Stack. The tech stack components include: 

Frontend – client-side that interacts with the users

This includes the technologies used to develop the user interface of an application or website, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue.

Backend – server-side that interacts with the database

This includes the technologies used to develop the server side of an application or website, such as programming languages like Node.js, Python, and Ruby, and frameworks like Django and Ruby on Rails.

Database – that store and maintain data for the user

This includes both front-end and back-end technologies, such as MERN (MongoDB, Express, React, and Node.js), MEAN (MongoDB, Express, Angular, and Node.js), and LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP).

Individual components of Tech Stack:

When it comes to software development, there are individual components of tech stack that work together to build an application or website. Two of the most important components of a tech stack are the language and the framework.

• Language – used to write a program or set of instructions for computers
• Framework – a collection of libraries to quickly get started with all the basics

After getting an idea about the most common and useful stacks, you can better decide which languages and frameworks you should be learning as a developer and what should you decide for your next application or website.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Tech Stack

There are vital factors to consider when choosing a tech stack:

Project requirements: The tech stack should align with the specific requirements of the project, such as the expected traffic, functionality, and performance.

Scalability: The tech stack should be scalable, allowing the application or website to handle increasing amounts of traffic and data.

Security: The tech stack should be secure and provide protection against potential security threats and vulnerabilities.

Community support: The tech stack should have a large and active community of developers who can provide support and contribute to its development.

Learning curve: The tech stack should have a manageable learning curve for developers who will be working on the project.

Now that you know which elements to consider when choosing tech stack, let’s learn about tech stacks model. 

Tech Stacks Model:

When it comes to tech stacks model, there are the top tech stacks to consider:

• MEAN Stack: MongoDB for NoSQL database, Express.js backend web framework, Angular.js frontend framework, Node.js server-side JavaScript
• MERN Stack: MongoDB for NoSQL database, Express.js backend web framework, React.js frontend framework, Node.js server-side JavaScript
• MEVN Stack: MongoDB for NoSQL database, Express.js backend web framework, Vue.js frontend framework, Node.js server-side JavaScript
• LAMP Stack: Linux for the operating system, Apache for the HTTP server, MySQL for Database, PHP
• Ruby on Rails: RoR, allows the use of default structures for database management and web pages
• Flutter: Flutter is highly optimized for app development and it’s using Dart as the development language. It belongs to the Cross-Platform Mobile Development category of technology stack tools. It isn’t considered a whole technology stack.
• Serverless Stack: Because developers should not have to deal with considerable administrative complexity, serverless is one of today’s best solutions.
• JAM Stack: The young star, a new frontend stack that stands for JavaScript, API, and Markup. It’s a type of serverless as well, but this time it’s applied to websites and web applications only. We will explain a bit more about this:

JAM Stack

Wondering what is JAM Stack? 

This young star is a new frontend stack that stands for JavaScript, API, and Markup(JAM). 

“A modern web development architecture based on client-side JavaScript, reusable APIs, and prebuilt Markup” — Mathias Biilmann (CEO & Co-founder of Netlify).

Jamstack and Headless Content Management System are linked because Jamstack sites can be controlled by Headless Content Management System. Visit these pages to obtain a general concept of the JAMstack:

https://jamstack.wtf/

https://jamstack.org/

Examples of Companies and their Tech Stacks

Ever thought about what tech stack do companies use? Well, here are some examples of companies and their tech stacks:

• Facebook: Facebook's tech stack includes React, GraphQL, and Node.js for front-end and back-end development.
• Netflix: Netflix's tech stack includes JavaScript, Node.js, and React for front-end and back-end development.
• Airbnb: Airbnb's tech stack includes React, Ruby on Rails, and Node.js for front-end and back-end development.

In any case, each tech stack has its own set of advantages, even if some of them are very new yet equally effective. Finally, what tech stack you choose is determined by a number of elements as well as personal preferences. Choosing the right tech stack is critical for the success of any software development project so it’s crucial to weigh your options and choose wisely. 

Opting for the right tech stack is crucial for the success of your software project. If you're unsure about which tech stack to choose, our AWS cloud consulting experts are here to help. We have extensive experience working with a variety of technologies and can provide you with tailored recommendations based on your project requirements and goals.