Web Development Stacks You Should Consider in 2022
Introduction
If you have an idea for a project and want to make it from scratch, you will have to choose a tech stack. It is important to evaluate which tech stack to choose right from the start because it will be difficult to change it later if the choice is wrong.
What is a tech stack?
A tech stack is a set of all technologies or combinations of technologies that will be used in your project. Each technology has its advantages and disadvantages, so it is important to assess which tech stack best suits your project.
The tech stack can be divided into three parts:
- Front-end
- Back-end
- APIs
Front-end as client-side programming, back-end as server-side programming, and API tools to connect front-end and back-end, most often these are third-party services that are required to be included in your application.
To fully understand web development tech stacks, we must first understand the basic division of web developers. There are three types of web developers:
- Front-end developer
- Back-end developer
- Full-stack developer
Front-end
Front-end developers are responsible for the appearance and behavior of the application itself within the user browser. As mentioned earlier, there is a front-end tech stack that applies to front-end developers.
When choosing a front-end it will most often be HTML and CSS followed by the JavaScript programming language as it is the most popular. You will also need a CSS framework. Bootstrap is the most popular and most used. After that, the choice falls on JavaScript frameworks, whether it will be React, Angular, or Vue. If you are interested in what is the difference and which one to choose from these three, we have a special article dedicated to it – JavaScript Front-end Frameworks in 2021 – Angular VS React VS Vue.
Back-end
Back-end developers are responsible for the server-side including databases. Everything that the user will not see because everything takes place in the background. Just as we have a front-end tech stack that applies to front-end developers, so we have a back-end tech stack that applies to back-end developers.
When choosing a back-end the choice is a little more difficult as there are more different options. It all starts with which programming language you choose for the back-end.
These are the most commonly used combinations:
- Python as a programming language and Django as a back-end framework
- Node.js as JavaScript runtime and Express.js as a back-end framework
- PHP as a programming language and Laravel as a back-end framework
It is also necessary to choose the database that will be used in combination with the back-end programming language. The choice falls on one of the following three:
- MySQL
- PostgreSQL
- MongoDB
MySQL is the most popular but again the choice depends on the requirements of the project.
Full-stack
Full-stack developers take care of both. These are usually more experienced developers who have worked many times as front-end and back-end developers and are equally familiar with all the necessary technologies. Since the full-stack includes all technologies there are already well-known tech stacks that have been tested and are widely used:
- LAMP
- MEAN / MERN / MEVN
- PERN
- Flutter
- Serverless
LAMP
LAMP is one of the oldest tech stacks in web development and represents an industry standard. The stack includes the following technologies:
- Linux (operating system)
- Apache (HTTP server)
- MySQL (relational database)
- PHP (back-end programming language)
LAMP is also the first open-source tech stack in the world. What makes it an industry standard is precisely that it is open-source and free. In addition, it provides stability and ease for developing new web applications.
WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Shopify, and many other platforms were created using the LAMP tech stack.
Another advantage is that the components of the LAMP tech stack can be changed. Instead of Linux, you can use Windows operating system (WAMP) or macOS (MAMP), also as a back-end programming language instead of PHP, you can use Perl or Python.
The LAMP tech stack is more back-end however with a combination of HTML, CSS, and some CSS framework it becomes a full-stack tech stack. Although LAMP is an older tech stack, it is still a great choice in 2022.
MEAN
MEAN is another tech stack in wide use as well as LAMP. It consists of the following technologies:
- MongoDB (NoSQL database)
- Express.js (back-end framework)
- Angular (front-end framework)
- Node.js (open-source cross-platform server)
MEAN is also a free and open-source tech stack. The JavaScript programming language is used for both front-end and back-end which gives it a slight advantage over the LAMP tech stack.
This is one complete full-stack tech stack that allows you to quickly build web applications. Since JavaScript is used for front-end and back-end, there is always the possibility to reuse the code. Stack comes with its web server which makes it easy to set up and a great choice for cloud hosting.
Due to its advantages, MEAN is the most popular and best full-stack tech stack in 2022.
MERN
MERN tech stack is almost identical to MEAN, the only difference is that React for front-end is used instead of Angular. The technologies are as follows:
- MongoDB (NoSQL database)
- Express.js (back-end framework)
- React (JavaScript library for creating front-end interfaces)
- Node.js (open-source cross-platform server)
The only advantage is the use of React and the inclusion of various libraries. Netflix and Uber were created using the MERN tech stack.
MERN is the second most popular full-stack tech stack in 2022.
MEVN
The MEVN tech stack is another in a series of MEAN modified stacks that use the Vue front-end framework instead of Angular. The technologies used are as follows:
- MongoDB (NoSQL database)
- Express.js (back-end framework)
- Vue (front-end framework)
- Node.js (open-source cross-platform server)
Vue is easy to learn and offers good performance for web applications. It has gained in popularity in the last few years, but it is still not at the level of Angular and React.
MEVN uses the MVC (Model View Controller) software design pattern to create web applications. Vue can be expanded using additional third-party services. Also one of the advantages over Angular and React is that the Vue is lightweight and takes up significantly less space.
MEVN is not used as much as MEAN and MERN but its popularity is constantly growing and has a very strong community. That means it could soon become like MEAN and MERN tech stacks.
PERN
The PERN tech stack is another popular stack. Includes the following technologies:
- PostgreSQL (object-relational database)
- Express.js (back-end framework)
- React (JavaScript library for creating front-end interfaces)
- Node.js (open-source cross-platform server)
PERN allows the creation of full-stack web applications with CRUD operations. PERN is like MEAN and MERN but uses PostgreSQL database instead of MongoDB.
If you need a relational database instead of NoSQL for the project then you can use PERN tech stack instead of MEAN or MERN. As of PostgreSQL gains in popularity over MongoDB, the PERN tech stack has the potential to become the most popular.
Flutter
Flutter is a free and open-source UI software development kit or front-end framework for cross-platform development. It is possible to develop mobile, web, desktop, and embedded applications from a single codebase. It is most commonly used to build native mobile applications (Android and iOS).
Flutter uses:
- Dart (front-end programming language)
Flutter is very flexible and can use the Backendless SDK for the back-end. However, any back-end programming language can be used for the back-end.
Although Flutter is still fairly new with limited resources, its features are excellent and make the development process very fast. When it comes to cross-platform development, Flutter as a tech stack takes first place.
Serverless
Serverless is a cloud-native development model that allows you to create and run applications and services without thinking about servers. The Serverless tech stack has made it easier to manage infrastructure by providing a variety of services and tools. We will not list the technologies that can be used, as almost all front-end and back-end technologies can be used in the Serverless tech stack.
The main advantage of this approach is in scaling. The application will behave the same whether it has thousands of users at once or only a few.
The first Serverless platforms were AWS Lambda and Google Cloud. Such platforms are also responsible for security updates on the server. Another great advantage is that these platforms are cost-effective, developers will be charged only for the amount of space they used on the server.
With a Serverless stack, you can easily develop and host full-stack web applications that will be automatically scalable. A Serverless tech stack is certainly something you should keep in mind or give a chance.
Conclusion
Choosing a tech stack for your project can be a difficult task especially if you are not familiar with the technologies because it will have a big impact on how effective your application will be.
Each project has unique requirements that can be met by a specific tech stack. Of course, in addition to all the above, you can always put together your tech stack according to what you intend to do. To choose a tech stack, you should also choose technologies that you know best. If the project will be developed in the team, the tech stack will depend on the team. You should also consider the cost of maintaining the application after it is completed as well as the cost of starting it.
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