Like building a house, you need several “building materials” and tools to build functional and visually appealing websites, mobile apps, and web apps. Amazon, Facebook, and Netflix are some of the biggest companies that leverage carefully chosen tech stacks to stand out.
Technology stacks are the lifeblood of software products and solutions. The tech stack you pick will impact the design, performance, functionality, and scalability of your mobile or web app.
To help you create a software product that users will enjoy, here’s an overview of tech stacks, the most popular ones for development, and the factors you should consider when choosing the best tech stack for your project.
Understanding Tech Stacks
A tech stack, also known as a technology or solutions stack, is a collection of tools, programming languages, frameworks, and technologies that work together to build and manage digital products or solutions.
It's called a stack because each component builds on top of another, forming a stack. Because the technologies at the bottom serve as the foundation, developers must pay close attention to the sequence in which they stack technologies.
Most tech stacks consist of frontend and backend technologies. The front end is the actual environment where your users will interact, while the back end includes the server, application, and database.
Why Tech Stacks Matter
Tech stacks have a significant impact on how an application runs. The coding and technologies that developers use can either limit or increase scalability. Tech stacks can affect how users interact with an app and how many people can access it simultaneously.
Technology stacks enable developers to customize an application in ways that a single tool cannot. In a nutshell, a tech stack defines an app and what it can become.
Top 5 Tech Stacks to Consider
Save time and money by using proven tech stack models. The following are the most popular tech stacks among a global community of developers. Evaluate each of them, their benefits and drawbacks, and choose the right stack for your project.
1. Java
Java is an object-oriented, platform-independent programming language with minimal implementation dependencies. It is robust, secure, and has cross-stage capabilities.
It has recently become the most popular platform among developers building high-performance apps. It also supports multithreading, allowing multiple applications to run simultaneously.
Advantages
- Object-oriented, enhancing code flexibility and reusability
- Platform-independent
- Easy to learn and maintain
- Multithreading, maximizing CPU utilization
Disadvantages
- Slower than its counterparts
- Not visually appealing
- High memory consumption
- Overly long and complex codes
2. Python
Python is a high-level, general-purpose interpreted programming language. It is simple to use, has modern and powerful features, and considerably minimizes the need for coding.
Python has also grown in popularity because of its widespread use in machine learning and data science. Python developers can also build web apps with popular frameworks like Flask, Tornado, or Django.
Advantages
- Easy to read, learn, and write
- Free and open-source
- Extensive support libraries
- Executes code line by line, making debugging easier
Disadvantages
- Slower than its counterparts
- High memory consumption
- Not ideal for mobile application development
- Underdeveloped database access layer
3. LAMP
LAMP is an industry standard for tech stack models, delivering cost-effectiveness, flexibility, and performance in web development
LAMP is an acronym that stands for Linux (operating system), Apache (web server), MySQL (database), and PHP (programming language). These components provide a proven suite of tools for building high-performance web apps.
This stack model can run on any operating system, allowing developers to swap or modify components in the stack.
Advantages
- Free and open-source
- Easy to develop and set up
- Flexibility to choose components based on specific business needs
- Secure architecture and well-established encryption practices
Disadvantages
- Slower than its counterparts
- Has fewer features than its counterparts
- Only supports Linux
- Difficult for developers to switch between coding languages
4. MEAN
MEAN is a popular tech stack that provides various advantages to web developers. It offers a practical way to develop faster and highly efficient apps.
This tech stack model helps in the development of scalable software solutions. It works well for building a wide range of websites and interactive applications.
Advantages
- Highly flexible
- Cost-effective
- Compatible with the cloud
- Excellent for real-time web applications
Disadvantages
- No established JavaScript coding guidelines
- Performance issues at scale
- Potential loss of records
- Not ideal for large-scale applications
5. Ruby on Rails
Ruby on Rails (ROR) is an object-oriented technology stack based on the dynamic Ruby programming language. RoR is perfect for developing lightweight applications.
Because of its vast repository of gems, this tech stack allows RoR developers to simplify the entire development process. Gems refer to the various libraries, integrations, and frameworks used in the tech stack.
Advantages
- Free and open-source
- Time-efficient
- Extensive support tools and libraries
- Highly scalable
Disadvantages
- Slow runtime speed and performance
- Lacks flexibility
- Constant changes in features require constant adjustments
- High cost of poor development decisions
How to Choose the Right Tech Stack
There are several tech stacks for web development. However, selecting a suitable tech stack can be difficult, especially for startups and small businesses.
Here are a few things to consider when deciding on a technology stack for your organization:
1. Type of Project
The type of project is the most critical factor in determining the ideal tech stack for your company. This refers to the type of problem you want to solve or address.
If your project is small, you can use basic content management systems such as WordPress. For an average-sized project, consider combining CMS with suitable programming languages like C++, Java Script, and Python.
Complex projects, such as social networking sites, need web applications with custom-designed functionalities. Giant e-commerce platforms require several programming languages and framework combinations to support multiple functions and integrations.
2. Development Costs
The tech stack you use to develop your product directly impacts development costs, particularly the developers' salaries and maintenance costs. Developers with experience in more obscure frameworks are more expensive than specialists familiar with mainstream tech stacks.
Choosing widely used open-source technologies like Java, JavaScript, or PHP can make it simpler to find competent developers at reasonable rates. Furthermore, you can use open-source tech stacks for free and modify them based on your project requirements.
3. Time to Market
Launching a product requires a lot of planning and preparation, and delivering your project on time can be challenging. The tech stack you choose to build your software solution largely influences the time to market.
Consider using the RoR stack with its useful open-source libraries to shorten the time to market. Third-party solutions can also enable a seamless integration of project functions.
Moreover, the developer’s expertise is important to speed up the time to market. A highly skilled and experienced developer can help you release a bug-free product on time.
4. Scalability
Rebuilding or switching stacks is complicated, costly, and time-consuming. Prevent it at all costs by planning how you'll scale your tech stack.
Scalability refers to the tech stack’s ability to accommodate an increased number of users (horizontal growth). It also entails adding new components to an app while maintaining high performance (vertical growth).
That’s why it is crucial to choose a tech stack capable of supporting growth in both directions. Python and Ruby are programming languages that are highly scalable.
5. Maintenance
A solid technology stack is simple to use and gives developers proper documentation, which helps them write clean code, reduces bugs, and improves the performance of the app.
It is easier to maintain a simple software architecture. Popular frameworks that provide concise, reusable code present fewer difficulties than complex and obscure languages.
Additionally, as your operation grows, you will need more developers, raising the problem of developer availability and cost once more. Using open-source tech stacks with a large developer community and good documentation reduces maintenance costs and makes it easier to hire the tech talent you need.
Conclusion
The right technological stack is critical to the overall success of your projects. Two things matter most in choosing the best tech stack for your organization: the project and the developer.
Conduct thorough research about your project type and requirements, and consult with developers to assess their ability to manage the work. Experienced developers can make the most of a technology stack to create top-tier websites and apps with exceptional design and functionality.
At Celerative, we have remote developers in every tech stack so you’ll find qualified developers with years of experience in mobile and web development.
Sign up to Celerative today, and we’ll help you choose the best tech stack and talent to set you up for success.
