Which tech stack to use

MEAN is an open source, high-level, Javascript-based stack best used for building dynamic websites and applications.

The layers of MEAN are:

• MongoDB: A NoSQL database that uses binary JSON documents with schema.
• Express.js: A modular web application framework for Node.js.
• AngularJS: A client-side application framework used to build end-user interfaces separate from the business logic. Can also be replaced with similar popular frontend frameworks like React or Vue.
• Node.js: An application runtime environment that represents the “JavaScript everywhere” paradigm that MEAN is known for.

Used by Netflix, Paypal, The Weather Channel, and Forbes.

Pros

• All tools are open source and use JavaScript, allowing for full-stack development.
• Great performance for SPAs.
• Usable on any operating system.

Cons

• Hard to adopt into existing architectures that don't use JavaScript.
• Risk losing data during heavy workflows.
• Maintenance can be a hassle, frequent updates and changes.

MERN

The MERN stack is a variation on MEAN that replaces Angular with React.

Pros

• Build a simple to intermediate single-page application in the quickest time possible.
• Optimized for SPAs.
• There are more React developers than Angular developers.

Cons

• Sacrificing some functionality without a full framework

MEVN

Similar to MERN, MEVN replaces Angular with Vue.js.

Pros

• Faster performance than React and Angular
• Ready to go right out of the box
• Cost-effective due to simplicity to use

Cons

• Might lack some resources, as is the least popular of the three frameworks
• Scalability is not a big plus so don’t plan to add any fancy application features.

LAMP is the world’s most popular tech stack, designed to build applications without reliance on external software or data.

The layers of LAMP are

• Linux: An open source, Unix-like operating system consisting of a package management system around a Linux kernel.
• Apache web server: A highly popular and fully-featured web server, used by 54% of all sites on the web.
• MySQL: A multithreaded SQL relational database management system built for at-scale use.
• PHP: A server-side scripting language designed for web development.

Pros

• Widespread support for each technology in the stack.
• Mature stack with a wealth of previous solutions and customizations to draw from.
• Non-blocking structure makes it easy to scale and faster to develop.
• LAMP is fully open source.
• PHP and MySQL are easy to learn and work with.

Cons

• Limited to only Linux operating system.
• Difficult to switch between backend and frontend tools.
• Projected to decline in use over time due to the prevalence of JavaScript and the cloud.

Serverless

Nowdays companies shift from managing their own app infrastructure to instead building cloud-native serverless applications.

Pros

• Perfect for small startup that cannot afford to hire a full team to manage your application’s tech stack
• Cost-effective for small businesses and startups.
• No need to manage or maintain your own technologies.

Cons

• Less control over what technologies are in the stack.
• Scaling costs will make this ineffective beyond a certain size.

How do you choose?

You’ll want to consider

• What type of app will it be? Cloud-based, hybrid, etc.?
• What is the expected lifetime of this application?
• What technologies are available in my client’s infrastructure? Will it be standardized or varied?
• How much traffic will your application need to handle? Does the traffic happen in spikes or steady flow?
• How dynamic will your application be? Will it update in real time?
• How much retraining will your team need to do?
• How much maintenance do you want to allocate to the application?

As a general rule, MEAN is better for smaller-scale modern applications, like progressive web apps, cloud-based applications, or single-page applications. LAMP is better for larger-scale applications that prioritize uptime and availability.

You can use this the website Stackshare to check other companies tech stack.