What is a Tech Stack? How to Choose One in 2024?

Whether you are developing a website or a mobile app or enterprise software, you need to use some programming languages, frameworks, server systems, APIs and other tools for shaping the front-end and back-end of the app. Before you hire app developers for your project, you need to choose the stack of technologies and skills you require for the project.

The developer survey of CodinGame suggests that the most popular and demanded technologies for web projects are Javascript, Java, and Python. A Statista survey, on the other hand states that the most popular programming languages used in web projects include JavaScript, HTML / CSS, Python, SQL and Java.

Among these popular technologies, which ones fit into your project requirements? What should a credible tech stack consist of? How to choose the right tech stack for your app? Let’s explain these things.

What is a Tech Stack?

The technology stack which is commonly referred to as the tech stack comes as the combination of different technologies used by any company for developing and deploying software, a web or a mobile app project. A tech stack mainly combines the programming languages or frameworks for front-end development, back-end development, database technology, operating system SDKs and APIs to connect third-party services.

Different tech stacks vary in their choices of technologies and tools and over the years, some technology stacks remained more popular than the rest used by the software developers for most of their mobile apps, software or web projects.

Some of the most popular tech stacks that are popularly used across app projects include the following

LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP)
MEAN (MongoDB, ExpressJS, AngularJS, NodeJS).
MERN (MongoDB, ExpressJS, ReactJS, NodeJS)
MEVN (MongoDB, ExpressJS, VueJS, NodeJS)
Python-Django

Technologies and Categories of Leading Tech Stacks

“…some combinations of technologies make more performance-driven and comprehensive tech stacks…”

Before the market was flooded with Software as a Service (SaaS) products, there were fewer and simpler tech stacks, mostly comprising the tried and tested web technologies and traditional operating system platforms.

Now, some combinations of technologies make more performance-driven and comprehensive tech stacks, and hence they are preferred more by the full stack developers.

For example, it is common for full stack developers to select MEAN or MERN stack, which provides everything they need for app projects.

Let’s take a brief look at the different categories of tech stacks available now.

The Traditional Stacks for Web Projects

Some technologies fit right in a technology stack for developing a traditional website. For example, the most common web technologies such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript provide the basic web development stack. According to StackOverflow, 68% of developers prefer coding in JavaScript.

Similarly, for web projects, PHP also happens to be a highly popular language, and it is accommodated within the LAMP stack consisting of the Linux operating system, Apache for server configuration, MySQL database and PHP for server-side coding. LAMP remained for years one of the most popular and dominant technology stacks for web projects. LAMP also has variations such as WAMP or MAMP, comprising either Windows or macOS in place of the Linux operating system.

Modern JavaScript Stacks

“...leading JavaScript front-end frameworks like AngularJS, ReactJS and VueJS, and back-end JavaScript frameworks like ExpressJS and NodeJS and MongoDB database have created the most popular full tech stacks such as MEAN, MERN and MEVN.”

In recent years, JavaScript has emerged as the most popular dynamic web development language and is playing a key role in shaping web development projects. The leading JavaScript front-end development frameworks such as AngularJS, ReactJS and VueJS and versatile back-end JavaScript technologies such as ExpressJS and NodeJS and MongoDB database have given rise to the leading tech stacks such as MEAN, MERN and MEVN.

Serverless Tech Stacks

Cloud computing platforms represent the serverless tech stack. Platforms such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud allow creating web apps without taking the responsibility of server-side configuration. These serverless stacks will manage all your app data remotely over the cloud. The serverless stacks are also popular because of their awesome scalability, flexible pricing model, and customisation options.

Key Considerations for Choosing a Tech Stack for Your App Project

Now you have a comprehensive idea of the different types of technology stacks available. The question that immediately comes to your mind is how to choose the right tech stack for your app project? To put it more precisely, what are the key considerations for choosing a tech stack for your app project? Let’s explain them briefly below.

Project Type & Size

The choice of technologies always depends upon the type of app project. For example, if you have opted for incremental development approaches such as Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to develop and release your app quickly, both Ruby and NodeJS can be the ideal technologies. The choice of technology stack will also depend upon the size of the app you are developing.

Budget

Cost of development or budget remains to be a primary consideration for choosing a tech stack for your app project. The cost of hosting, the licensing fees for the SDKs, the hourly rate charged by the developers of that particular skill-set, and the maintenance cost are some of the key things to shape the overall project budget. For example, MEAN stack developers enjoy higher demand because of the overall cost advantage compared to other JavaScript stacks.

Scalability & Extensibility

When it comes to accommodating growth by the app, some tech stacks are more equipped and powerful than others. Now the vertical scalability of accommodating many features and the horizontal scalability of accommodating growing users may not always be accommodated by the same tech stack. Hence, you need to make a choice based on your priority and requirements.

App Maintenance & Updates

It is needless to remind anyone that the major part of the tasks and responsibilities for making an app successful begin just after the app is released. App maintenance and releasing timely updates is a crucial requirement that no app project can undermine. Because of their modular character and component-based architecture, some technology stacks allow easier maintenance and rolling out updates.

Wrapping Up

The last but not the least important of all considerations is the existing skills available in house for developing the app. For example, if you already have a team of ReactJS developers, you may find MERN a more appropriate choice for your app project.

IndianAppDevelopers lends a quality, experienced software engineers team who optimize your future software development projects and ensure quality throughout the app development process.

Interested? Talk to hire full stack developer India now to get started in 2024!