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MEAN vs LAMP and Beyond
Which tech stack to use
Technology stacks, sometimes called web stacks, are collections of layered technologies that each fulfill a necessary role in the web application development process. Most tech stacks feature a tool for a backend web server, frontend UI, and a database.
Your choice of tech stack at the start of your projects is crucial because it defines what tools your developers will be able to use and what features/attributes your application will benefit from. The current most popular tech stacks are the MEAN and LAMP stack.
Today we’ll explore the advantages and disadvantages of the MEAN stack, the LAMP stack, and other popular options to ensure you choose the right stack for your next project.
Here’s what we’ll cover today:
- What is MEAN?
- What is LAMP?
- Other top tech stacks
- Picking the right tech stack
- Wrapping up
What Is MEAN?
MEAN is an open source, high-level, Javascript-based stack best used for building dynamic websites and applications. The term MEAN was coined in 2013 by Valeri Karpov as an acronym to describe applications that are built using a combination of the same four tools. These tools work well together and provide unique benefits to any MEAN application.
The biggest advantage of MEAN stack development is that all layers use JavaScript, which makes it easier to integrate the different components and allows for full-stack software development.
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. This 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. Node.js is an essential component of the MEAN stack and cannot be replaced.
