How to Select the Right Tech Stack for Web Development

15 July 2022

In a short period, the Internet, and particularly the World Wide Web, transformed from a platform for information exchange to a platform that is used by many other applications, including online trade, e-government, e-commerce, digital libraries, online banking, etc.

The most crucial decision to make when creating a digital product, whether it’s a web app or a mobile app, is the technological stack that will be used to build. The reason is that an application’s performance is directly influenced by the technological stack.

One of the secrets to the success of any digital product is the choice of the appropriate web app development technology stack. This article will help you understand the different web technologies and the factors you should consider when choosing the best tech stack for web development.

What is Technology Stack?

A technology stack means a set of software, hardware, and other components that are used to build a software product, such as a web application or mobile app. It includes the technology used to build a product, such as the programming language, frameworks, server, databases, and tools used. It also includes such as hosting, security, maintenance services, etc.

Technology Stacks’ Structure

1. Front-end

Front-end technology stacks are critical for ensuring a rich user experience and are rapidly becoming the norm for the web. These stacks are a combination of standardized technology specs like those of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript as well as application-specific code.

2. Back-end

The tech stack for web development encompasses a range of technologies responsible for managing data and powering the essential operations of a web application. These technologies work behind the scenes and are not directly visible to users, unlike the front-end.

The back-end tech stack consists of three primary categories: databases, programming languages, frameworks, and servers. Each component plays a crucial role in ensuring the functionality and success of web applications.

3. Middleware

Middleware is an application-level software that sits in the middle of a network stack. It acts as a bridge between an application and the network infrastructure, processing network requests and translating them into commands for the network infrastructure. These middleware are written in programming languages like C# or Java.

Popular Tech Stacks for Web Development

LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP): LAMP is an open-source stack that is widely used for building web applications. It is a combination of Linux operating system, Apache web server, MySQL database, and PHP programming language.

MEAN (MongoDB, ExpressJS, AngularJS, and Node.js): MEAN is a popular stack for building web applications using JavaScript-based technologies. It is a combination of MongoDB, a NoSQL database, ExpressJS, a web application framework, AngularJS, a front-end JavaScript framework, and Node.js, a JavaScript runtime environment.

Ruby on Rails (RoR): Ruby on Rails is a web application framework that uses the Ruby programming language. It is known for its convention over configuration approach, which enables developers to quickly build web applications.

.NET (Windows, IIS, SQL Server, and C# or VB.NET): .NET is a web application development framework developed by Microsoft. It is a combination of Windows operating system, IIS web server, SQL Server database, and C# or VB.NET programming languages.

MeteorJS: MeteorJS is a full-stack JavaScript framework for web and mobile applications development. It allows developers to write code in one language and use it on both the client and server sides.

These are some of the best tech stacks for web app development but there are many more available, developers can choose the one that fit their needs and the requirements of the project.

Factors to Consider when Choosing the Tech Stack for Development

• Size of web app project

The decision on the technology stack to choose for your web app project depends on its size. For instance, the complexity rises as your web app project becomes bigger.

Small-size projects: In most cases, technologies like WordPress or CMS may be utilized when the project is small, and the need calls for a functioning prototype to be produced within a specific time frame. You may also use design tools like Python, or Node. Js.

Mid-range projects: Medium-range web apps are typically financial apps, online retail, or business applications that require a more extensive technological stack than small-size web apps. These projects typically use frameworks like Node JS, Angular, and others and offer greater functionality.

Read more: 6 reasons to choose AngularJS for web development.

Complex Projects: Social networks and on-demand markets are examples of large-size platforms. These web applications must have superior serviceability and improved performance. Large-scale web apps have a greater level of complexity since they need to be developed using third-party technologies and have more technical layers.

• Scalability

A tech stack’s role in an application’s scalability is to allow for an expansion in users and functionality. Need to select a right tech stack for web development that allows for interesting new features, user growth, and seasonal increases in the number of users.

As a result, web developers must select the ideal technology for web development that can handle both horizontal and vertical scalability.

Horizontal scalability refers to web app capacity to accommodate user expansion.

Vertical scalability refers to the capacity to introduce new features and functions to attract consumers.

• Time-to-market

The time-to-market is a major influencing factor when choosing a tech stack for web app development. It’s better to use MVP development if your web application has to be created and released rapidly.

Your web app will be launched more rapidly, but you’ll also be able to collect early adopter feedback and recommend significant improvements to the functionality of your web app because of the shorter time to market. To make this happen, you must pick a web app development company with years of experience that will deliver your web app on schedule.

Read More: Launch Your Product Faster after an MVP

• Development Cost

It’s critical to plan out your budget before starting to develop your web application. Although the majority of open-source and free-to-use technologies, tools, and frameworks are utilized in web development.

However, to use their features, you might need to purchase subscription plans, and another significant expense is paying your web development partner invoice. Therefore, before choosing a technological stack, it’s important to consider the cost balance.

• Security

The most important factor you will need to consider when deciding on the technology stack for your web development is security. This will determine the level of protection your web app will have against cybercrimes and data breaches.

You must follow security best practices while designing a web app if you want to keep it secure. Most web development tools provide detailed security guidelines that can assist you in preventing cyber-attack concerns. In brief, you must ensure that your development team has followed all security rules.

Read More: What is Web Security and Why It Is Important?

• Team Expertise & Knowledge Base

A solid understanding of the tech stack for web development is crucial when creating a web application, as it largely depends on the target platform, which can be desktop, mobile, or both. The selection of the appropriate stack requires in-depth technical expertise and design knowledge.

When it comes to building complex web applications, the importance of great teamwork cannot be overstated. The intricacy of the code often necessitates extensive support and knowledge. Having a team of engineers who are proficient in both writing code and providing exceptional technical support is an invaluable asset.

• Licenses

When Choosing a technology stack for web development, you should consider open-source solutions. Using open-source technology ensures lower initial development expenses as well as the opportunity to utilize them with unlimited changes.

• Bug testing

Bug testing is one of the most important aspects of the web app tech stack. The worst errors can be produced by untested or broken codes. It is essential to find and fix bugs in a web app as early as possible. If you do not find bugs in your web app, your app will not function as intended, and your users will experience bugs. So, for the quick delivery of high-quality web content, use software testing automation framework technology where testing is simpler.

• Performance

The technology stack should be capable of providing the required level of performance, such as fast page load time, efficient processing speed, and scalability. The technology stack should be able to handle the expected traffic volume and provide a seamless user experience.

• Development Speed

A technology stack that enables fast web development without sacrificing quality is important. Consider the ease of use and the availability of libraries and tools, which can greatly reduce the time and effort required for development.

Conclusion

It’s more important to selecting the best tech stack for web development depending on the project needs and the expertise of the development team. This decision has the potential to make or ruin a project. You should investigate similar items to what you propose to build to learn how they were developed.

If you’re still unsure about the appropriate tools, frameworks, or technologies for your app, don’t worry, Star Knowledge will help you to build clean and organized back ends and scalable front-end web applications using modern frameworks, user-centric designs, and structured architecture patterns that provide a robust set of features to your applications, so contact us.