Choose a Technology Stack for Web Application Development

We understand that many readers are not technically sound like the developers; thus we have created this blog which will help you out to choose the best technology stack for web app development.

So, when you are developing a top-notch web application what do you think is the most basic and important thing to consider?

It is for sure the ‘technology stack.’

Selecting a relevant technology stack is really challenging for startups and small businesses because of their budget limits, hence, they need a technology stack that provides all the perks at a price they can afford.

While the right stack is the key to your web development project, the wrong chosen tech stack can be the reason for your project failure.

Here we are trying to help you out with the criteria used to pick the best and the most appropriate technology stack of any web application project

We’ve decided to give you a helping hand and reveal the criteria for choosing the most appropriate tech development stack for your web application.

What is a Technology Development Stack For Web?

Before knowing the criteria to choose a modern web technology, you should have an understanding of web development processes.

We won’t go that deep into details but just to make you aware, we are describing two basic processes.

1. Client-side Programming
2. Server-side Programming

The client-side includes the front end and the server-side programming involves a backend programming language database, an application and the server itself.

Client-Side Programming

Client-side aka front-end of web development involves everything users are allowed to see on their screens.

Below mentioned are the major stack components of the front-end technology:

• Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS): HTML tells the browser how and what content to display on web pages, while CSS is used to style the content of that web page. And, bootstrap is a framework which helps in managing HTML and CSS.
• JavaScript (JS): JS is used to make the web pages interactive. For faster and easier web development, JavaScript comes with libraries (jQuery, Zepto.js, React.js) and frameworks (Angular, Backbone, Vue, Ember).

Server-Side Programming

The server-side aka backend and it is not visible to the user. Programming languages of server-side are used to create the business logic of applications and websites.

Programming languages frameworks offer a lot of tools for making coding simpler and faster. The frameworks help us in doing what is required rather than reinventing the wheel.

The actual challenge lies in choosing the technologies of server-side for building your web application.

Here are the popular programming languages with their respective frameworks (in parentheses):

• PHP (Laravel)
• Ruby (Ruby on Rails)
• Java (Spring)
• Python (Flask, Pylons, Django)
• Scala (Play)Node.js (Javascript runtime) used for backend programming.

Any web application needs a virtual place to store that digital data and backend serves that purpose. Databases are of two types:

1. Relational
2. Non-relational

Here are common databases used for web development:

• MySQL (relational)
• MongoDB (non-relational)
• PostgreSQL (relational)

Also, to reduce the database load, a caching system is required by the web application to handle large amounts of traffic. Redis and Memcached are the most popular caching systems.

Then lastly, a server to handle requests from clients’ computers.

Two famous servers are:

• Apache
• Nginx

So, for developing a web app you need to select the server, database, framework, programming language and front-end tools that you’re going to use. These web development technologies are collectively called a stack.

Criteria to Choose a Tech Stack

Now that you’ve learned the dos and don’ts while choosing an appropriate tech stack, here are some other criteria you should take into account.

1). Type of Web Application

The first thing to decide is the kind of web app you are going to build. A technology stack is basically a toolset for developing a web app. So, you need to realize completely what you are thinking to develop so as to pick the appropriate tools. A toolset that provides unique advantages to your web application should be chosen.

2). Time to Market

Time to Market (TTM) is an important factor while you choose a technology stack for your small business.

Also, it is known that if you want to be ahead of your competitors then you need to develop and release your application fast.

Moreover, if you are on a budget then make sure the development time is less.

TTM mainly depends on your selected technology stack for your web application. So, keep in mind the below-mentioned points:

2.1)   Out-of-the-box solutions: Check whether the technology you are ready to use offer you some ‘out of the box’ functionality. For example, the framework-Ruby on Rails allows developers to use several open-source libraries namely-gems for reducing Time to Market (TTM) and facilitating the development process.

2.2) Integration with third-party solutions:

When you choose Tech Stack, ensure that it supports integration with third-party solutions. This will help you to add the desired functions to your web application.

2.3) Developer availability: Doesn’t matter if you have selected tech stack, you will need developers with expertise in the tech stack for the coding. And, remember that you will also need developers to maintain it after its release.

2.4) Documentation and Developer Community:

Producing good code is not a piece of cake, and it may take a while for a team to find a considerable solution. It means that there are chances to miss the release deadline. Hence, find out whether the tech stack you’ve chosen has a large and expert developer’s community.

2.5) Easy to test:

Needless to say, testing and removing the found bugs requires time and slow down development. To solve this problem, opt for technologies that are easy to test.

Some technologies are based on a test-driven approach which means that testing goes hand in hand with coding. Testing guarantees a quality product and speeds up the long term development.

3). Web App Development Cost

Indeed, converting your idea into a real-life web application is neither easy nor free, it requires time and investment.

This cost is affected by the option chosen for the website development technology stack.

Two main issues that you should take into account:

• Developer Salaries: Web developers are highly skilled professionals and hence, they are well-paid. Remember that advanced technology is priced higher, therefore, the developer‘s salary will be high.
• App Maintenance Cost: Creating a web app is not enough because any web app needs to be updated according to the time and need. Hence, the maintenance of the app is important and it requires a cost.

4). Security

In this modern era, every household to business process has gone digital. No doubt, this has made life easier but the security of our intricate data is always a concern. Cyber attacks are common and they can leave you with a colossal loss.

Therefore, you would definitely want your web app to be secure. Also, we suggest you choose technologies that help in the development of the secure app.

Remember, no programming language can guarantee 100% safety so, choose the right tool first and subsequently follow the security guidelines.

Make sure that your web application is created with the appropriate security guidelines which guarantee utmost secure features.

5). Scalability:

Indeed, you desire to see your project grow and gain popularity. Generally, there are two types of scalability:

• Horizontal scalability: It describes the ability of a web app to handle more requests. In short, a web app should be able to operate the larger number of users in case the number of users gets bigger.
• Vertical scalability: It describes the ability to add new components in a web application without hampering its performance.

Scalability of a web application should be pondered over while you start thinking to bring your app to life. But remember to choose an appropriate technology stack which suits your needs.

Tips ‘NOT’ to Follow While Choosing a Web Technology Development Stack

Only ‘to follow’ tips won’t let you know the best way to choose the right technology stack. So, here are we mentioning some points which you should keep in mind to not follow.

1) Do not Choose Based on Competitors’ Experiences

Before deciding the technology stack always remember that your web project is going to be unique and your goal is to surpass your competitors’ approach in that domain.

Therefore, it is truly not the way that you would choose the same technology that they chose. Also, keep in mind, choosing cheap technology stack might require more investment in the future.

2) Don’t Choose Based on Personal Preference:

You may think that this is your web project and we agree that you might have your preferences but using those preferences as a criterion to choose the technology is not a good idea. It is because preference might be correct but knowledge is important. You might end up picking the wrong components or outdated stack.

You can only have this option if you are experienced in web technology or a chief technology officer.

3) Don’t Choose Based on Online Research

No doubt, the internet these days is full of comparisons and surveys and related information that would help you in selecting a technology stack for your web applications. Also, you might come across the sources which would claim otherwise i.e. the negative aspect of that technology which can leave you in confusion.

Then, which source should you believe?

Well, picking a technology stack is includes practical experience. You will be able to the right choice only in one case; you should have applied some technologies practically and know how do they work.

And again that knowledge shouldn’t be based on your online research.

Technology Stacks Behind Successful Web ProjectsBy now, you have got aware of the criteria for choosing a tech stack for the web app and here are some popular web projects with their technology stacks. It would be difficult to list them all but we’ll try to list major ones.

• Airbnb: It is a world-renowned hospitality service that aids millions of people to find short-term lodging and rental apartments. It uses Ruby on Rails as the technology stack.
• Shopify: It is a widely successful web service which enables entrepreneurs to strengthen their online stores. It uses Ruby on Rails as the core technology behind its super-successful web service.
• Quora: A question-answer platform where people can find answers to any question, they are curious about. It uses Python as a tech stack.
• Instagram: An established social networking application which is built with Python.
• Product Hunt:  This service allows users to find new products on the web and share information about products. Few technologies it uses as tech stack are JavaScript and React.
• Codecademy: An online education platform that offers free classes in 15 programming languages such as Ruby, Java, and Python. It uses Ruby, Ruby on Rails, Javascript and much more components.
• Pinterest: Mainstream social network which helps people sharing and finding their new interests. It uses Python, Reacts, MySQL, Java, etc
• Reddit: A popular news aggregator and discussion platform which uses Fabric.
• Coursera: It is a venture-backed educational platform that offers a variety of online courses on different subjects. It uses JavaScript, React as one of the stack technologies.
• Facebook: As known, it is the world’s biggest social network which uses PHP, GraphQL, React, etc.

Also Read: Why it is important to use AMPs in 2019?