Why Use the MEAN Stack?

Learn about the benefits of using the MEAN stack to build applications.

We'll cover the following

Similar language across the board

The entire MEAN stack uses one programming language, which is JavaScript. This is a considerable advantage compared to other stacks. For instance, the LAMP stack relies on different technologies. That is, we use MySQL for the database management system, PHP, Perl, or Python for the programming language, and Apache for the HTTP server. Having JavaScript across the board makes for an effective and efficient development process.

Strong community support

All the four technologies in the MEAN stack are open-source, allowing developers to contribute to the components. It’s relatively easy to get support with any issue that arises in development. It’s also worth noting that Node.js, through Node Package Manager (NPM), has many developers actively creating packages that provide out-of-the-box solutions to possible issues.

Note: According to the Node.js documentation as of January 2017, over 350,000 packages were reported being listed in the npm registry, making it the most extensive single language code repository on Earth, and you can be sure there is a package for (almost!) everything.

Ease in the deployment process

A MEAN stack application can easily be deployed into the cloud using Digital Ocean, Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, etc. This aids in a reduction of the overall cost in the development process. The MEAN stack is cloud friendly, making it ideal for building cloud-native applications.

Cost-effective

Building a MEAN stack application requires a group of developers who have a good knowledge of JavaScript. This helps save costs on hiring developers from different technologies. Moreover, because the technologies in the MEAN stack are open source, most of the features, tools, and components used during the development process are accessible.

Resources and specific components in the codebase can also be shared between both the backend and frontend, which is a cost-effective way to speed up development and achieve a minimum viable product (MVP).

Scalability

The fact that the technologies used in the MEAN stack are all JavaScript-based gives it an edge over other stacks in terms of scalability. JavaScript as a language can adapt quickly to the pace and constant changes in web development. The MEAN stack is highly flexible, and constant frameworks and libraries are created regularly with solid support from communities and top technology companies to help build scalable applications.

Used by top companies

The decision to determine the technology used in creating an application is a significant factor for any business or organization. Some of these factors have been discussed above, and they include the following:

  • Security
  • Scalability
  • Speed of completion
  • Project complexity
  • Deployment

The MEAN stack has almost all of the features listed above. This can be seen because many websites are built using the MEAN stack to create fast, scalable, lightweight, and robust web applications. Some of the top companies with applications built on the MEAN stack include LinkedIn, YouTube, Paytm, and Udemy.