MEAN Stack vs. Full Stack: Which One Should You Choose?
MEAN Stack Vs. Full Stack, the query itself is flawed in certain aspects. It’s because MEAN Stack, in simple words, is a subset of Full Stack Development.
Before I begin to explain the differences between these two technologies, here’s an important aspect that I feel must be clear to you.
A website, web app, mobile app, or any other software has two main aspects of development.
The Front-end Development: It refers to all the aspects of the software visible to the user. Front-end development is often broken into three main areas or pillars: user experience (UX), user interface (UI), and engineering.
The role of a frontend developer often includes a dash of each pillar, with most developers employing a combination of coding (HTML/CSS/JavaScript) and noncoding activities, like planning, wireframing, prototyping, and visual design to achieve their goals.
The Back-end Development: This part of an application is not directly accessible to a user but instead handled by another part of the program, such as a web server or database server.
A typical example of something users see would be a website’s login page; it may be handled by a separate service from what drives general content on the site. It can also refer to third-party services used in conjunction with your application, like payment gateways and mailing systems.
Coming to our main concern, MEAN Stack vs. Full Stack: do you know what these two terms exactly mean?
Well, Full stack refers to the development of both front end and back end by the same developer or by the same group of developers.
In contrast, MEAN stack means the same, but here the development occurs using a particular set of JavaScript technologies, namely the following:
M: MongoDB – open-source database management system of the web app.
E: Express.js – a modular web framework for Node.js.
A: Angular – framework for the development of dynamic web applications.
N: Node.js – provides a runtime environment.
Done with the basics of software development, now let’s cover the differences between MEAN Stack vs. Full Stack. The table below offers insights into the differences between them.
Comparison Table: MEAN Stack vs. Full stack
I hope the table gives you a clear idea of the differences between MEAN Stack vs. Full Stack. For a more detailed answer, let us delve into the details of each of them. Let’s start with MEAN Stack first.
What is MEAN Stack?
The MEAN stack is a JavaScript development environment that combines MongoDB (database), ExpressJS (web framework), AngularJS (frontend framework), and Node.js (backend server).
- MongoDB provides storage for data.
- ExpressJS facilitates web server communication.
- Angular handles frontend design, user authentication, and routing to specific content.
- And Node provides a connection between back-end components so everything can talk to each other in real-time.
Together, these tools simplify building powerful websites and applications that deliver rich functionality and great results with minimum effort.
There are tons of benefits of using this combination for web development. However, there are some drawbacks too. Let’s explore the pros & cons of each of these technology tools for web development projects.
MongoDB – Provides high performance & scalability
Source: Statista – Most Popular Database Management Systems
Unlike other NoSQL databases, MongoDB stores data as JSON documents, which contain fields and values that can be arrays or other documents. (Wikipedia) MongoDB stores data in applications that require high availability and horizontal scalings, such as websites and mobile apps.
Pros of using MongoDB
- MongoDB takes care of horizontal scaling and sharding automatically. You can integrate new machines into your cluster with no downtime or other manual steps needed.
- It can scale up quickly in response to growth in user requests.
- MongoDB is particularly well-suited for mobile applications where space, speed, and reliability are critical factors.
- It uses minimal RAM (random access memory), making it fast.
- In addition, using MongoDB makes it easier to develop across multiple platforms because they speak JSON natively while many relational databases do not.
Cons of Using MongoDB
- The flexible schema requires more work on the developer’s part to organize data, but it adds new information without affecting existing documents.
- Each document has one and only one index. So if the document has an array of values, they won’t be indexed individually.
Express.js- Faster server-side development
Source: Statista- Most used web frameworks
Express.js, also known as Express, is a web application framework written with Node.js in mind and can be used by applications in any environment that runs Node. It is a new technology for building highly scalable web applications using JavaScript on top of Google’s V8 engine, which is also robust for Chrome browsers.
Pros of Using Express.js
- If you’re building something that needs to process requests very quickly with a minimal amount of dependencies, then it might be your best bet.
- Being built on top of Node allows it to run fast with lightning response times.
- It offers high scalability through non-blocking I/O calls and thousands of simultaneous connections without page reloading or hanging issues.
- It’s also compatible with other similar stacks like Meteor or LAMP Stack if needed too.
- It supports both synchronous programming paradigms (asynchronous data-driven), making it ideal for hosting both standalone web applications & complex API endpoints, for example.
Cons of Using Express.js
- Express.js has a steep learning curve, especially for beginners trying to figure out how to get started on an app that is server-side rendered and uses MVC (model view controller) architecture.
- When using Express.js, developers need to understand NodeJS, npm, routes, views, controllers, and other tools necessary to create a single page application (SPA).
Angular – Ideal framework for the development of dynamic web applications
Angular.js has been one of the most hyped-up JavaScript frameworks in recent times. It allows developers to create single-page applications that don’t require reloading the entire page on every click, which makes it perfect for snappy, responsive user interfaces that look great on both desktop and mobile devices.
Pros of Using Angular
- It’s blazing fast lets developers build single-page applications (SPAs) easily with a unique templating system.
- It’s highly extensible, with over 1000 Google-developed extensions available on npm (the Node Package Manager).
- Angular helps alleviate some common client-side headaches with helpful features like two-way data binding and dependency injection as a Javascript MVC framework.
- It supports built-in directives (components) that perform everyday tasks such as validating forms or displaying errors to users without writing extra code.
- There’s a growing community around Angular which makes finding answers to new questions reasonably easy.
Cons of Using Angular
- Developers may run into roadblocks with learning new syntax or paradigms like dependency injection.
- There are still a few bugs to resolve in the framework.
Node.js – Provides speedy code execution
Source: Statista- State of Containerization
Node.js is an open-source, cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment that executes JavaScript code outside a browser. Node’s asynchronous and event-driven design makes it easy to build scalable, real-time applications as well as fast.
All of it makes Node.js ideal for creating scalable network applications consisting of small modules communicating with each other over events and callback functions.
Pros of using Node.js
- Node is best for applications that require high concurrency because it uses an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model, which makes it easy to use for a large number of concurrent connections.
- The lightweight design makes it quickly scalable on single and multi-core machines.
- Its ability to deal with thousands of concurrent connections makes it ideal for applications that require real-time data transfer, such as audio or video streaming.
- Developers can write their application logic in one place without caring about multiple environments.
- It has excellent support for modularity due to its module system called CommonJS.
Cons of using Node.js
- It badly suffers from a lack of familiarity with how server-side JavaScript works.
- Once you get into more extensive applications, you’ll need to pay for a server or virtual private server (VPS).
That was all about using the MEAN technology stack for web development. Let us now focus upon the Full-stack as a choice for project development.
Full Stack Development – Makes a fully functioning web app on a limited budget
With the changing business environment and the new technological developments, enterprises need to adapt to survive continually. One of the ways they can do it is by implementing full-stack development. It combines all aspects of the business under one roof, including design, development, infrastructure, and testing, into one system.
But with this approach comes certain disadvantages that have to be considered before implementing it within your organization. Let’s take a view of the pros and cons of full-stack development for business enterprises so you can determine if it’s right for your company or not.
Significant benefits of Full Stack Development
- Full Stack Web Development allows businesses to work in-house with in-house employees rather than outside consultants.
- By building teams around particular projects, companies can gain an understanding of a project that can save time as well as money.
- In addition, Full Stack Web Development involves streamlined communication throughout each project.
- All team members working on the project understand their role within that project, and therefore there is minor miscommunication between different departments within a company.
- Full Stack Web Development gives more opportunities to learn. It also leads to employees having more responsibility or being considered for leadership roles.
- It offers a deeper insight into understanding how all aspects of web development fit together and provides an opportunity to learn leadership skills through familiarity with all parts of a project.
Drawbacks of Full Stack Development
- A lot of things can go at fault in the software development process. If you hire someone who is a master at PHP but not at HTML/CSS or JavaScript, they may be tempted to find ways to work around these limitations.
- It means they’re working more time than necessary and missing out on potential cost savings by buying less custom technology from third-party vendors.
Here are a few points you shall consider while choosing between MEAN Stack vs. Full-stack
Mean Stack vs. Full Stack: Which one is a cost-savvy option?
Choosing between a full-stack and MEAN Stack depends on your personal preferences. If you have a larger budget & you’re looking to start with something professionally done, then a full-stack may be more appealing to you.
On the other side, if the cost is a concern, then going with a MEAN stack saves some money. MEAN stack development saves you money because you only need to hire JavaScript developers.
Make sure that whichever stack type that ends up choosing fits within your budget and your needs.
Who’s the winner: MEAN stack
MEAN Stack vs. Full Stack: Which one offers more freedom in choosing development tools?
The MEAN stack allows developers to choose what is compatible with JavaScript Technology. In contrast, full-stack development means freedom to select all the tools consistent with the core technology.
Developers are free to use any frontend or back-end frameworks, languages, or databases they like in mean stack solutions. In full-stack solutions, multiple popular technologies from diverse providers are available.
Who’s the winner: Full Stack
Final Words
As with most programming-related questions, there isn’t a clear answer. Mean Stack and full-stack are excellent choices that will present their advantages and disadvantages. I hope the article gives a clear answer to which one is better when thinking of MEAN stack vs. Full Stack
However, before deciding, consider what type of development you want to have. Full Stack is a valid option to explore when looking for greater flexibility in development.
On the other hand, if saving cost is an important project goal, then go with a reliable MEAN stack Development Company.
