Importance of the MERN Stack in e-commerce Store Development
A strong technological stack is a key foundation for any online store development. The right technology stack will ensure that all the other moving parts of the e-commerce platform work seamlessly. The components of the MERN stack consist of end-to-end programming languages that are becoming a top choice amongst developers to work in. These components include:
#1 MongoDB:This is a NoSQL database that is schema-less and document-oriented. These documents can be of different sizes and have different content. They are queried using the JSON language. MongoDB uses the concept of “sharding” to replicate the data across various servers, thus ensuring that a data backup is always available in case of any hardware/software issue. Additionally, MongoDB has the ability to scale as and when the volume of the data to be stored increases.
#2 Express.js: This is a backend web framework with a straightforward and minimalist structure. Express has extensive features and plugins that can effectively work with the backend web application framework to create fast web applications and APIs. The concept of code reusability means that developers only have to write code once and re-use it whenever needed- thus increasing efficiency in web app development.
#3 React.js: A front-end web library using which developers can create user interfaces rendered in HTML. React helps in creating SPA’s (Single Page Applications) in which only elements of the page that are altered will be refreshed, instead of refreshing the entire web page when a change is made. This ensures that the system does not face the unnecessary load of refreshing each and every component of the page when a single change is made.
#4 Node.js: A JavaScript runtime that uses an event-based and unblocking input/output model. Node.js runs on Chrome’s V8 JS engine and provides an increased speed in loading and faster web application development.
Top Advantages of MERN in e-commerce Store Development
#1 Strong Backend
The most important component in an e-commerce website or app is its back end. Since the website will be faced with hundreds of thousands of requests every minute, from all over the world, the backend should be strong enough to support fetching the data almost instantly.
Managing logistics, payment gateways, inventory management, customer service management, etc. have a huge impact on the overall performance of the website. MongoDB is the best-suited database to carry out such complex tasks with ease, all the while maintaining a high performance round the clock due to its robust and scalable nature.
#2 High Performance
Most open-source platforms are built on legacy LAMP languages like PHP, which cannot scale as the load on the system increases. MERN stack’s Node.js component can asynchronously handle multiple actions which boost the management of heavy events and data-driven applications. This is because Node.js supports Javascript with event-based non-blocking I/O (Input and Output) which can easily handle multiple events. This contributes to the performance of the whole e-commerce application.
Traditionally used PHP-based stacks depend heavily on back-end codes while offering a static user experience. This is due to the heavy HTML content and server-side scripting that is used to develop the website. MERN stack supports Model View Controller (MVC) architecture that caters to unlimited customization on the front end of the website. Hence, instead of managing the content via the backend, simply make changes to the user interface to save on time and support good website performance.
#3 Scalability
Another important factor to consider while developing an e-commerce website is that inventory items and other website elements will be continuously added to the platform. The platform should be able to scale with this load and avoid buffering time that is mostly introduced due to a heavy backend. MongoDB is highly scalable and compatible with cloud storage. Since MongoDB is a NoSQL database with full cluster support, once the database is plugged in, the data can be distributed across clusters of the servers to promote database replication and avoid a single server failure hindering the performance of the entire database.
Node.js works hand-in-hand with MongoDB due to its non-blocking I/O with V8 engine that maximizes CPU utilization. This means that the server can be horizontally scaled by use of the cluster.
#4 Better Security
The MERN stack includes testing tools that can be leveraged by developers to test the security of the website. All the codes and components of a MERN-based website are stored on a cloud platform, thereby making it easy to test codes and make modifications remotely. This reduces the overall time of developing and testing the application in the SDLC (software development life cycle) and enables quick alterations whenever needed.
Additionally, applications developed by the MERN stack can be quickly integrated with secure hosting providers that prevent cyber-attacks by providing the device and user security management tools, thereby securing your website from third-party malicious attacks.
#5 Code Reusability
MERN is preferred by developers due to its feature of code reusability. Components of a website developed using the MERN stack can be interchanged with other applications and even reused. This also means that you can add on features from already existing MERN based websites to save on programming time and shorten the overall market turnaround time
#6 Open Source, Backed by JS
All the components of the MERN are open source. This means that your company does not have to worry about licensing issues. Also since all the languages are based on the Javascript framework- you only have to hire developers proficient in this language. JS has multiple libraries available for developers to choose unique features for the website.
Final Thoughts
The advantages offered by MERN technologies overshadow all the disadvantages introduced by legacy stacks. MERN’s flexible architecture, cloud support, secure testing framework, open-source nature, and small learning curve enable developers to create custom e-commerce websites that are flexible and can be scaled as required. The website is capable of handling millions of transactions and supports high-speed data. Websites developed through MERN save overall business capital and time while providing users with a smooth interface that is easy to navigate.
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