Reasons for MERN Stack becoming one of the Top Priorities for Web App Development
Customers expect websites to be mobile responsive, provide a richer experience and have aesthetic elements that load rapidly. Gone are the days where languages like HTML and CSS built basic websites that took ages to load and provided a poor user experience. Developers have to ensure that the web applications they deliver can be customized, perform exceedingly well, and can be scaled as needed. These requirements have led to the rise in the adoption of “technology stacks”, that can help developers meet their web application development goals.
A technology stack is a cluster of programming languages, frameworks, or technologies used to create software, mobile apps, or websites. A Full-stack refers to the technology combination that includes programming languages for the frontend, backend, database, and testing tools. MERN Stack is one of the most preferred programming stacks since it combines key programming languages used to build customized and dynamic web applications.
The MERN stack is made up of four key JavaScript frameworks- MongoDB, Express, React, and Node.js.
MongoDB is an open-source, document-oriented database. It is a NoSQL database that can be queried using indexes.
Express or ExpressJS is a backend framework that works on top of NodeJS and can be used for building REST APIs and Web Applications.
React is the JavaScript-based frontend library to develop attractive user interfaces.
Node.js is the JavaScript runtime engine for web app testing and evaluation.
How does the MERN Stack work?
The MERN allows developers to create 3-tier architecture (Frontend, Backend, and Database) for their web application, using JavaScript and JSON. The frontend tier will be developed using React.js. This UI, developed using React “Components” will be rendered as seamless HTML elements. The backend tier consists of Express.js which runs inside a Node.js server. This minimalist web framework efficiently handles URL routing and HTTP responses and requests. The database tier is handled by MongoDB, which is non-relational and schema-less and allows the data to be stored in flexible documents with a JSON-based query language.
Understanding the MERN Components
#1 MongoDB
MongoDB is a popular NoSQL database, known for its ability to scale horizontally as required, using the concept of “sharding”. By distributing its load over multiple servers, MongoDB ensures that data query response times are minimized, and a backup of the data always exists in case of a hardware failure. MongoDB stores all the data in document format, which can be indexed and queried using the JSON language.
#2 Express
Express is a back-end framework for Node.js based web applications that can be used for quick and easy API construction while creating efficient web apps. Express is known for its performance and minimalistic structure. Developers can reuse lines of code that are previously used in the application. This saves time and creates an efficient model of programming.
#3 React
React is popular amongst developers for two reasons- code reusability is allowed, and a virtual Document Object Model (DOM) is created where any change made to the HTML elements is reflected, rather than modifying and rendering the original DOM. The two DOM’s are compared and the updates are applied to the original DOM almost instantly.
#4 Node JS
Node.js is a cross-platform runtime environment that was built on Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine. NodeJS allows developers to build scalable network applications while executing the JavaScript code outside the browsers.
Why is the MERN Stack so Popular?
#1 Custom Interactive Elements
MERN stack helps developers create custom and interactive web applications. These interactive components load pretty quickly because MERN uses the concept of Single Page Applications(SPA). An SPA is a feature that avoids refreshing a web page to display new content edits on the page. It only re-renders that part of the page that has changed instead of rendering the whole page in its entirety- thereby saving on the page load time and allowing custom elements to truly stand out.
#2 Backing by JavaScript
The best part about MERN is that there is a single language used in all the 3 tiers. This means that developers need to be proficient in only one language- which is easy to learn and implement. Additionally, the huge learning community for JS always ensures that developers get the support they need.
#3 Performance of Web Apps
Node.js is a fast and resilient web server. Its event-driven architecture and non-blocking I/O plays an important role in cutting costs, troubleshooting server CPU and I/O problems while your web application scales and receives a lot of traffic. Additionally, MongoDB has the ability to scale as the load on the DB increases. SPA feature also ensures that the web app provides optimal performance.
#4 Cost-effectiveness
Since the MERN stack uses four technologies in one JS framework, you need not hire multiple professionals to build the web app. This will save a lot of money and time in hiring, training, and upscaling (if needed), as only seasoned JS developers can be onboarded in the team. The same developers can work for the entire web app development cycle, instead of hiring different professionals for different phases (Like UI development, Backend development, Testing, etc.)
Additionally, all the MERN components are open-source, which eliminates the problem of proprietary licensing.
#5 Faster Turnaround Time
Since all the components are backed by JavaScript- which is easy to implement- all the web app components can be developed quickly. The MERN components can easily interact with each other, this is unlike the traditional model where developers use a mix of programming languages that do not sync well with each other easily. Developers then have to invest time to find out solutions to make the web app work. This occurrence is very rare in a web app developed using the MERN.
Keeping all these advantages in mind, MERN is quickly becoming popular among developers for developing intuitive web and mobile apps.
Final Thoughts
Every component of the MERN stack has unique features that makes it highly efficient to develop custom web apps. It reduces development time and makes the whole process smooth. MERN also comes with testing tools that help developers test the application. MERN stack is a perfect fit for a web app developed via an Agile development approach and for low to medium-budget projects.
Our seasoned professionals can help your business grow with customized web apps built with the MERN stack. For more information on this topic, send us an email at contact@fargowiz.com or request the below quotation form.
