Tips For Choosing The Right Technology Stack for Web Applications
Choosing The Right Technology Stack for Web Applications
When you want to choose technology stack for web applications, you face a real challenge. It goes without saying that you will need to do a thorough research to choose the best. It doesn’t matter if programming is your daily activity or you do it every now and then – the work you have to do is the same. It won’t be easy for you to decide what to choose, you have plenty of options to contemplate. You have to consider not only designing a nice and friendly UX, but also a safe and stable product.
In this article, we have described what matters when you choose technology stack for web development. Your choice can affect the functionality of your web application and user experience.
What is technology stack for web development
So what is a technology stack for web applications? What you deal with in your web browser that is created with a set of frameworks, programming languages, databases and tools. The combination of all of this into a web application is called a technology stack for web applications. It is then split into front-end and back-end that sync to function as a whole. Let’s take a look at what a technology stack is and what tools we use in Giraffe Studio to create your dream product.
Frontend Technology Stack
Frontend technology stack, which is also known as client-side, is what the customers see on their screens. Tools we use for frontend web development:
Hypertext Markup Language 5 (HTML5) is a programming language that allows you to describe the structure of the information contained within the website. This is the most basic language for the description of the page and the form of its presentation.
Cascading Style Sheets 3 (CSS3) is a language of markup that allows you to describe the structure of information on the website. It is the most basic language for the description of the website and the form of its presentation.
JavaScript (or simply JS) the third most used language for building the frontend of a web applications. These scripts are most often used to provide interaction by reacting to events.
Angular is an open framework based on JavaScript language, supporting the creation and development of web applications on the website.
React is a software language library using to create graphical interfaces for web applications.
Backend Tech Stack
What about backend technology stack? You can describe it as ‘all mechanisms responsible for operating the website’. Everything you click is processed by the backend, it generates data and passes them to the front-end that displays them. The backend communicates with the database to obtain information from it or save to it. The backend consists of application server and database (SQL/NoSQL DB). The server can be written in many programming languages, such as PHP, Ruby, Javascript. A whole range of frameworks was created for them, including Node.js, WordPress, NestJS, ExpressJS.
Points to consider when choosing a technology stack
Now that you have an idea of what an internet technology stack is, take note of the common practices used by entrepreneurs when choosing technology for their projects. Following these few rules will help you succeed in your project. What should you look for in the first place when you have to choose a technology stack for web applications? Let’s see.
Project size
The first thing you need to think about is the type of web application you are creating and the size of the application. To choose the right tools, you need to be fully aware of what you are planning to do. You should choose solutions that will bring the same benefits for your product.
Web projects can vary in complexity, from simple to medium to the most complex. The former are created using ready-made solutions, the latter have more functions and are created for large enterprises, and the complex ones have a lot of functions and were created using various technologies and many programming languages. When you create an application, take into account your business goals, it’s very important factor when you have to choose a technology.
Defining The Requirements Of Your Projects
Many projects fail because the requirements that apply to them are not well defined and understood. Their definition is very important and the success of the entire project often depends on them. Site requirements are a set of capabilities, features and functions related to a website and its creation. There are several types of requirements that combine to prioritize a project. Most of them fall into one of the following categories:
Business requirements – describe why the project is being implemented, define goals and problems that the stakeholder wants to solve with the product.
Stakeholder requirements – stakeholder or group needs. They describe what the needs and expectations of users are and what their use of the product will look like.
Functional requirements – describe the behavior of the product, provide knowledge on how the product should perform and inform what is needed for its development.
Non-functional requirements – are named so because the system can function without them. They inform about the conditions or characteristics required for the product to be effective, are directly related to the functional requirements.
Time to market
Time to market (TTM) is one of the most important factors when choosing a technology stack for web applications for smaller businesses. You will stay ahead of the competition if you quickly bring your app to market. Besides, faster product development equals lower development cost. Time to market is very much dependent on the technology stack select, so make sure you pick the right one.
Scalability
There are two types of scalability: Horizontal scalability (the ability of an application to run if the number of its users grows) and vertical scalability (the ability to add new elements to a web application without reducing its effectiveness). You definitely want your web application to grow and gain popularity. Think about scalability ahead of time and choose the right technology stack for your needs.
Security
The criminal world has not bypassed the digital world. Cyber attacks are the greatest threat to online businesses. All companies are committed to providing the most effective protection against cybercrime. You definitely want your web application to be safe, so you need to choose technologies that will make it easier for you. Unfortunately, none of the available on the market provides 100% protection. Do the right research to find the best, most suitable and safest for you. To ensure maximum safety, always follow the tips on how to protect yourself.
Web Tech Stacks of Our Successful Projects
Over the years of work, the Giraffe Studio team has created many successful projects. Depending on the complexity of the project, we choose the right tools that best suit it. On the frontend, we use technologies such as Angular, React, Gatsby, on the backend with nestJS, expressJS, Parse, WordPress or PHP.
Timter is a business management application backed by professionals who use their experience in building it. The application is an extremely useful solution for people who want to have full control over their business, help minimize costs and optimize working time. Technologies that were used to create the application are Swift, Kotlin, Ruby, WordPress, AWS.
Another project worth mentioning is Camps Australia Wide. This is an app that has been downloaded over 100,000 times! It is designed for travelers to help them plan their route, provide interesting content about the destination and make maps available even when they are offline. Technology stack that were used to create the application are Flutter, NodeJS, Angular, AWS, Parse, Back4App.
The last product I would like to mention is Audiodelic. It is an application with the largest base of Polish press podcasts. The user can listen to archival articles read by professional lectors. Importantly, the application is free for the blind. This is the first product of this type available on the Polish market. Technology stack that were used to create the application are Swift, Kotlin, NodeJS, WordPress, AWSp.
Conclusion
Choosing the right technology stack for web applications is not easy, but what you should pay attention to in the first place is the choice of technology according to the project. Remember what is important to you, do not be influenced by the choice of others. Consider all the advantages and disadvantages, estimate costs, set time, take care of safety. Sometimes the best option is to entrust the matter to professionals. Our Giraffe Studio team is always ready to find right solution. We will be happy to help you choose the best technology and tools. Go ahead, write to us, we are waiting for you!
