“MERN vs MEAN Stack: Which One To Choose?”

Making the right choice of the stack is vital for setting the foundation right for your web project. Selecting the right stack from the available ones can become problematic as well. This can be attributed to factors ranging from project requirements to the developers available. From the stacks available, developers normally choose to specialize in either MEAN or MERN, which provides a greater pool of developers to choose from.
Finalizing the selection of MEAN or MERN developers relies on fully understanding the technologies and what they have to offer. Let us delve right into the matter.

Understanding What a Stack Is

By definition, stack defines an abstract data type in which data can be stored. It allows the execution of two primary operations, which are push (inserting data) and pop (removing data).
In terms of MEAN or MERN, it simply refers to the technologies which their respective acronyms are comprised of.

1. M: MongoDB

Open source, NoSQL document-based database for the back-end. Stores its files in the form of JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) documents.

2. E: Express

A lightweight, trending framework for back-end development on Node.js.

3. A: Angular

The Front-end JavaScript framework used to define the User Interface (UI) elements on a webpage dynamically. Usually utilizes ajax techniques to fetch data, which is rendered on the client-side browser by their application framework.

4. R: React

Open-source JavaScript front-end library created by Facebook that is used to develop web UIs.

5. N: Node

JavaScript runtime environment that utilizes Google Chrome’s V8 JavaScript platform. Enables back-end development in JavaScript.

The MEAN Stack

The MEAN stack is comprised of MongoDB, Express, Angular and Node. This full stack of JavaScript technologies covers everything you need to develop your web applications. The only different technology, compared to MERN, is Angular. It features cross-platform compatibility.
Angular was initially developed by Miško Hevery at Brat Tech LLC in 2009. The newer version, starting from 2.0, is developed by Google and is an overhaul of the existing one. The first stable release was released in September 2016 and the latest version is 9.0.2, released in February 2020.
It enjoys massive support from the tech giant Google itself, so there is no question about its capabilities. Each new version receives 6 months of active support that is followed by 12 months of Long Term Support (LTS).

Reasons to Hire a MEAN Stack Developers

  • The following are the benefits of hiring MEAN stack developers.
    The Angular development community has increased by an astounding 50% from 2018-2019. This just goes to show that it is among the top trending frameworks with potential for more in the future. https://www.altexsoft.com/blog/engineering/the-good-and-the-bad-of-angular-development/
  • A 2019 Stack Overflow survey revealed that 30.7% of developers use Angular. This shifting trend clearly points towards greater availability of developers and their tendency to shift towards angular. https://www.altexsoft.com/blog/engineering/the-good-and-the-bad-of-angular-development/
  • It separates HTML code from rendering script to make the code more understandable.
  • Support two-way data binding, which updates the app in real-time as it is being changed. For example, if a user was to enter some values in an input field, then those values would be updated in the View as well as the Model of the application. These predefined connections considerably reduce the time and effort spent on defining interactions between components.
  • Angular provides built-in dependency injection by following Object Oriented Programming (OOP) parameters. The dependency is inherent for declared services. This is both convenient and part of good coding practices.
  • Angular follows the Model View Controller (MVC) programming convention. This logically divides the web project files related to each function, thus significantly optimizing code reviewing.

The MERN Stack

The MERN stack is comprised of MongoDB, Express, React and Node. It is also a full-stack development framework with everything included to develop web applications. It features cross-platform compatibility.
React was developed by Facebook and released in May 2013. Unlike Angular, it is a JavaScript library, hence it is lighter in comparison. It has widespread applications for single page and mobile applications, where performance and size are prioritized. The current version of the stable release is 16.12.0, which was released in November 2019.

Reasons to Hire MERN Stack Developers

The following are the benefits of hiring MEAN stack developers.

  • React has one-way data binding, which is useful for identifying the location of data as it is processed through the system. If your application is
  • React uses JSX, which allows HTML code to work along with JavaScript one in the same file. This enables faster coding and building customized logical syntaxes.
  • Unlike Angular, which is a framework, React is a JavaScript library. It is lightweight, hence suitable for developing projects which require optimized performance, such as Progressive Web Applications (PWAs) and mobile apps.
  • React is memory efficient, which means
  • React, unlike Angular, is a library. It provides all the tools necessary to build a customized application without having to conform to the framework’s boundaries. As a result, React can be used to develop off-shelf solutions that are customized for specific requirements.
  • The demand for React developers is high. This has prompted many experienced developers to shift towards it. As a result, your choice of developers may already be familiar with JavaScript extensively, even if they have not had a fair amount of time with React.
  • If you are looking to develop lightweight mobile or web applications, consider going with MERN. The stack efficiently programs the application to consume minimum resources for maximum performance. MERN stack developers can develop apps to specifically suit mobile devices.
  • React has a component-based architecture featuring a high degree of reusability. The component manages its own state and rendering, which can further be comprised of components. It encapsulates view, rendering, and state data. Components communication to children is read-only, which in turn communicates through callbacks. MEAN stack developers can significantly cut down the time required to code an application.
  • The learning curve for React is smaller, which means you can hire a senior developer along with junior interns. They can be mentored to become a part of your team and become productive members in a short amount of time.

Common Benefits of MEAN AND MERN Stack

The following are the benefits of using MEAN and MERN stacks. Both are specialized in their own nature, but it is best to know these facts to compare them with other frameworks.

  • Different developers can pick up from where the others left off without issues as they can interpret the code without difficulty.
  • Open source trending framework with incredible official and community support, making it free and updated.
  • A full-stack framework that covers the entirety of the web development project cycle from developing and designing the front-end to the back-end.
  • Significantly facilitates developers to switch between client and server as the entire code is in JavaScript.
  • Compared to other stacks, such as LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP), it requires experts of one technology only. This scales down development costs and the process of acquiring developers for the team.
  • It is easier to find JavaScript developers as compared to other technologies. Statistically, 67.8 percent of developers know JavaScript. Moreover, there are over 1.6 billion websites and 95% are powered by JavaScript.
  • Enables direct deployment of the web application to the server without having to rely on a dedicated one.
  • Automates much of the tasks which are needed to be performed at Grunt task runner.
  • Numerous testing tools are available to facilitate the development process and polish the end product.
  • All 4 technologies are trending and have full support (official and community). This provides long-term benefits such as LTS, security patches, and frequent updates to address issues and introduce new features.

Choosing Between MEAN or MERN

When choosing MEAN or MERN stacks, the only significant difference is the choice of Angular and React. Choosing from the trending frameworks, stacks and development team appropriately depends entirely on your requirements. Each stack provides its own set of benefits. However, both are extremely powerful and trending with excellent features, meaning you can hire professional MEAN or MERN stack developers with full surety that your requirements will be fully delivered.

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