Full-stack vs MEAN Stack: Which Stack is Ideal for Web Development?

The growth in smartphone users also indicates the need for fast-track mobile app development. In the need to offer convenience and comfort, most businesses rely on mobile applications to grow their user base. The mobile app market size was $206.7 billion in 2022 (GrandViewResearch).

It becomes important for businesses to calculate ways to release their apps before the competition. The tech stack plays a crucial role in ensuring this happens. The technology stack involves the tools and technologies used to deliver an application (frontend, backend, and even database design).

The stacks are filled with pre-built codes and libraries that can accelerate code development and mobile app creation. They are pretty useful in determining the resources, timeline and even app type.

The MEAN, MERN and Full Stack dominate the preferences of developers. In this guide, we will study the difference between MEAN and Full Stack.

What is a MEAN Stack?

The MEAN stack is used to manage the different files within an application and provide assistance with coding abstraction. The stack is used to deliver complex, large-scale and advanced applications.

MEAN stack technology includes MongoDB, ExpressJS, AngularJS, and NodeJS. The client interface is developed using AngularJS. ExpressJS and NodeJS are majorly used to build the architecture while MongoDB is used for database management.

It comprises JavaScript technologies, which allow scalable and flexible applications. In this stack, the data flows in both directions, which makes developing communication easy and effortless.

The Key Features

• As most of the stack for software development is built using JavaScript frameworks, you can leverage the ability of the programming language to create unique solutions. It is a dynamic scripting language, which bolsters web application development
• NodeJS helps deliver the backend for the application, which can ably run using the VB engine.
• You can easily transfer the code from one framework to another using MEAN stack, which allows greater flexibility for the app developers.

What is Full Stack?

The complete development of an application that includes both frontend and backend is known as full stack. This is not a technology-dependent development approach. You can choose the best combination for frontend and backend development.

You will also need to identify the best API and other tools that can support your development approach. The frontend development is done using HTML, CSS and JavaScript technologies. Similarly, AngularJS, ReactJS, JQuery and SASS are majorly used as frontend frameworks for creating the user interface.

Top and leading technologies such as PHP, NodeJS, JavaScript and others can be used to deliver backend solutions. You can choose from Oracle, MySQL and MongoDB to build your database systems.

Key Features

• You can choose from the top stacks such as MEAN, MERN and LAMP too when delivering a full stack. You can also choose other technologies
• The choice of backend languages can help create interactive and real-time solutions for your business
• It is important to structure the code and storage separately before you connect the dots to build the application.

MEAN Stack vs Full Stack: Top 10 Key Point Differences

If you are wondering which approach to choose for your next mobile app project, here are a few things that can help.

#1 Scalability

Premise: This means you can grow your systems and take them to the next level as soon as your business grows.

MEAN Stack: You cannot use this JavaScript based stack to develop large-scale or complex solutions. This means you cannot use MEAN stack for evolving systems.

Full Stack: You can choose your database systems and programming languages. As a result, you can use the stack that fits with scalability needs.

Winner: Full stack is a clear winner, as it can help you with your business app scalability requirements.

#2 Speed of Development

Premise: This refers to the time taken to complete app development with the stack approach.

MEAN Stack: This helps with rapid app development. You can create an application almost instantly with this stack.

Full Stack: The speed of development and deployment is slower in the full-stack approach. The reason is that it focuses on specific use cases.

Winner: MEAN stack is the winner as it offers accelerated development and quick deployments.

#3 Learning Curve

Premise: The time taken to learn the programming languages and frameworks required to complete the development.

MEAN Stack: You will need to learn the frameworks or languages mentioned in the stack to develop a mobile or web application.

Full Stack: You will need to learn multiple languages to fulfill the programming needs of your mobile or web app with this stack.

Winner: MEAN stack is a clear winner as it is restricted to specific languages, and requires a minimal learning curve.

#4 Security

Premise: it is crucial to choose the stack that helps build a security-first solution for your business.

MEAN Stack: The non-relational database is not stable when the load on the database increases. This instability can cause security leaks, which can make your app vulnerable.

Full Stack: You can choose the database according to the needs of your mobile application.

Winner: Full stack is the winner as it can help you select the framework and stack that offers secure applications.

#5 Programming Language Support

Premise: The programming language that you can use to develop the server side of the application.

MEAN Stack: This stack focuses on JavaScript alone. It may not support robust server-side development.

Full Stack: You can use the top server-side programming languages such as PHP, C#, C++ and Java.

Winner: Full stack can help create robust and highly efficient server-side web and mobile applications.

#6 Upgrade and Migration

Premise: The ability or flexibility required to complete system upgrades or migrations from one storage system to another.

MEAN Stack: As it works with restricted frameworks, you can only complete upgrades if the software is written in JavaScript.

Full Stack: You can move or upgrade the system written in any programming language, as it can extend support to all frameworks and libraries.

Winner: Full stack is clearly more flexible. It extends support to multiple frameworks and programming languages.

#7 Open Source

Premise: It is the availability of the source code that makes customizations easy and possible.

MEAN Stack: It is completely open source as most of the technologies use JavaScript.

Full Stack: It may or may not be open source depending on the technologies and programming languages you are using.

Winner: MEAN stack is open source and free to use, which means you can deliver cost-effective solutions.

#8 Tools for Development

Premise: This concerns all the tools that you need to use to develop a web or mobile application.

MEAN Stack: You can use WebStorm IDE to develop the web application using this stack.

Full Stack: You can use BootStrap, Vue.JS, and Postman to develop the web application backend.

Winner: You have more options for tools used to develop web applications when you are using a full-stack approach.

#9 Demand 

Premise: This talks about the overall demand for the development approach. You should know which approach is mostly considered by developers.

MEAN Stack: It doesn’t enjoy the kind of demand that an approach would. You can create small and medium-sized restricted application types with this approach.

Full Stack: As there are several frameworks and programming languages to support this approach, you can use it to develop your web application.

Winner: The demand is higher for full stack and it is the most favored approach.

#10 Web Development Frameworks

Premise: The frameworks that are used to create a web or mobile application.

MEAN Stack: This stack uses AngularJS to deliver capable and efficient front-end development.

Full Stack: The React JS framework is most popular with full-stack development. It is considered for front-end development.

Winner: As ReactJS has a lower learning curve compared to AngularJS, full-stack development emerges as a winner.

Read More: React vs. Angular: Which is Better for Blockchain App Development?

What Approach to Choose?

There are times when you should opt for full stack while other times when MEAN stack works best for you.

We will talk about all the situations in which you can use full stack versus MEAN stack.

When to use Full Stack development?

• If you want to create a cross-platform application or a large-scale solution, you should use full stack. It can easily work on multiple technologies, which are within your budget. With the right stack, you can accelerate the development
• There are fewer dependencies with this stack, which makes it easier for you to deliver the solutions within the deadline. You can make the development processes smooth and fast
• You can use it when you want to combine different technologies for a smooth development
• As it is more popular, you can easily access full-stack web developers and hire field experts.

When to use MEAN Stack?

• If you are planning to deliver MVP or a small to medium-sized software solution, you can use the MEAN stack.
• If you are looking for ways to indulge in single-language development, MEAN stack works. It is written using JavaScript.
• If your app requires a lot of customizations, you might want to use MEAN stack.

Conclusion

Full stack is considerably more popular than MEAN stack. However, the MEAN stack accelerates development and ensures quicker launches. In the competition between a full stack developer vs MEAN stack developer, you will find that full stack wins as it has a larger pool. You can use multiple technologies to create the application.

Whether you want to go with MEAN stack or full stack, partner with Best Remote Team for suitable solutions, we can help hire the right team using suitable engagement models to help you succeed with app development.