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Choosing a tech stack

1. Project requirements and features

First of all, when forming a tech stack, it is necessary to take into account the size and the purpose of the project, since they significantly affect the choice of certain technologies. The larger and greater the project is, the larger and more complex the tech stack will be.

For example, for small projects (MVP or single-page applications), such well-established stacks as Python-Django or Node.js-React can be perfect.

Medium-size projects like online stores or mid-market applications usually require more complex technical stacks with several layers of programming languages and frameworks.

Large projects, such as complex marketplaces or enterprise applications, require a large technical stack to maintain the integrity and performance of the app. Such large-scaled technical stacks usually use multiple levels of programming languages ​​and frameworks. They are created and used to perform in a large amount of data conditions.

It is important to remember that you should not load the project with additional techniques. There should be exactly as many technologies as necessary for an effective solution of the task.

2. Resources and experience

It is necessary to have deep technical and architectural experience and knowledge for picking a tech stack. To select the technologies competently, it is necessary to know all the ins and outs as well as differences between them.

Accordingly, when forming those stacks, it is worth giving preference to those technologies with which you work confidently. You should not choose a new technology for the sake of new technology: often new frameworks and programming languages ​​are either raw or experienced developers working with these technologies are simply not there. The choice of such technologies can lead to the fact that the project developers will waste their time to gain insight into the new technology, instead of moving forward effectively. However, at the same time, do not give preference to something outdated and ineffective because there are “knowledgeable people”. In such cases, difficulties may arise with the support and effectiveness of the project. When deciding on a technology, it is necessary to find that very middle ground.

In addition, it is worth considering the availability of resources for the implementation of the project. For example, if your team does not have a specialist working with a certain technology, adding it to the project just makes no sense. The “impressive” tech stack does not carry any benefit if there are no developers who can successfully and quickly work with the selected technologies.

3. Scalability

The architecture of your application must be scalable, as scalability is vital for further development. Scalability determines whether your application can handle the load.

For example, if the number of users increases, your technology stack should allow the application to cope with this growth.

There are two types of scalability — horizontal and vertical. The first means the ability to work on different devices and cope with an increasing number of users. Vertical scalability means the ability to add some new features or elements to the application in the future.

To achieve good scalability, it is better to use powerful programming languages. Such languages are initially flexible, as they “are equipped” with various libraries and structures.

4. Maintainability

Maintainability is one of the main factors when building applications. Maintainability of the app developed should be done without additional efforts even when you scale.

Particularly, there are two factors on application maintainability depends on:

  • Architecture: should support reusability, be mobile and scalable.
  • Codebase: the codebase should not be too lengthy or too concise; it will take longer to process a lengthy code, and too concise code may lead to errors during debugging.

5. Security

Any end-user wants to be sure that his or her personal data is safe. Therefore, when forming tech stacks, it is necessary to choose technologies that provide a high level of security. This problem is significant, especially when it comes to online payments.

6. Development speed

The speed of project development is one of the most important factors. If the project should be developed in a short time, the best option would be to select ready-made solutions for tech stacks that provide easy integration.

Such technology combinations reduce overall development time through third-party integrations.