How to Choose the Best Technology Stack For Web Development: Practical Guide for Non-Technical Founders

In 2022, the most demanded IT skills worldwide were SQL, Java, JavaScript, Python, and PHP. However, the developers wanted to learn more about AI, ML, and DL (artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning respectively).

All of these can be a part of a tech stack for web development. And none of these may be suitable for your project’s stack.

Lots of names and total confusion as to what to choose is a very common mood we at ProCoders see among non-technical founders that contact us. So, especially for them, we’ve created this guide that explains the specifics of a tech stack, how to choose it, and who can help you.

Feel not experienced enough in technology to make the right choice? Follow our guide and maintain focus on business gains and benefits. We’ll give you brief and useful info on how you can choose the best technology for your product.

Key takeaways:

• A technology stack is a set of programming languages, servers, databases, etc. used to create web, desktop, and mobile software.
• Choosing the right stack will save costs on development, speed up app creation, save time to scale, reduce maintenance cost, and provide a higher quality level, attracting more customers.
• The best tech stack for web app is individual for each project. But all of them consist of frontend and backend components. The first group is responsible for how the user sees the app. The second one – for its proper operation.
• Key programming languages for 2022 include Python, Java, JavaScript, and others. As to the frameworks, jQuery, Node.js, React.js, and others are among the most frequently used.
• How to choose a technology stack for web application development? Your decision depends on the scale and type of the project, as well as on the budget, pool of talent for the given tech, and opportunities to update, switch, and incorporate IoT technologies.
• If the stack choice is faulty, you may face issues with upscaling, updating, and maintaining the security of your application.
• The best tech stacks differ by the scale of your business as well. Find out which ones to use for startups, SMEs, and larger enterprises.

What Is a Web Development Technology Stack?

A full web technology stack is a set of programming languages, frameworks, etc. programmers use to create desktop, mobile, and web software. One stack may comprise:

• Programming languages – the code that shows computers what to do.
• Frameworks – libraries with prewritten code so that engineers don’t have to start from scratch.
• Databases – organized storage of data developers can manipulate.
• HTTP server – software that understands website addresses and the protocol that allows you to view pages.
• OS or operating systems – software that allows the computer to combine and manage hardware, other soft, and the rest of the apps.

There’s no single stack that fits all needs. The final choice depends on the scale of the project and other requirements. But all technology sets must contain both backend and frontend parts.

Components of a Web Tech Stack

There’s a myriad of web stack technologies, but you can divide them into two main groups: frontend and backend. But what’s the difference between front end developer and backend? Let’s overview both groups in detail.

Frontend Development Stack

Frontend is the client’s side of the app. It includes programming languages such as:

• HTML – the carcass of the page, its form
• CSS – the design filling, a complete look
• JavaScript – functionality and interactivity

For the first two, developers also use frameworks such as Bootstrap. For JavaScript, there are a lot, including Vue.js, Angular.js, and React.js. You can see the best examples of React websites to get an idea of how the framework can manifest in projects.

jQuery is another very useful framework that helps to combine HTML and JavaScript in one project.

Backend Development Stack

Backend is about web server technology stacks. The users don’t see it, but without it, the app won’t work properly. It’s responsible for request implementing, data storing, etc.

The components include:

• Programming languages – Python, Java, PHP, C#, C++, NodeJS
• Servers – NGINX, Apache HTTP Server, IIS
• Databases – MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, MongoDB, Microsoft SQL Server
• Cloud computing – IaaS (infrastructure as a service), PaaS (platform as a service), BaaS (backend as a service)

So, what programming languages and frameworks can be used as a part of your web application stack? You have to know this because when you hire web developers, they need to have skills and experience with the needed technologies.

Key Programming Languages and Frameworks for Web App Development

According to the PYPL rating, the most popular programming languages in December of 2022 were:

1. Python
2. Java
3. JavaScript
4. C#
5. C/C++, among others.

As to the frameworks, according to Statista, the most popular as of 2022 were:

1. Node.js
2. React.js
3. jQuery
4. Express
5. Angular, among others.

That’s a lot of names and specifications. But how to choose the best technology stack for web application development? It’s a highly individual stack as each project is unique, but there’s something we can share with you.

How to Choose the Best Technology for Web Development

To choose the best technology stack for web application, you have to consider a lot of things from the business perspective.

Costs/pool of talent

How much does it cost to hire a web developer? This depends on their skill level, experience, and, of course, tech stack. A junior front end developer salary with a limited stack and years of practice, the average pay is around $68K, according to Glassdoor.

Yet, top-paying companies like Meta and Google that hire flexible expert developers, can pay as much as $180K.

The higher the level, the more you pay. The rarer the programming language is, the more you pay. This is because the pool of talent is usually smaller in such cases, which means decreased competition and higher salary expectations.

The money question is often one of the most important. In ProCoder’s blog, you can find information on laravel developer cost and what is the salary of a back end developer, among other topics.

Update and improvement opportunities

Many businesses decide to test an app with just basic features to see if it pays off. While this is an excellent idea cost-efficiency-wise, if you make the mistake of choosing a tech stack with no scalability option, you’re going to be stuck with that MVP until you decide to re-do it all.

Always make sure the frameworks can be scaled up. Angular.js and Node.js are fitting options for the goal.

Opportunity to switch to another tech stack with a lower cost

If you find out there’s an opportunity to move to another tech stack but the project is already in work, it may give you a hard time. Choose stacks that have popular languages and other components in them that are common in other sets.

However, remember that lower costs may bring quality loss. So, unless you’re 100% sure the new cheaper stack will also be equally good or better for the app, maybe it’s better to stay within the current tech set.

Opportunity to upgrade the product with emergent technologies (blockchain, AI, IoT, ML)

While it may be a good idea to use a popular technology that may save you money, make sure it’s a modern web dev stack. Emergent technologies like blockchain, artificial intelligence, machine learning, etc. are on the rise, and their penetration will only grow.Your stack must facilitate that. Otherwise, you’re going to look for info on how to hire front end developer or a back end specialist with a new needed stack in a week.

Issues and Bottlenecks You will Face Once Make the Wrong Web Tech Stack Choice

It’s not that uncommon to choose the wrong web app stack, especially if you don’t turn to professionals for advice. Many startups and small businesses are tight on budget and think such consultations will cost them a fortune, for example.

But in reality, remaking an application and relaunching it, trying to win customer trust again is much more expensive.

Let’s see what issues and bottlenecks you may encounter if the stack for your web app is wrong.

Scalability limits

Let’s say your app ratings skyrocketed and there are many more people trying to access it. If your tech stack doesn’t allow for a fast switch to a server with a higher capacity, a larger database, etc., you’ll lose money.

Update issues

When choosing a trendy tech with decreasing popularity, you risk the speed, quality, and even possibility of the future updates. With the trend, the support will decrease and capabilities won’t match modern user needs.

Outdated tech will not only make your app work slower and more difficult to update but also increase security issues. All this may damage your reputation, increase maintenance cost, and result in customers choosing alternative services.

Security issues

A crucial criterion when selecting a technology stack for a web app is its security. You’re going to input a lot of sensitive data into the app, not only your company’s but also the users that trust you. So, data leaks can destroy the reputation of the business and its products, which will result in revenue loss and a lot of time and money needed to reinstate your authority.

Rewriting the app

An outdated or unscalable stack may make you spend all that money if not more again to rebuild the application with a new, more suitable set of technology. Taking up something that has a lot of buzz around it just because it does is dangerous.

So, never make the choice on the spot, based on your previous apps or those of the competition.

ProCoders recommends consulting with professionals to choose the best web development stack for a particular project. We can do it through our Discovery Phase, analyzing your ideas and goals, aligning your expectations with modern stack trends, and coming back to you with the top set for 2023 and beyond.

The Best Technology Stack for Application and Web Development in 2023 and Beyond

To add a bit more detail to this guide, we’ve decided to provide you with some of the most effective web development tech stacks for different business scales. 2023 edition!

Choice #1 for Startups

Startups usually need to develop an app quickly and save on cost. For that, open-source, relatively easy solutions like Python with a regular library and Django as a framework. It’s a fairly popular tech stack associated with simplicity and functionality.

It can be combined with MySQL database and JavaScript elements.

Choice #1 for SME

For small and middle-sized enterprises, MEAN or MERN stacks may be useful:

• MEAN – Angular.js (frontend framework), Node.js (cross-platform server), Express.js (backend), MongoDB (database). It’s a set of JS technologies that can help you create well-performing, responsive apps with top user experience.
  
• MERN – same tech but Angular.js is replaced with React.js. You may want to use this stack due to React advantages such as HTML-like structure and SEO-friendliness. The first one makes it easier to use, the second one makes it easier to rank your web app #1 on search engines, improving marketing efforts. If you feel interested we have a comprehensive guide on how to hire MERN stack developers, follow the link, and get enlightenment with our pro tips.

Choice #1 for Enterprises

Both MEAN and MERN can be great picks for an enterprise-level app. For example, Accenture and Fiverr use MEAN, while Instagram and Walmart have opted for MERN.

The MEAN set is suitable for MVC architecture and easy upgrading. And MERN is perfect for a complex UI that has to look easy and for developing mobile applications, especially large-scale ones.

Remember, these are generally the best web development technology stack options for a certain company volume. Each project is unique with its agenda, marketing goals, business positions and needs, and more.

We at ProCoders understand that and can help you make the right choice, avoid future issues, and hit the charts on the first try with a perfect technology match.

How ProCoders Can Help If You Want to Select the Best Web Development Technology Stack?

Let’s face it, there’s no better person to understand your business value and uniqueness than you. But, when it comes to technical stuff, some outside expertise may be necessary. And ProCoders can provide you with that.

We’ve already mentioned our Discovery Phase, but let us introduce it to you officially.

This is a complex, multi-stage approach to every client’s idea for a digital solution. Our analysts and technical experts work on the details you’re willing to provide about your app. We:

• Research the market
• Look into the best features
• See the most effective approaches and the best web app tech stack
• Use our real expertise from other projects, contributing insider information
• Try to meet your budget and time requirements without losing the quality of the solution, and more.

We come back to you with a ton of information about the best idea implementation. We can discuss it further and find the best way you can achieve your goals on your budget and with the time you have.

Then, you can:

• Continue working with ProCoders and let us find you a suitable team of developers and QA specialists with experience in your industry
• Assign tasks to your own team and get additional staff from us whenever you need
• Hire your own people for the job

We can help you make the right decisions from the start.

Conclusion

How to choose a tech stack for web app development? There are multiple things you have to consider, starting from the app scale and requirements and finishing with the opportunity to switch to another stack later or integrate IoT technologies.

Besides, it’s wise to know about all the different components of a successful stack. There are frontend and backend elements, including programming languages, databases, servers, operating systems, and more.

If you don’t choose a set wisely and base the decision on remote experience, stuff you read online, or what competitors use, chances are you may have issues with updating the app, upscaling it, and maintaining security. All this may result in time and money loss, not to mention the damage to your reputation.

While trying to pick the right technologies, considering project size and what stage it’s at is essential.

ProCoders recommends that you consult professionals before making the final choice. We can help you through our Discovery Phase where our analysis and tech specialists research the projects’ needs, market trends, the functionality you need, etc., coming up with a perfect technology stack for you.