With the constant innovations in web technology web developers witness a lot of options to develop a software or application. But the challenge lies in choosing the best so that you can build smooth applications. Apart from this with the need to constantly upgrade software need to be based on dynamic technologies that are flexible and can adapt to newer improvements. The MEAN Stack Development is one of such kind that which is excelling extensively in the present times.
Introduction to the MEAN stack development technology
The first thing that needs to be understood is what MEAN technology is. The term MEAN stack refers to a group of JavaScript based technologies used to develop web applications. MEAN is an abbreviation for MongoDB, Express JS, AngularJS and Node.js. From client to server to database, MEAN is full stack or collection of JavaScript.
MEAN stack is open source software suitable for building a website not just for a startup but also for a well-established business. To construct highly ascendable and robust applications MEAN stack is the foremost choice of several companies.
As all the Mean Stacks constituents are Javascript library products, it’s not surprising that they integrate well.
MEAN stack architecture
MongoDB:
MongoDB is generally a cross platform free and open-source database structure. One of its main functions is handling the database. It rest on the architecture comprising of collections documents and not on tables and rows. It does not include any SQL. To represent data, MongoDB uses JSON style documents so that you can use a sole language across the entire programming. This modern database is housed with automatic distribution and full cluster support. As you plug in MongoDB, it will spread across your cluster of servers to provide failover support and automatic repetition. Apart from this, it is also cost effective and can also be efficiently used for transmission of client and server-side data. It can also be used for various other purposes comprising storing of files, making index, load balancing and accretion.
Express.JS:
It is an HTTP server outline particularly used for website applications and presents a complete list of modules and constituents, which permit functioning on several shared tasks on the website. IT lends a helping hand for the APIs when developing the web applications. Express.js and Node.js provide JavaScript with a back-end functionality — assisting developers make software with JavaScript on the server side for the first time.
Installing MongoDB
Below is the command which is used to install MongoDB on a Debian-based Linux.
| $ sudo apt-get install mongodb |
| The command installs the necessary packages that come with MongoDB. |
| $ sudo service mongodb status |
| mongodb start/running, process 975 |
| With the sudo service mongodb status command we check the status of the mongodb server. |
| $ sudo service mongodb start |
| mongodb start/running, process 6448 |
| The mongodb server is started with the sudo service mongodb start command. |
Database creation:
The mongo tool is an interactive JavaScript shell interface to MongoDB, which offers an interface for systems admin as well as a way for developers to check queries and operations directly with the database.
| $ mongo testdb |
| MongoDB shell version: 2.4.9 |
| connecting to: testdb |
| > db |
| testdb |
| > db.cars.insert({name: “Audi”, price: 52642}) |
| > db.cars.insert({name: “Mercedes”, price: 57127}) |
| > db.cars.insert({name: “Skoda”, price: 9000}) |
| > db.cars.insert({name: “Volvo”, price: 29000}) |
| > db.cars.insert({name: “Bentley”, price: 350000}) |
| > db.cars.insert({name: “Citroen”, price: 21000}) |
| > db.cars.insert({name: “Hummer”, price: 41400}) |
| > db.cars.insert({name: “Volkswagen”, price: 21600}) |
| We create a testdb database and insert eight documents in the cars collection. |
Installing Node.js and MongoDB driver
Node.js is an open-source, cross-platform runtime environment for developing server-side Web applications. The runtime environment interprets JavaScript using Google’s V8 JavaScript engine. We use Node.js to run JavaScript applications.
| $ curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_5.x | sudo -E bash – |
| $ sudo apt-get install nodejs |
| We install Node.js. |
| $ npm install mongodb |
We install the mongodb native JavaScript driver. The npm is a Node.js package manager. The MongoDB Node.js driver offers both callback based as well as Promised based interaction with MongoDB allowing applications to take full advantage of the new features in ES6.
AngularJS:
AngularJS is used for the frontend operations to create some different complex client-side applications. Therefore, it can be considered as the perfect friend for the full stack frontend developers. Since this structure is being developed by Google, the reliability therefore increases. Google maintains this programming language and it is used to make single page applications with the MVC structural design. It can be used to build dynamic web applications that are completely scalable and it comprises the modular arrangement.
To use AngularJS, it is necessary to include it in your page before the closing <body> tag. Google’s CDN is recommended for a faster load time:
| <script src=”https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/angularjs/1.0.7/angular.min.js”></script> |
NODE.JS:
Node.js is used to make highly mountable and effective network applications and is known to be a simultaneous JavaScript environment based on the Chrome’s V8 engine. Best suited for most real-time applications, this language is fast and lightweight. Developers are able to set various standards in the web domain due to the extraordinary performance of Node.js. What makes it exceptional is the presence of run-time feature that can help in developing lively and scalable web applications. You can construct web servers, open modules as well as networking tools that additionally assists in access of the networks, data streams, crypto based functions etc. Apart from this, it also aids to decrease the problems during the development. It provisions all the main serves such as UNIX, Microsoft Windows, Apple iOS etc.
Benefits of MEAN Stack technologies
A complete JavaScript framework
The complete dependence on JavaScript framework proves beneficial for both the client and the server side. It also operates over both Windows and Linux OS and the dominance of JavaScript provides pronounced user experience and also helps in management of data in the right way. The use of JavaScript also plays a handy role in fast recovery of the data. It has become a dependable and dominant framework that helps developers to build the web applications. Both Node.js and Angular.js offers a better possibility to make mountable and dynamic web applications which boosts the chances of traffic increase.
Scalability of functioning:
In order to handle growing amount of data coming out of the increasing workload, enterprise applications much ensure higher scalability. The sole thread asynchronous structural design of Node.js progresses the scalability and performance of the application. Instead of using mutexes, thread, and synchronization it uses queues, events so that scalability can be improved. The old-style servers such as Apache HTTP server handle the entreaties by creating fixed number of threads. But this is not in the case of Node.js. The single threaded model and event looping will allow the server to react in a non-blocking way. MongoDB offers both cluster scale as well as data scale through features like mongo sharing, mongo replica.
Operational Security:
The issue of security is of vital importance. MongoDB provides various features, such as authentication, encryption and access control to protect MongoDB deployments. MongoDB also offers the Security Checklist for a list of recommended activities to protect a MongoDB deployment. Node.js community offers a number of inherent features and bundles to prevent security matters like brute force attack.
Cost effective
The cost of using web technology is a major factor that comes into play while choosing what to use and what not to use. The budget friendly nature of MEAN stack has made it a favourite of not only the developers but also the client businesses. Due to the present of all JavaScript technologies in a single framework, clients do not need to search for different and separate developers. It gives the opportunity for developers to work as an efficient team where all JavaScript developers are allocated a project and they work on it with synchronization. The developers can conveniently share the codes with one another and it is reusable within the stack.
The user friendly and most efficient qualities of MEAN stack technologies have made it a top choice of web developers to build dynamic and flexible latest web applications. It provides you the ease to build single-page application to more complex applications. Now these days many companies that provide Web development servicesare working on building high end web applications based on MEAN Stack technologies and with the trained and talented team of web developers we are gearing up with more innovative and flexible web solutions for you.
