Developing a Web-driven application (either mobile or browser-based) typically requires the provisioning of some server-side infrastructure as well as the development of some code to run on it. Such code will often consume APIs. But occasionally, it provide them as well. For many years, the go-to infrastructure in such situations was affectionately referred to as the LAMP stack and it primarily involved Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP, Perl or Python. But, thanks in part to Javascript’s applicability to both client and server-side scripting, there’s an another stack that’s now widely considered as an alternative to LAMP; the MEAN stack.

 

What’s LAMP?

Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP. The holy grail of web development for at least as long as I can remember. This stack represents the foundation of the web.

While its age may be showing, its maturity is strong. The LAMP stack can be altered to replace MySQL with MongoDB, and PHP with Python. The acronym defines a low level configuration for web applications.

What’s MEAN?

 

MongoDB, ExpressJS, AngularJS and Node.js makes up the MEAN stack. A powerful JavaScript driven stack with diverse capabilities.

Comparatively to LAMP, the database layer is replaced completely with JSON storage using MongoDB. JSON is the native data language of JavaScript. While relatively young, the framework has a growing number of supporters.

This stack is basically a JavaScript lover’s dream.

Now we will look at points , why MEAN is better.

 

Node.js is superfast

 

Apache was great, but these days, Node.js is often flat-out faster. A number of benchmarks show that Node.js offers better performance, while doing much more. Perhaps it’s the age of the code. Perhaps the Node.js event-driven architecture is quicker. It doesn’t matter. These days, especially among impatient mobile device users, shaving even milliseconds off your app’s performance is important and Node.js can do that, while offering a Turing-complete mechanism for reprogramming it.

 

MongoDB is built for the cloud

 

If your Web app plans include making good on the pennies-per-CPU promise of the cloud, the MEAN stack offers a compelling database layer in MongoDB. This modern database comes equipped with automatic sharding and full cluster support, right out of the box. Plug in MongoDB and it spreads across your cluster of servers to offer failover support and automatic replication. Given the ease with which apps can be developed, tested, and hosted in the cloud, there’s little reason not to consider MongoDB for your next project.

 

MySQL’s structure is confining (and overrated)

 

Anyone who has developed or maintained a LAMP-based app for any amount of time knows that MySQL’s strength as a relational database can feel a bit imprisoning at times. Like all relational databases, MySQL forces you to push your data into tables. This isn’t a problem if every single entry fits into exactly the same format, but how often is the world that generous? What if two people share the same address but not the same account? What if you want to have three lines to the address instead of two? Who hasn’t tried to fix a relational database by shoehorning too much data into a single column? Or else you end up adding yet another column, and the table grows unbounded.

MongoDB, on the other hand, offers a document structure that is far more flexible. Want to add a new bit of personal information to your user profiles? Simply add the field to your form, roll it up with the rest of the data in a JSON document, and shove it into your MongoDB collection. This is great for projects in flux and for dealing with data that may ultimately prove tricky to constrain in table form.

 

Angular is a Plus

 

It’s not exactly fair to compare the “A” in “MEAN” with anything in the LAMP stack because LAMP doesn’t include an analog. If you want to do anything on the client side, you’re on your own. Sure, there are plenty of good PHP-based frameworks that work with MySQL, but each is a bit different and moving in its own direction. AngularJS has been developed as well as maintained by dedicated Google engineers. This means that there is a huge community out there for you to learn from. Apart from that, there are engineers that can help you tackle any challenges you face on the way. It also means that clients get what they want. Most frameworks require programmers to splitting the app into multiple MVC components. After that, the programmer has to write a code to put them together again. AngularJS, however, strings it together automatically. That saves you time, and reduces the app’s time-to-market.

 

AngularJS is more intuitive as it makes use of HTML as a declarative language. Moreover, it is less brittle for reorganizing. AngularJS is a comprehensive solution for rapid front-end development. It does not need any other plugins or frameworks. Moreover, there are a range of other features that include Restful actions, data building, dependency injection, enterprise-level testing, etc. AngularJS is unit testing ready, and that is one of its most compelling advantages.

 

Node.js simplifies the server layer

 

Navigating the various layers of the LAMP stack can be a difficult dance of many hats, one that has you shuffling through various config files with differing syntax. MEAN simplifies this through use of Node.js.

Want to change how your app routes requests? Sprinkle in some JavaScript and let Node.js do the rest. Want to change the logic used to answer queries? Use JavaScript there as well. If you want to rewrite URLs or construct an odd mapping, it’s also in JavaScript. The MEAN stack’s reliance on Node.js put this kind of pipework all in one place, all in one language, all in one pile of logic. You don’t need to reread the man pages for PHP, Apache, and whatever else you add to the stack. While the LAMP generation has different config files for everything, Node.js avoids that issue altogether. Having everything in one layer means less confusion and less chance of strange bugs created by weird interactions between multiple layers.

 

JSON everywhere

 

AngularJS and MongoDB both speak JSON, as do Node.js and Express.js. The data flows neatly among all the layers without rewriting or reformatting. MySQL’s native format for answering queries is, well, all its own. Yes, PHP already has the code to import MySQL data and make it easy to process in PHP, but that doesn’t help the client layer. This may be a bit minor to seasoned LAMP veterans because there are so many well-tested libraries that convert the data easily, but it all seems a bit inefficient and confusing. MEAN uses the same JSON format for data everywhere, which makes it simpler and saves time reformatting as it passes through each layer. Plus, JSON’s ubiquity through the MEAN stack makes working with external APIs that much easier: GET, manipulate, present, POST, and store all with one format.

 

Its your choice

 

Of course, if you’re really picky, there’s no reason why you can’t mix it up a bit. Plenty of developers use MongoDB with Apache and PHP, and others prefer to use MySQL with Node.js. AngularJS works quite well with any server, even one running PHP to deliver data from MySQL. You don’t have to be a slave to the acronyms.

This post is inspired from another blog written on this topic