Mean Stack Tutorial

Web Development plays a vital role in this competitive world, and in order to make it more prominent - one of the technologies called MEAN stack is extensively used to build web apps. Using the MEAN stack makes it effortless to deploy and develop a wide variety of applications to the cloud. The collective group of JavaScript-based technologies, which develop different kinds of web applications is referred to as the MEAN stack.

Mean Stack Tutorial

Mean Stack Tutorial - Table of Content

What is a Mean Stack? Why learn Mean.js? Mean Stack Components Mean Stack Architecture Features of Mean Stack Mean Stack Applications Advantages and Disadvantages of Mean Stack Who is a Mean Stack Developer? Skill Set for Mean Stack Developer

What is a MEAN Stack?

MEAN is a relative collection of document databases and javascript frameworks such as MongoDB, ExpressJS, AngularJS, and Node.js.  MEAN is an end-to-end JavaScript stack mainly designed to create cloud-hosted applications. This MEAN has its web server present in it, which will be surging to optimize the cloud world by exploiting performance and cost savings. 

Why learn Mean.js?

• MEAN is open-source and cost-effective.
• While each of the MEAN can be used as a standalone solution, they perform well when used in a bundle.
• Mean is user-friendly and provides excellent UI.
• Fast MVP development and scalability.
• It reduces development costs and increases the developer’s efficiency.
• For data transfer, it uses JSON and MVC patterns. 
• To increase development speed, it provides additional frameworks, reusable modules, and libraries. 
• It’s well suited to the cloud.
• Mean is reusable

Therefore, without MEAN, we can’t do much on the web. It’s a complete package, and if you’re well-versed in JavaScript, it becomes easy for you to develop websites. Thus, learning MEAN also increases job opportunities.

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MEAN Stack Components

Components in the stack are made up of four different technologies, which are the acronym of MEAN. MongoDB, ExpressJS, AngularJS, and Node.js technologies play a major role in developing an ideal solution for building various fast and robust web-based applications.

What is MongoDB?

In the Mean acronym, M stands for MongoDB, an open-source, NoSQL, and cross-platform database that manages large volumes of data present in tables. The advantage of using MongoDB is to develop an entire application with one core source called JavaScript.

What is Express.js?

In the MEAN acronym, E stands for Express. It acts as a backend for the MEAN stack to handle all the operations between the database and front end. It’s a web application framework for Node.js, which is structured to ensure a secure and smooth transfer of data to end-users. 

What is AngularJS?

In the MEAN acronym, A stands for Angular. This technology in the stack helps developers build user-friendly applications to make the testing process easier.

What is NodeJS?

In the MEAN acronym, N stands for NodeJS.  The strength of this is its scalability, and it also acts as the backbone for the MEAN stack. It is mainly used for fast data serving.

MEAN Stack Architecture

MEAN is an open-source JavaScript framework used for building fast and robust web-based applications. It includes four building blocks to make an application.

• MongoDB − Document Database System (Store and retrieve data)
• Express − Back-end Web Framework (makes a request to a database)
• Node.js − Web Server Platform (Handles client and server requests)
• AngularJS − Front-end JavaScript Framework (Accepts requests and displays results to the end-user)

The below architecture diagram depicts the working of the MEAN Stack:

The entire working of Mean Stack architecture can be explained in 5 steps:

• Step 1: The client makes a request first, which is handled by AngularJS.
• Step 2: Then, the request will be passed onto the NodeJS Server called a parse request.
• Step 3: In step3, ExpressJS will call MongoDB to set the data, MongoDB retrieves the requested data and returns it to ExpressJS.
• Step 4: NodeJS will return the requested data to the client.
• Step 5: In the final step, AngularJS will display the result fetched from MongoDB.

Features of MEAN Stack

• It is designed to manage large amounts of data with high scalability and flexibility.
• MEAN builds extensible applications that are amended for cloud deployment.
• Streamline deployment is performed with a built-in server.
• It develops the entire application using a single language.

MEAN Stack Applications

MEAN may not be perfect for all the applications in an environment, but there are some specific applications where it is being used. The cloud-native applications make it a strong choice due to its flexibility, scalability, and ability to manage coeval users. The innovative applications using MEAN include,

• Tracking location and Mapping
• Calendars
• News aggregation sites
• Expense tracking
• Complimentary business apps.
• Enterprise apps.
• Multimedia streaming apps
• Web apps using big data

Advantages and Disadvantages of MEAN Stack

First, let’s look at the advantages of using MEAN Stack technology - 

1. Easy to switch between client and server: As MEAN Stack uses only one language as the base language, which is called JavaScript, so switching between client-side code to server-side code becomes easy. Developers don't need other tools for this requirement. 
2. Isomorphic Coding: Code transfer to another framework was made easier with MEAN Stack.
3. Open-Source: As all the technologies of MEAN are open-source, it's easy to access public repositories and libraries to make development faster.
4. MEAN is Cloud Compatible: It’s an ideal solution if you need your app to build cloud functionalities.
5. Best-suited for real-time applications: At present, real-time apps are trending. If you want to build such apps, MEAN Stack is the perfect solution. Unlike traditional technologies, it uses SPA(sign page applications). Hence for every server request, web pages don’t need to be updated. This technology enables all the changes during the development phase itself.
6. Supports MVC Architecture: MEAN supports model view controller architecture. It gives developers the freedom to deal with a variety of programming languages.
7. Time-saving: Mean Stack is the way to go option when you want to develop the application within stipulated deadlines.

Now, let’s look at some of the disadvantages of using MEAN Stack technology:

• It is not recommended for large-scale applications.
• There are no specific general JS coding guidelines.
• Once the code is developed using MEAN Stack, it's really hard to go back to the old approach.
• Bad isolation of the server from the app’s business logic.
• Possibility of losing records

Now that you understood what MEAN Stack is, its architecture, advantages, and disadvantages. Now, let’s move ahead and learn who a MEAN Stack developer is, and the skill sets required to become one, followed by salary trends.

Related Article: Top MEAN Stack Interview Questions

Who is a MEAN Stack Developer?

A MEAN Stack Developer is a person who specializes in developing applications with the so-called MEAN, a collection of JavaScript technologies(MongoDB, Express, Angular, and Node.js). They are capable of handling both back-end scripting and front-end operations.

Skillsets of Mean Stack Developer

• Should be familiar with HTML, javascript, and CSS programming languages.
• Possess strong knowledge of the client-side and server-side processes and requirements.
• Have a good understanding of the architecture and workflow. 
• Hands-on experience of Angular.js, Node.js, Express.js, and MongoDB is preferred.
• Familiarity with package manager-npm.   
• Should possess an in-depth understanding of SDLC and experience of developing in an agile environment.
• Familiarity with Git and MotionUI is desirable.
• Above all, one must possess critical thinking, communication, and time-management skills.

Mean Stack Developer Salary

As per Indeed, the average salary of a MEAN Stack Developer in India is around 6.5LPA. Such estimations are made on figures submitted by mean stack developers who are already working for different companies in the past two years. In the US, the average salary of a Mean Stack Developer is nearly $108k per annum.

Future of a Mean Stack Developer

Being a Mean Stack developer is a highly desirable vocation. If you’re ready to work on diverse skill sets and gain experience in various programming languages, Mean Stack is the right choice.

 The future of Mean Stack technology looks bright as there are unlimited growth and scope for web development. The job profile of Mean Stack developer comes with attractive salary packages and growth opportunities.

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed reading this blog and gained some valuable knowledge regarding Mean Stack.

If you have any queries, let us know in the comment section, our expert will get back to you earliest with the best possible solution.