In order for you to thrive in the digital environment, you need to understand the implications of the changing technology landscape on your organization.
Not too many years ago, before social media, mobility, the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud, and big data entered the field, technology stacks (the different layers of technology required to implement an application) were simpler. A good example is the Microsoft stack: .NET languages for programming, IIS as a web and application server, and the SQL Server database.
Today, technology stacks have exploded.Now We have platforms such as Microsoft Nano Server, Deis, Fastly, Apache Spark and Kubernetes. New tools pop up every week including Docker Toolbox, Prometheus and Sleepy Puppy. Programming languages and new frameworks such as Nancy, Axon, Frege, and Traveling Ruby are in the market now. This list grows everyday and will be growing more rapidly in near future.
Top Factors when selecting your Startup Tech Stack
v Type of project-
The variety of projects is the most critical aspect for choosing the best tech stack for a startup. Small projects can be achieved by content management systems like WordPress. But for a complex projects, need for specially designed functions arises.
v Time to Market-
The longer your project takes to come to market, the harder it will be for you to succeed. You might have a competitor getting their idea out first, which means you'll have to play catch-up. Or, you might run out of money fighting a tech that takes frustratingly long to use.
v Scalability-
Your application must be developed to control the growth spurt with the increase in the app users. The tech stack should be able to accommodate the future growth of the app. The dimensions of the growth could be vertical as well as the horizontal.
v Maintenance-
Maintenance of the Application depends on the codebase and underlying software architecture. For maintenance, it is essential to choose the programming language that is short and reusable codes. Besides, the software architecture supports the probability, re-usability, and scalability of the app that influences the configuration of the dynamic and static components.
v Availability of talent-
Many technologies are good but finding a good developer may become a tedious task because in-demand developers are already taken,
v Team’s Expertise-
If you have a assembled team then the developer’s expertise is also a crucial factor to consider while selecting the best tech stack for your startup.
Benefits of choosing the right Tech Stack
Ø It will last for much your startup’s duration and can bring many benefits to your business.
Ø It also makes it easier to develop a minimum value product (MVP). This implies the minimum set of features that needs to be included in your product to make it work. MVP is the first version of project that you can ship to investors.
Ø A good technology for your startup will make it easier for your company to find developers. For a new startup, it is crucial to implement the app developments which customers are asking for. Adding new features to the app is a tedious task.
Ø It will give your developers a clean, robust codebase that has fewer bugs, this leads to devs becoming more faster, and higher customer satisfaction.
Ø It also promotes healthy software practices. These practices will make your developers life more easier so they can produce better software for your customers.
Tech Stacks used by the unicorns
Facebook- PHP, React, Cassandra, Jest
Airbnb- PHP,Python, JavaScript, Java, Ruby
Letgo- PHP, Symfony, MySQL, Python
SpaceX- PHP, Python, JavaScript, Java, Ruby, C/C++
Slack- PHP, Python, JavaScript, Java, Go, Ruby, C/C++, Kotlin, Objective-C
In Trend Tech Stacks to use and their applications
Web Application
Backend
1)Node.js with Express
Ø For simple applications, Node.JS might be the best option. It's fast, relatively lightweight, and developers can use their frontend JavaScript experience to write backend APIs as well.
Ø Node.js can do everything that web JavaScript can do, including web messaging and JavaScript-style promises.
Ø For startups, Node.js with Express is often the fastest way to launch a prototype. It also scales well when the site becomes busier.
If your backend will be relatively lightweight, Node.js with Express offers rapid prototyping. You can showcase progress quickly!
2)PHP with Symfony
PHP is an old framework that has withstood the test of time.
Ø PHP is very customizable and easy to maintain. No matter what you want to do in PHP, you can do it.
Ø Its dynamic typing makes it a pleasure to use, for the most part. It also makes it very well-suited for web applications.
Ø Facebook uses PHP, so it scales well!
More complex sites can often use PHP to write their backends efficiently and with scalability in mind.
3)Python with Django
Python is a relative newcomer to the webspace.
Ø Django handles many things nicely for developers. For example, it implements user authentication, which leads to more rapid prototyping.
Ø Python's unique syntax and structure mean that most people — even non-technical people — can pick it up and make some changes. The fact that it is so easy to edit speeds up the entire team!
If you want a fast, robust framework with a language that makes it easy to prototype, Python and Django are for you!
4)Database Startup Tech Stack
MongoDB (NoSQL)
Ø NoSQL databases are the best option when you want to store your data in a non-tabular fashion. With MongoDB, your database entry can contain almost anything.
Ø MongoDB scales well.
If you think your app will need to store your data more flexibly, use MongoDB.
MySQL (SQL)
Ø Stores data efficiently in a tabular manner.
Ø It scales well. Even tables with hundreds of thousands of rows work in MySQL.
MySQL or MariaDB are the best options for storing your data in a tabular fashion. Any data that has a well-defined structure is frequently better in a SQL-based table like MySQL.
Frontend
React
Ø Very easy to prototype. The declarative architecture makes it easy to mock UIs and do other prototypes.
Ø It's efficient and looks great. The virtual DOM that React provides makes it very performant. React ensures that only the components that need updating, actually update.
Select React for your frontend development. It's growing in popularity, and more and more people are learning about it. You'll be able to find top-quality developer talent if you choose to use React.
Cloud/AWS
AWS is the most massive cloud globally used and ranks #1 in terms of the number of customers. Azure by Microsoft and GCP by Google are closing the gap, but most people use AWS.
Ø AWS has tremendous flexibility.
Ø They have the most robust infrastructure as compared to other cloud providers.
Ø AWS can handle pretty much any website. Most big-name sites that you've heard are already on AWS.
AWS should be your go-to provider for cloud services. If you don't need the cloud, you can skip this!
Mobile Application
React-Native
It was the most common cross-platform development solution until Flutter was launched by Google. Developed by Facebook, React-Native makes it easier to bring mobile apps to life. Now use of these cross-platform development is divided.
Ø Declarative programming makes life significantly easier. It's a significant paradigm change, but the result is cleaner, more testable code than other platforms.
Ø React-Native is remarkably quick for a cross-platform solution. Unless your app is incredibly complex, you shouldn't see too much of a speed hit using React-Native vs. native.
With an established community and a "write-one run on Android and iPhone" attitude, you should consider React-Native for your cross-platform development needs.
Native (Kotlin for Android and Swift for iOS)
Before Kotlin was made official language for Android Development Java was the option available. You can use Java now if don’t have Kotlin developers.
Ø Developing your apps using native APIs enables you to use the latest features and always have the fastest execution times.
Ø Optimization, including debugging performance, is often easiest on native code because there are no layers of abstraction in between.
While it is tedious to maintain two codebases, there are scenarios where you want the best performance and latest features. In those cases, native development is the way to go!