Mean stack vs Jamstack

Here is the war of the tech future! The adrenaline tweak for developers, who want to count the blows given by the two opponents in the ring: MEAN Stack vs JAM Stack, Jam Stack- might be the new-kid-on-the-block, but it’s not definitely any weaker than the old-is- gold MEAN. So let’s find out who wins the victory belt!

Introducing… MEAN Stack!

MEAN is an acronym for MongoDB, Express.js, AngularJS, and Node.js. It is free and open-source software that works with JavaScript to build dynamic websites and web apps. All of its components are designed to support programs written in Java. The apps developed with Mean Stack can be written in one language for both the server and client sides of the execution environments.

It is also compared to other popular web development stacks like MERN Stack and LAMP stack, but look who is here in the fight! It’s JAM Stack!
Jamstack architecture has a lot of benefits too, whether you wanna build a large SaaS application or even a personal blog.

And here is… Jamstack!!!

Jamstack is unique and can be defined as a software architecture for web development, with three components i.e. JavaScript, API, and Markup. It can be used to build a blog site or perhaps a brand site like Louis Vuitton, Peloton, Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, and more such popular ones! Yes, they are built with Jamstack. So how did it all begin?

Once Upon a Time…

MEAN Stack came to life after the term was coined by Valeri Karpov in 2013, in a blog post; and once upon another time, Matt Biilmann gave the idea of JAM Stack in his presentation at the SmashingConf of 2016. Yup, that’s all, they weren’t well known back then, but skills speak and both evolved as popular stacks for developers.

Components in Mean Stack Vs JAM Stack

So what is the composition of these two competitors? Here’s some fodder for your mind-

MEAN Stack

MongoDB: it is a NoSQL database program that functions on BSON a.ka. binary JSON documents with a schema that helps in the development of databases.
Express.js: Express is a web application framework designed for Node.js. It can act as an internet-facing web server; used in conjunction with a reverse proxy.
AngularJS: Angular is also a web framework that enables developers to expand the HTML vocabulary for an application. It makes the environment easy to develop and read. Angular is the star diet of MEAN Stack.
Node.js: Node.js is the app runtime on which MEAN stack races to develop faster web servers. It is used for non-blocking, event-driven servers.

Jamstack

This is what consists of the ‘JAM’ in Jamstack:

Javascript: This popular and dynamic language had no restrictions and allows you to introduce it to pre-rendered sites on a requirement basis to increase the browser performance
API: Also known as Application Programming Interface is the server-side operations that connect computers and computer programs. These are scattered into reusable APIs and accessed over HTTPS with JavaScript.
Markup: It is what encodes text in a system by using symbols, keywords, names, tags, etc to build a page. Html is a mark-up language, for instance.

So Let the Fight Begin…MEAN Stack vs Jamstack

Mostly used for building websites; Mean Stack is popular because it allows the use of the same language for frontend and backend development. But here’s what makes each of them stand out-

The Hits of MEAN Stack and Jamstack

MEAN Stack

Write both the Client and Server-Side Codes: MEAN Stack enables developers to use the JAVA Script to write Client Codes and Server Codes. Hence, web applications based on JavaScript are easy to manage for developers.
Efficiently handles high-traffic and high-volume databases: MEAN is amazing for high-traffic sites and helps deal with expansive databases.

Jamstack

No reliance on Server-Side Codes: Jamstack doesn’t rely on server-side code and that’s exactly why it is amazing because it can straight away be served through a CDN, to unlock speed, performance, and a better UX overall.
Higher Security: Jamstack scatters server-side processes into microservice APIs which reduces the risk of attacks on surface areas.

The Misses of MEAN Stack and Jamstack

MEAN Stack

Not the best with relational data: MEAN wins in its dealings with large databases which comprise non-relational data, but for relational data, it’s not the victor which is its limitation.
Newer but not Better: Mean sees constant updates with newer frameworks. But it creates some problems, like low community knowledge, bugs in the system, and security issues.

Jamstack

Too much is too much for Jamstack: JAMStack responds limitedly with dynamic features. It doesn’t function well with high-volume databases such as e-commerce websites because it requires a database in order to manage the transactions.
It’s dependent on third-party systems: Jamstack is dependent upon third-party functions for its functioning which renders it unreliable because if any error occurs or obstacle arises with them, it’ll be directly proportional to Jamstack functioning.

The Verdict of the MEAN Stack vs Jamstack Tussle

Jamstack uses git workflows and modern tools to frame the new standard architecture for web development. To say one won over the other, would not be fair.

So let’s dig a little deeper- The 2021 Jamstack Community Survey by Netlify was conducted with developers and students, with 7000 responses accumulated, it was deduced that in 2021 Jamstack is getting popularized, and becoming a no-questions-asked choice for web developers.

Jamstack developers are in vogue because they are working mostly for mobile devices as the world shifts from big machines to smaller gadgets. Both Mean stack and Jamstack use JavaScript which is a popular choice amongst programmers and over 55% of developers choose javascript as a primary language.

Besides this, Jamstack is cheaper and easy to scale with the ability to serve files from anywhere in the world. Jamstack offers loose coupling and separation of controls, which helps with targeted development and debugging.

But… when you search for the most popular stack for web development, you’d end up with results cheering for MEAN Stack, why?

Not because Accenture, Fiverr, Vungle or Sisense use MEAN but because of its versatility in building and developing Mobile and Web apps and allows a seamless and accurate flow of information between the common JSON layers.

Its flexibility renders ease of testing apps on the cloud platform or adding extra information. It is cheap as well, just like Jamstack. It is easy to transfer the code written in one specific framework to another framework with ease.

It’s a close battle as both the stacks are cloud-friendly; popular with developers and advancing in newer developments each day in the world of mobile and web app development.

We are one of the Top Mobile and Web App Development companies. Looking for some tweaks to your framework? Connect with us here.

Do you know which framework is most popular for building enterprise apps? Read this to find out.
Wanna know how MEAN Stack will perform in the future? Read the blog here.

Want to hire MEAN Stack Developers? Check this out.

Sources:

https://jamstack.wtf/
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.freecodecamp.org/news/what-is-the-jamstack-and-how-do-i-host-my-website-on-it/amp/
https://jamstack.org/survey/2021/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MEAN_(solution_stack)
https://www.zazz.io/mean-stack-application-development.html

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Rachit Agarwal

Director and Co-Founder at Algoworks Technologies

Rachit is leading the mobility business development function, mobility strategy and consulting practice at Algoworks. He is an expert of all mobile technologies and has experience in managing teams involved in the development of custom iPhone/iPad/Android apps.