Most development companies normally offer open source development services, because of considerably low investments. Most reputed developers allow clients to choose development tools of their choice for website development. One of the most common of those choices is the choice of software stacks. 

Stacks are software bundles or a set of software that comprise a website’s back end. Generally, a software stack is a collection of components including operating system, web servers, APIs and programming language. If the client doesn’t specify a stack but opts for PHP development, most development firms would go for a LAMP stack.

When choosing a software stack, the first thing to keep in mind is that ‘newer doesn’t always mean better’ though it depends on the project and its scope. The programming skills of the development team, their expertise in a programming language, scalability requirements for your website etc. are important factors that tie into your choice. 

Let’s take a look at the various things you need to consider while choosing a stack. 

Your MVP and how you expect it to grow

MVP or Minimum Viable Product is the main set of deliverables you need for website deployment with not only the highest ROI but also at the lowest risks. Your expectations on your MVP can help you choose the ideal stack for the project. 

Scalability of the website

If you expect great growth for your website in the future, you should make sure that the website has a solid foundation. Your software stack choice greatly influences this factor. Vertical growth of the website means it may require more programs and processes integrated into it. Horizontal growth means the website may be required to run on more machines. It’d be wise to choose a stack that promotes growth of, or rather provides scalability for, the website.

The technical expertise of the development team

This is quite basic. Your choice of stack should also consider the technical expertise of the development team. If the team has been working with PHP for a while, LAMP stack or one of its many variants is the way to go. 

The ideal platform for the project

To figure out the right platform for the project, you need to consider the expected speed and scalability of your website, in addition to the project expense. The Node.js platform is generally seen as the platform of choice when it comes to speed and scalability. 

The cost factor would depend on the licenses, developer cost, development effort, maintenance and support costs etc. 

Data structure

Choosing a stack also depends on how your data is structured. A NoSQL database require other components that are compatible with the data format. If you are not tech-savvy enough to figure out the technicalities, you can seek help from your development company or a reliable web development services consultant. 

Maintenance and support

It’s still possible to reconfigure a stack once it’s been used. However, the better way is to keep the foundation as is. To ensure that the website functions the way it’s supposed to, you can have your in-house IT team monitor or seek maintenance and support from the development team. 

Conclusion

There are many software stacks available today combining the potential of powerful technologies to develop impressive websites. But, in most cases, the choice comes to down to either LAMP or MEAN. Though MEAN is often more preferred, LAMP stack is still considered to be one of the best options to develop robust websites. This is emphasized by the increase in number of companies offering LAMP development services. Hopefully, the tips in this article would make choosing a stack easier for you.