MEAN (solution stack)

MEAN (MongoDB, Express.js, AngularJS (or Angular), and Node.js)[1] is a free and open-source JavaScript software stack for building dynamic web sites and web applications.[2]

For other uses, see Mean (disambiguation).
Common logo used to represent MEAN stacks.

Because all components of the MEAN stack support programs that are written in JavaScript, MEAN applications can be written in one language for both server-side and client-side execution environments.

Though often compared directly to other popular web development stacks such as the LAMP stack, the components of the MEAN stack are higher-level including a web application presentation layer and not including an operating system layer.[3]

The acronym MEAN was coined by Valeri Karpov.[4] He introduced the term in a 2013 blog post and the logo concept, initially created by Austin Anderson for the original MEAN stack LinkedIn group, is an assembly of the first letter of each component of the MEAN acronym.[5]

Software components

MongoDB
Main article: MongoDB

MongoDB is a NoSQL database program that uses JSON-like BSON (binary JSON) documents with schema.

The role of the database in the MEAN stack is very commonly filled by MongoDB because its use of JSON-like documents for interacting with data as opposed to the row/column model allows it to integrate well with the other (JavaScript-based) components of the stack.[6]

Express.js
Main article: Express.js

Express.js (also referred to as Express) is a modular web application framework package for Node.js.[7]

Whilst Express is capable of acting as an internet-facing web server, even supporting SSL/TLS out of the box, it is often used in conjunction with a reverse proxy such as NGINX or Apache for performance reasons.[8]

Angular and alternatives
Main articles: Angular (web framework), React (web framework), and Vue.js

Typically data is fetched using Ajax techniques and rendered in the browser on the client-side by a client-side application framework, however as the stack is commonly entirely JavaScript-based, in some implementations of the stack, server-side rendering where the rendering of the initial page can be offloaded to a server is used so that the initial data can be prefetched before it is loaded in the user's browser.[9]

Angular (MEAN), React (MERN) and Vue.js (MEVN) are the most popular amongst other web application frameworks used in the stack and a number of variations on the traditional MEAN stack are available by replacing the web application framework with similar frameworks, or even by removing this component of the stack altogether (MEN).[10]

Node.js
Main article: Node.js

Node.js is the application runtime that the MEAN stack runs on.

The use of Node.js which is said to represent a "JavaScript Everywhere" paradigm[11] is integral to the MEAN stack which relies on that concept.

gollark: Hold on, I'll go recompile a build.
gollark: oh dear, troubling.
gollark: Wait, you've actually interacted with actual people there?
gollark: https://pastebin.com/7HSiHybr
gollark: I do have an archive of all my pastes there, but if they do kill it completely I'll have to fix a lot of stuff.

See also

References
  1. "us-en_cloud_learn_mean-stack-explained". www.ibm.com. IBM Cloud Education. 2019-05-09. Archived from the original on 2020-05-14. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
  2. Dickey, Jeff (2014-09-24). Write Modern Web Apps with the MEAN Stack: Mongo, Express, AngularJS, and Node.js. Peachpit Press. ISBN 9780133962376.
  3. "LAMP vs MEAN, Deciding the right stack for your startup". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
  4. "The MEAN Stack: MongoDB, ExpressJS, Angular and Node.js". Tumblr. Apr 30, 2013.
  5. "Mean Stack". LinkedIn.
  6. "The most popular database for modern apps". MongoDB. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
  7. "Express - Node.js web application framework". expressjs.com. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
  8. II, Thomas Hunter (2019-03-28). "Why should I use a Reverse Proxy if Node.js is Production-Ready?". Medium. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
  9. "Features - Server Side Rendering | Next.js". nexts.org. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
  10. holfener, Frys. "Offshore MEAN Stack Development". Imenso Software. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  11. "JavaScript Everywhere and the Three Amigos (WebSphere: Into the wild BLUE yonder!)". 2013-11-14. Archived from the original on 2013-11-14. Retrieved 2020-02-16.

Further reading
  • Haviv, Amos Q. (2014). MEAN Web Development: Master real-time web application development using a mean combination of MongoDB, Express, Angular JS, and Node.js. Birmingham, UK: Packt Publishing. ISBN 978-1783983285.
  • Holmes, Simon (2019). Getting MEAN with Mongo, Express, Angular, and Node, Second Edition. Shelter Island, NY: Manning Publishing. ISBN 9781617294754.
  • Holmes, Simon (2015). Getting MEAN with Mongo, Express, AngularJs, and Node. Shelter Island, NY: Manning Publishing. ISBN 9781617292033.
  • Dickey, Jeff (2014). Write Modern Web Apps with the MEAN Stack: Mongo, Express, AngularJS, and Node.js (Develop and Design). San Francisco, CA: Peachpit Press. ISBN 978-0133930153.
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