Hire a Mean Stack Developer

As we all know, the 21st century is indeed a digital era. Therefore, to build any application in this digital world, developers need a software stack that is both consistent and standardized. To create a strong and stable backend, we need a set of tools (libraries, frameworks, programming languages, and more) that can reduce development time as well as cost. However, in the current scenario, the stack field is crowded due to the availability of numerous software stacks such as Ruby on Rails, LAMP, and more. This led many developers to use a combination of technologies to get faster and better solutions in web and mobile platforms.

MEAN Stack is one of the popular examples of such a kind of technology stack. It is a set of JavaScript technologies and an acronym for MongoDB, ExpressJS, AngularJS, and NodeJS. MEAN supports full-stack web application development. Each module communicates with the others with this technology stack, and data flows from backend to frontend.. It is a free, open-source, and user-friendly technology stack. Moreover, the MEAN stack provides a single language (JavaScript) that runs on every tier of the application. This helps in making an efficient and modern approach to web application development.

Components of MEAN Stack Architecture

MEAN stack applications are scalable, extensible, and flexible, making them the ideal candidate for cloud hosting. The programming language used on MEAN facilitates a unique execution environment for the server-side and client-side. For building an application, the MEAN stack architecture includes the four components, which are as follows:

1. MongoDB: One of the major advantages of the MEAN stack is that it has the most dynamic NoSQL database in the form of MongoDB. This database is more flexible as it uses a schema-less design. This flexibility leads to rapid application development and is very helpful when dealing with fast-changing requirements. It is an open-source, cross-platform database that is written in C++. In MongoDB, data is stored in the form of key-value pairs, using binary data types like JSON. This document-oriented database is a perfect choice for a database system where developers need to manage large-sized tables with millions of data. MongoDB can run over multiple servers. The data is duplicated to keep the system up and running in case of hardware failure. MongoDB also supports Master-Slave replication. A master performs read and write operations while a slave copies data from the master and is used only to read data. With MongoDB, data is placed in fragments, and hence it supports automatic load balancing. Overall, MongoDB facilitates better performance with increased development speed.

2. ExpressJS: The backend of any web application holds the real magic. So, a complicated backend leads to an equally complicated application. The major highlight of MEAN stack components and benefits is the usage of ExpressJS for handling backend development. It is a flexible NodeJS framework used for web application development. It makes the entire development process easy and allows for fast and modular application building. Express acts as a layer built on top of NodeJS that helps manage routes and the server. It provides an efficient and robust set of features to develop both mobile and web applications. It is a minimalist framework built to manage the application processes leaving no room for clutter. ExpressJS is a great error handler that includes easy templates to accelerate development speed. ExpressJS has another useful framework called CommonJS that saves time by ensuring that the developer doesn't have to redefine a variable within a shared namespace. It can also be used to build single-page, multi-page, and hybrid web applications. Powered by Google, ExpressJS helps with better performance without any errors or lags. ExpressJS also bolsters the caching feature that helps avoid re-execution of the codes, which in turn reduces the loading time of web pages.

3. AngularJS: This framework is used to build the frontend of the MEAN stack application. It is an open-source framework and can be freely used, changed, and shared by anyone. The primary goal of AngularJS is to introduce MVC (Model View Controller) architecture in the browser-based application that facilitates faster and easier development and testing processes. The modular structure of AngularJS allows developers to segregate the complete application into exclusive features. Thus, reusable pieces of code can be easily identified. This feature also ensures that new developers don't find it hard to understand the code. The entire process saves a lot of development time. AngularJS supports lazy loading, and hence, the browser instantly shows the data requested by users. This prevents the unnecessary downloading of the entire data. Another important feature of AngularJS is CLI (command line interface). CLI makes the app development process simple and enhances the quality of code. Developers who work with AngularJS use TypeScript for writing, a JavaScript-like typed language that compiles to JavaScript. Typescript allows the developers to find and fix errors on the go. The dependency injection feature of AngularJS defines a design pattern in which components are given their dependencies rather than hard coding them within the component. All in all, AngularJS is an ideal frontend solution due to its well-tuned performance and easy-to-use templates.

4. NodeJS: NodeJS is a cross-platform runtime environment and library for running JavaScript applications outside the browser. It is used for creating web applications such as single-page applications, video streaming sites, and more. It is a free-to-use open-source platform. Basic modules of NodeJS are usually written in JavaScript. NodeJS makes use of asynchronous events to simultaneously process multiple connections. This helps the NodeJS runtime environment to adopt a single-thread architecture, maintaining a smooth user experience across multiple connections. This process drastically improves the time to market cycle. NodeJS allows for immediate feedback from the production environment making deployment procedure easy and simple. NodeJS also helps with better scalability, and it eliminates the necessity to switch between the server (backend) and the client (frontend).

NodeJS also has a huge developer support community due to its maturity and reliability. NodeJS also makes MVP development easy and quick. Overall, NodeJS is far more compatible to work with low-resource requests when compared to resource-intensive resources.

MEAN Stack is the most promising combination of technologies used by developers for web application development. To be a strong MEAN stack developer, one needs to be proficient in a set of related skills. While hiring a MEAN stack developer, one needs to make sure that the prospective candidate has strong knowledge in all four components (i.e., MongoDB, ExpressJS, AngularJS, and NodeJS). Additionally, it is also important to have expertise in JavaScript language. The perfect candidate might not be well-versed with all the required tech stack, but the basic web application development experience and the willingness to pick and learn new skills can play a vital role. So, an ideal candidate should have the ability to learn and adapt to the dynamic working environment.

Required Expertise

Requirements - Hard Skills

• Hands-on experience in developing web applications using JavaScript on both server and client-side
• In-depth knowledge in NodeJS, ExpressJS or Restify
• Proficiency in AngularJS, HTML5, CSS3, LESS/SAS and experience in building frontend applications using the same
• Good understanding of modern frameworks and design patterns
• Deep knowledge in AWS technology and experience in server management
• Strong knowledge of NoSQL databases and hands-on experience in MongoDB
• Familiarity with coding standards and unit testing
• Solid understanding of multiple data sources and databases integration
• Proficiency in creating scalable and reliable systems with ease
• Good understanding of backend programming languages such as Python, Ruby, or PHP
• Strong knowledge in Git and design framework like MotionUI
• Basic understanding of workflow and architecture
• Familiarity with security and encryption concepts
• Hands-on experience in writing clean and testable code
• Strong debugging and problem-solving skills
• Ability to stick to deadlines and deliver end products on time

Experience

MEAN stack developers have a vast range of tasks to conquer. Like any other web developer, MEAN developers should have strong analytical skills and the ability to think out of the box. Listed are some of the most common responsibilities of a MEAN stack developer:

• Defining code architecture decisions and developing high-performance and scalable solutions
• Designing and maintaining both relational and non-relational databases
• Architecting, testing, and deploying robust and highly responsive products
• Establishing, refining, and integrating development environment software and tools as per the requirement
• Identifying and addressing technical issues
• Collaborating with data integration specialists and other resources to build efficient systems
• Troubleshooting, updating, and deploying software

Salary Structure

The ongoing pandemic has forced companies and workforces to resort to remote working. Whether you're looking for freelance, full-time, or contract Mean Stack developers, we at Skuad can help you hire the best talent tailored to your requirements and industry.

Source: Mean Stack Developer Salary in USA - Average Salary

Industry Expertise

We cater to various sectors - Edutech, Fintech, Healthcare, Logistics & Transport, Retail & Ecommerce, Travel, Banking, Media, and more. From selecting to onboarding, invoicing, compliances, and taxation, we act as your local HR to manage the day-to-day operations related to your overseas employees.

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