Top 10 Differences Between Mean Stack and Full Stack Development

 How do you know whether you should hire a mean stack developer or a full stack developer? Does the title full stack developer imply that the person in question knows just as much about front-end development and back-end development? Or does it mean something else entirely? If you’re considering hiring either of these kinds of developers, then you probably have questions like these running through your head. To help clear things up, we’ve created this guide to explain the differences between these two types of developers, along with some resources to help you decide which one would be best for your business.

1) Frontend

Frontend is focused on delivering a smooth user experience using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It’s more of a design role (as opposed to backend which is more about development). The focus here is on what your users see/experience as they interact with your application—the interface. A frontend developer should have good knowledge of HTML/CSS, JavaScript frameworks such as AngularJS or ReactJS, and other tools such as Gulp/Grunt for tasks like compilation of CSS or JS into single files or performing end-to-end unit testing.

2) Backend

A lot of developers make a distinction between full stack and mean stack development. When we talk about full-stack, we’re referring to both front-end development (the client side) and back-end (the server side). This means you have someone who can develop all aspects of your site—from front to back. For example, if you’re starting a SaaS business or building an eCommerce site that has an inventory management component, a full stack developer is what you want to hire. With mean stack , on the other hand, you're specifically hiring someone for front-end work.

Also Read: Full Stack Development in 2022: What It is, Its Benefits & Uses

3) DevOps

The Short of It - DevOps is short for development operations. The name means that processes traditionally performed by developers are being taken over by system administrators. For example, if a developer works on an app, but then turns it over to be deployed for production use, a sysadmin would usually handle that part of its life cycle. But with DevOps, developers are learning to perform those functions themselves because it makes them more valuable employees. This is still new territory for many businesses—some even have entire teams dedicated solely to DevOps—so we’ve put together a quick overview of what you need to know about DevOps so you can evaluate if your business could benefit from switching things up.

4) Mobile App

With full stack development, you hire an entire team that works together to create a website or web application. This team includes a front-end developer, back-end developer, database administrator, project manager and QA engineer. Each of these experts will focus on his or her core skill set to help develop your app or website; however, you'll have less flexibility in choosing specific technologies because they're all working together as one unit. This means that while they may not be specialists in each area of your site's development—as is typical with mean stack development—they can still function independently of each other if necessary. With full stack developers on staff, you gain more control over your project but also need to coordinate multiple people instead of simply consulting one expert in a given area.

5) Testing

Hire Dedicated Full-Stack Developer : If you need a full stack, dedicated developer to manage your backend API, frontend CSS and Javascript development needs, then it's best to hire a dedicated full stack developer. They will ensure that all components of your app or website are synced properly. This person should be proficient in all three areas (front end, back end and database) but also specialize in one of them. For example, if you need someone to run your API for instance you want to hire a back end developer as opposed to hiring someone who is only good at front end work or can just update SQL databases.

Also Read Best Full Stack Web Development Tools To Use

6) Security

A recent study found that full-stack developers are much more vulnerable to cyberattacks than their mean stack counterparts. This makes sense, because most full-stack developers usually have a lot of open ports on their machines, making them prime targets for malicious attacks. The study reported an alarming 1 in 4 full-stack developers don't use any security measures at all! If you're thinking about hiring a full-stack developer, make sure they use secure coding practices before bringing them on. Or if you're thinking about becoming a full-stack developer yourself, consider studying up on IT security so that you'll be able to close these gaping holes in your code (because otherwise, you might as well just wave goodnight to all your personal data).

7) Database Management

Dedicated or Full-Stack Database Management - Which is Right for You? There’s a lot of debate about whether it’s better to hire dedicated full-stack database management or to hire mean stack developers. Most companies understand that hiring only dedicated 

full-stack database management might not be as efficient, but there are some situations where you might want to consider hiring a single developer with every tool on their belt. This decision also has implications when looking at which type of full stack development company to hire, so we’ll talk more about that below. Regardless of your decision, make sure you know what you’re asking before you decide that either dedicated full-stack database management or mean stack development is right for your project.

Also Read: Why MEAN Stack is Best for Web Development?

8) Version Control

One of the biggest differences between mean stack and full stack development is version control. Both types of developers typically use one type of software for version control, but it’s not exactly a huge similarity. Means stack uses Git to implement version control; full-stack development uses both Git and SVN (Subversion). The main difference here is that subversion takes a more hierarchical approach while git takes a decentralized approach. Other than that, they are pretty much identical in how they function. If you want to get an in-depth look at these two different approaches, check out Git vs Subversion: Battle of Two Version Control Systems, which was written by an engineer who has worked on both systems.

9) Project Management

One of my favorite things about mean stack development is that tasks are usually handled in a project management framework, which allows you to easily track your team’s progress. If a developer gets stuck on a problem, their manager or someone else in their group can review what they’ve done so far and continue building off of it. In other words, there isn’t just one person working on something with little communication with others; instead, many people get involved and collectively move things forward much more quickly than if only one person was working on it from start to finish. With full stack development, however, projects aren’t typically managed like that—many times only one person works on something from start to finish.

10) Coding Framework

Vue.js, Node.js, Express.js : Regardless of your stack choice, you will always need to code web apps—and there’s no getting around that fact. But whether you go with MEAN or full stack development , choosing a coding framework can be a tricky decision, as they all have pros and cons. So to help you out in your decision-making process (if you haven’t already made up your mind), here are some key differences between Vue.js, Node.js and Express

Also Read Full-Stack vs MEAN vs MERN: Which Development Stack Should You Choose?