MEAN Vs. LAMP: Finding the Right Fit For Your Next Project

snydeq writes: LAMP diehards take note: The flexible simplicity of MongoDB, ExpressJS, AngularJS, and Node.js is no joke and could very well be a worthwhile stack for your next programming project, writes InfoWorld's Peter Wayner. "It was only a few years ago that MongoDB, Express.js, AngularJS, and Node.js were raising eyebrows on their own. Now they've grown up and ganged up, and together they're doing serious work, poaching no small number of developers from the vast LAMP camp. But how exactly does this newfangled MEAN thing stack up against LAMP? When is it better to choose the well-tested, mature LAMP over this upstart collection of JavaScript-centric technologies?"

Comments

Great comparison

[Anonymous Coward]

Which is a better tool for outdoor work, a lawn mower or a snowblower?

Angular

[pr0nbot]

I can't comment on the other technologies, but Angular has transformed how I build the interactive parts of web pages.

When you first approach Angular it seems like an over-engineered, incomprehensible edifice, and the tutorial throws you straight into writing your whole website as a single-page application. But once your realise that you can use a small lump of it on a single page to bind some UI elements to javascript state objects, you find yourself using it all the time even for small things. For me at least, it's as much a revelation as jquery was.

Re:The Fuck?

[wonkey_monkey]

I enjoyed this gem:

If you write code for Node and decide it’s better placed in AngularJS, you can move it over with ease, and it's almost certain to run the same way.

Yes, if there's one thing professional programmers (and their PHBs) love, it's code that's almost certain to work.

So much stupid

[geophile]

Among the great revelations of relational databases was the JOIN command. With JOIN, we could save disk space by removing repeated fields like city, state, and ZIP code. By storing this frequently accessed and repeated data in separate tables that can be included in future results through a JOIN, we keep our database tidy and our disks slim. But JOINs can be tricky for some and hard on RAM, and though it's still a good idea to isolate and access data in separate tables through JOINs, there's not as much need to save disk space now that disk drives are measured in multiple terabytes. The space is so cheap that some database designers end up denormalizing their data because the JOINs are too slow.

This is just so wrong. If you store, let's say, city/state/zip redundantly, then you run the risk of having the copies, that should be kept synchronized, diverge. This is especially true in the absence of all-or-none transactions. And not to mention the fact that having to update the "same" datum in multiple places is going to affect performance.

Re:Different types of terms

[mr_mischief]

Something other than Node is likely used for the static parts of a site or for caching. Apache or Nginx are likely candidates. There are endless stack names, and they can be as silly as we want and someone could still build something useful on them. LAMP got coined because the stack was so popular together, with the 'P' being /P(erl|HP|ython)/ in many camps. That doesn't mean they'll all catch on as common, popular stacks.

Some people use BAPP -- BSD, Apache, PostgreSQL, Perl/Python/PHP. Some people use specifically FreeBSD: FAPP. Some people use FreeBSD, Apache, Perl, and SQLite...

Here are some other less common web stacks:

MongoDB, ExpressJS, Linux, AngularJS, NodeJS, Groovy, Erlang
MELANGE

Scala, Python, AngularJS, Zope
SPAZ

Clojure, Linux, Oracle DB, WebGL, Nginx
CLOWN

PostgreSQL, io.js, Scala, Solaris, Erlang, D
PISSED

SQLite, Ubuntu, C, korn shell, io.js, TCL
SUCKIT

Lighttpd, io.js, C, Kadmelia
LICK

Apache, Mumps, io.js, R, Ingres, Twitter API, Enterprise JavaBeans
AMIRITE