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Chapter 12: Technology Stacks — LAMP, LEMP, MEAN, MERN

12.1 What is a "stack" and why does it matter?

In short: A stack is a standard combination of technologies that work well together to build and run a web application: an operating system, a web server, a database and a programming language/framework.

Friends, you will see words like LAMP and MERN in almost every job posting. Whether Mauli Dairy's website runs on PHP or JavaScript – once the stack is chosen, the other tools follow automatically. Let's first understand what a stack really means.

A stack is a standard combination of technologies that work well together to build and run a web application: an operating system, a web server, a database and a programming language/framework. Companies advertise jobs as "MERN developer" or "LAMP administrator", so knowing these stacks end-to-end is valuable.

Stack Components Language Database type Typical use
LAMP Linux, Apache, MySQL/MariaDB, PHP PHP Relational (SQL) WordPress, Moodle, classic web apps
LEMP Linux, Nginx (Engine-x), MySQL/MariaDB, PHP PHP Relational (SQL) High-traffic PHP sites, Laravel
MEAN MongoDB, Express, Angular, Node.js JavaScript / TypeScript Document (NoSQL) Enterprise SPAs, dashboards
MERN MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js JavaScript Document (NoSQL) Startups, SPAs, social apps

Ravindra Bagale's Tip

Many students think a stack is just an acronym. Recognise four slots in every stack: OS, web server, database and language. Then in LAMP vs LEMP only the web server changes, and in MEAN vs MERN only the frontend – keep this in mind and you won't need to memorise the table.

Lab

Chala, varchya table madhun Mauli Dairy sathi don stacks nivda – ek PHP cha aani ek JavaScript cha. Pratyekasathi web server, database aani language liha, aani tumhi konta nivdal te ek vakyat karan deun liha.

Quick revision cards

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Comparison card: MEAN vs MERN. MEAN: MongoDB + Express + Angular + Node.js. MERN: MongoDB + Express + React + Node.js.
Comparison: MEAN vs MERN · Download PNG

More cards: Ravi Sir's Cards.