Big Mistakes to Avoid when Choosing the Technology Stack for your Web Application

One of the first things that a developer (or an entrepreneur) must consider when building their web apps is the technology stack that they will base it upon. The technology stack that you choose to build your app on will directly determine its performance and usability While you will find many blog posts and articles claiming that one technology stack is better than the other, the one thing that they all almost always forget to mention is that each business type and web app’s functionality is different.

There are many factors that must be taken into consideration before finalizing the one solid choice that makes most sense for you. So, let us not beat around the bush and dive right into the major factors that one must look into while choosing the appropriate Technology stack for their business and then move on to what are the mistakes that one should avoid making.

Understanding the Functionality and Complexity of the Web App

Before doing anything else, the first thing that you must thing of or discuss with your development team is to determine the complexity of the project at hand. Since the technology stack is going to provide you or your developers with the tools needed to build this app, it is important to understand what kind of functionality your app will be fulfilling and the level of complexity that it has. Typically, there are 3 types in which all web apps are classified:

a.   Simple Apps

b.  Mid-level

c.   Complex

Determine which category your app falls in and then research the stack that will be most suitable for you.

Security

The world we live in today, we can only hope that our apps are totally secure and protected. No one can guarantee 100% protection from hackers these days. Advanced times, truly, we live in. However, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have the responsibility of protecting your web app to the best of your ability.

In case your app relies heavily on user’s data, it is important for you to opt for the relatively safer programming languages and technologies. Assessing the security of your technology stack while bearing in mind aspects such as advanced authentication and authorization processes are without a doubt absolutely non negotiable.

Following all security measures, assessing the protocols and relying on safer technology stack will definitely give your app a better chance at security.

Do You Have a Deadline?

Building an app and launching it in the market are two completely different things. If you wish to make sure that your app enters the market at a particular time and have already chalked out serious deadliness for it, it is perhaps best to go for MVP development. MVP development is a model that stands for Minimum Viable Product. This is a concept that focuses on learning in a new product development environment. It basically enables the development team to validate the maximum data about the customers with minimum required effort.

Over time, it has been established that the MVP model most certainly allows the development team to fast track their app building process by taking into consideration customer feedback and thereby making it viable in the market in the shortest time possible.

Of course, you can’t leave everything to fate just because you opted for this model. The skill set that the development team brings to the table goes a long way in determining how smooth the transition from development stage to live market stage can happen. It is therefore wisest to hand over the reins of the app to a reliable and experienced development team.

Quality Testing and Bug Fixes

One of the biggest issues that an app can face once already rolled in the market is the problem of bugs. Now, obviously, everyone makes mistakes and when it comes to creating something new, there are so many scenarios that exist; it is easy to let things slip through the cracks. However, untested code strings can quite literally spell doom to your business.

People are very unforgiving. If your customers use your apps once and find that it is not up to scratch, they would not wait around for you to test and fix the app after reporting it. They would simply move on to the next best option. Therefore ensure that you consider TDD which stands for Test Driven Development.

This will not only save time on bug fixing but also ensure that you are mindful of the development of the app and the kind of coding that is being undertaken. TDD is most suited in case you already have a prototype of a web app which has all the right structural parameters against which your current app’s interactions and components can be compared. It works by allowing the development to write tests before going into the production of the code so that the final app is absolutely flawless and ready at the time of launch.

How heavy is the cost burden of app development going to be on your pocket?

Who are we kidding? With all the discussions about going for the best in technology, there’s always that small nagging voice in the head of every entrepreneur asking him or her to check and double check the expenses that are going to be involved. And trust me; building an app isn’t all that cheap.

There are 4 major expenses that you have to think of when it comes to building apps:

a.      Salaries of the resources

b.     Expense of the infrastructure and the development center

c.      Maintaining the app post production

d.     Technology stack

None of these are things that you can compromise on. If you are an entrepreneur planning to get an app built on a short pocket, it is probably best to hire a company to do that for you, because you will definitely reduce your costs of the real estate needed for the development center, infrastructural costs, and, of course the salaries. You can then only worry about the technology stacks with the money you have saved.

Developer Community & Documentation

Regardless of how adept your developer is, everyone needs a little nudge in the right direction from time to time. While your developer my eventually find the reason why your app is acting out or which code string is bombarding your app with bugs, it can delay the fulfillment and delivery process.

It is therefore very important to rely only on a technology stack that has global acclaim and a solid community of developers to back it up. A technology that has complete and detailed documentation and the assistance of a community to help with, it becomes easier for any development team to build that flawless app that you are after.

What is the Scalability Scene?

In order to save money, many a time, entrepreneurs simply opt to go for cheaper alternatives, which while making sense in the present time, may not be very scalable and thereby end up acting as a cost accelerant at a later point in time. It might be a good idea to opt for technologies such as Node.JS, React, Ruby on Rails, and Golang which are excellent when it comes to scalability. Regardless of whether you plan on scaling horizontally by including new physical machines and processing units to your database or vertically by adding extra software for better performance and enhanced functionality, scalability is extremely important.

Open Source Solutions

Since we are big on saving money, here’s another pro tip. Try to seek out and apply open source solutions. These are available for utilization at no cost with unrestricted change volume as per the requirements of your project. You will not only reduce the overall cost of the initial development of your app but will also be able to curb maintenance costs in the future.

What Not to Do?

Get over the ‘He Said She Said’ routine

The first thing that we said when starting this blog post is that every business has its own unique set of requirements. This is why; you must be weary of falling into the rut of what others are saying about the right technology stack for your business. Speak to a reliable development team and if you are giving them the charge of your app, listen to what they believe is the right tech stack for your particular app.

Just because someone from your family got an app built on a particular tech stack, doesn’t mean it is going to work for you. This is not really a craigslist review and you aren’t hiring a local plumber. So, focus on your needs and block what others have to say.

Less Trending, More Timeless

Instead of looking for options that are trending and getting the youngsters spinning, opt for a solution that is timeless and has global validity. While new technology keeps coming and going each year crowning something or the other as the most ‘trending’ tech stack, you will be wise to stay away from such notions. Look for an option that will remain constant (as has been for a long time) so that in future, when there’s another blue eyed tech boy in town, you don’t have to worry about your app’s performance and updations.

Online Research is Not Reliable

You must separate yourself from online research when it comes to choosing technology. Think about it like this, anything that you read online can be written by ANYONE. There’s no face or credential attached that is reliable. To say the least, even reliable sources don’t know what your exact requirements are.

The online community is like a neighborhood barbeque where anyone can come, say what they like and walk away without any consequence. Only trust the word of YOUR development team because they will be invested in making sure that the product that they provide you with at the end of the day works and is profitable for you.

Third Rock Techkno has been a forerunner in the IT sector with a team of experts sourced globally carrying years of experience. Having spent 10 years in the industry, our team has worked with clients from all around the world. We pride ourselves in having a state of the art development center equipped with the finest infrastructure that facilitates web app development at superior standards.

In case you have been looking for a talented team for your web app development requirements, feel free to ask for our FREE online consultation. You can also drop us a line with your specific requirements and we’ll get back to you at the earliest