Choosing a tech stack is one of the most important decisions when building a web application. This guide covers the major options with data from industry surveys and official documentation to help you make an informed choice.

What is a Tech Stack?

A tech stack (or technology stack) is the combination of programming languages, frameworks, libraries, and tools used to build an application. A typical web application stack includes:

  • Frontend - What users see and interact with (HTML, CSS, JavaScript frameworks)
  • Backend - Server-side logic and APIs (languages, frameworks)
  • Database - Data storage and retrieval
  • Infrastructure - Hosting, deployment, DevOps

The State of Web Development

Before diving into specifics, let’s look at what developers actually use.

Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2024

According to the Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2024, which surveyed over 65,000 developers:1

Most Popular Languages:

  1. JavaScript - 62.3% of developers
  2. HTML/CSS - 52.9%
  3. Python - 51.0%
  4. SQL - 51.0%
  5. TypeScript - 38.5%

Most Popular Web Frameworks:

  1. Node.js - 40.8%
  2. React - 39.5%
  3. jQuery - 21.4%
  4. Express - 19.3%
  5. Next.js - 17.9%

Most Popular Databases:

  1. PostgreSQL - 49.1%
  2. MySQL - 40.3%
  3. SQLite - 32.2%
  4. MongoDB - 25.5%
  5. Microsoft SQL Server - 25.3%

State of JavaScript 2023

The State of JS survey provides detailed insights into the JavaScript ecosystem:2

Frontend Framework Satisfaction:

  • Solid - 90% satisfaction
  • Svelte - 89% satisfaction
  • React - 83% satisfaction
  • Vue - 79% satisfaction
  • Angular - 51% satisfaction

Meta-Framework Usage:

  • Next.js - Most used React meta-framework
  • Nuxt - Most used Vue meta-framework
  • SvelteKit - Growing rapidly

Frontend Stack Options

React

React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces, developed and maintained by Meta (Facebook).3

Pros:

  • Largest ecosystem and community
  • Extensive job market demand
  • Flexible—works with many tools and patterns
  • Strong corporate backing (Meta)
  • React Native for mobile development

Cons:

  • Not a full framework—requires choosing additional libraries
  • Frequent ecosystem changes
  • JSX learning curve for some developers

Best For:

  • Large applications with complex state
  • Teams that want flexibility
  • Projects that may need React Native mobile apps

Official Documentation: https://react.dev/

Vue

Vue is a progressive JavaScript framework created by Evan You.4

Pros:

  • Gentle learning curve
  • Excellent documentation
  • Single-file components (HTML, CSS, JS together)
  • Official libraries for routing (Vue Router) and state (Pinia)
  • Strong TypeScript support

Cons:

  • Smaller ecosystem than React
  • Fewer job postings than React
  • Less corporate backing

Best For:

  • Developers coming from HTML/jQuery backgrounds
  • Teams that prefer conventions over configuration
  • Projects that need quick prototyping

Official Documentation: https://vuejs.org/

Svelte

Svelte is a compiler that generates vanilla JavaScript, created by Rich Harris.5

Pros:

  • No virtual DOM—compiles to efficient vanilla JS
  • Smallest bundle sizes
  • Simple, intuitive syntax
  • Built-in reactivity without hooks or observables
  • SvelteKit provides full-stack capabilities

Cons:

  • Smaller ecosystem
  • Fewer third-party components
  • Less job market demand (but growing)

Best For:

  • Performance-critical applications
  • Developers who prefer minimal boilerplate
  • Projects where bundle size matters

Official Documentation: https://svelte.dev/

Angular

Angular is a full-featured framework developed by Google.6

Pros:

  • Complete solution out of the box
  • Strong TypeScript integration
  • Dependency injection built-in
  • Enterprise-ready with long-term support
  • Consistent patterns across large codebases

Cons:

  • Steep learning curve
  • Verbose syntax
  • Larger bundle sizes by default
  • Lower satisfaction scores in surveys

Best For:

  • Large enterprise applications
  • Teams that want strict conventions
  • Projects requiring long-term stability

Official Documentation: https://angular.io/

Astro

Astro is a web framework focused on content-driven websites.7

Pros:

  • Ships zero JavaScript by default
  • “Islands” architecture for partial hydration
  • Works with React, Vue, Svelte components
  • Excellent performance for content sites
  • Built-in Markdown/MDX support

Cons:

  • Not designed for highly interactive apps
  • Newer, smaller community
  • Limited for full SPA use cases

Best For:

  • Content-heavy websites (blogs, marketing sites, docs)
  • Projects prioritizing performance
  • Multi-framework teams

Official Documentation: https://astro.build/

Backend Stack Options

Node.js

Node.js is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome’s V8 engine.8

Pros:

  • JavaScript everywhere (frontend and backend)
  • Massive npm ecosystem (2+ million packages)
  • Non-blocking I/O for high concurrency
  • Large community and resources

Cons:

  • Single-threaded (though workers exist)
  • Callback patterns can be complex
  • Not ideal for CPU-intensive tasks

Popular Frameworks:

  • Express - Minimal, flexible (most popular)
  • Fastify - Performance-focused
  • NestJS - Angular-inspired, enterprise-ready
  • Hono - Ultra-fast, works on edge

Official Documentation: https://nodejs.org/

Python

Python is a general-purpose language popular for web development, data science, and automation.9

Pros:

  • Readable, beginner-friendly syntax
  • Excellent for data science and ML integration
  • Strong standard library
  • Great for scripting and automation

Cons:

  • Slower than compiled languages
  • GIL limits true multi-threading
  • Deployment can be more complex than Node

Popular Frameworks:

  • Django - Full-featured, batteries-included
  • FastAPI - Modern, async, auto-generates API docs
  • Flask - Minimal, flexible

Official Documentation: https://www.python.org/

Go

Go (Golang) is a statically typed language developed by Google.10

Pros:

  • Compiled, fast execution
  • Simple syntax, easy to learn
  • Excellent concurrency with goroutines
  • Single binary deployment
  • Strong standard library for web

Cons:

  • Less expressive than Python/Ruby
  • No generics until recently (Go 1.18)
  • Smaller web ecosystem

Popular Frameworks:

  • Gin - Fast HTTP framework
  • Echo - High performance, minimalist
  • Fiber - Express-inspired

Official Documentation: https://go.dev/

Rust

Rust is a systems programming language focused on safety and performance.11

Pros:

  • Memory safety without garbage collection
  • Extremely fast performance
  • Strong type system
  • Growing web ecosystem

Cons:

  • Steep learning curve
  • Longer compilation times
  • Smaller web ecosystem than alternatives

Popular Frameworks:

  • Actix Web - Very high performance
  • Axum - Built on Tokio runtime
  • Rocket - Developer-friendly

Official Documentation: https://www.rust-lang.org/

Database Options

Databases fall into two main categories: relational (SQL) and non-relational (NoSQL).

PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL is an advanced open-source relational database.12

Pros:

  • ACID compliant
  • Advanced features (JSON, full-text search, extensions)
  • Strong data integrity
  • Free and open source
  • Excellent performance

Cons:

  • More complex setup than SQLite
  • Requires more resources than simpler databases

Best For:

  • Most production applications
  • Complex queries and relationships
  • Applications requiring data integrity

Official Documentation: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/

MySQL

MySQL is the world’s most popular open-source relational database.13

Pros:

  • Widely supported and documented
  • Fast read operations
  • Easy to set up
  • Large community

Cons:

  • Fewer advanced features than PostgreSQL
  • Less strict SQL standards compliance

Best For:

  • Read-heavy applications
  • Projects with existing MySQL expertise
  • WordPress and PHP applications

Official Documentation: https://dev.mysql.com/doc/

SQLite

SQLite is a self-contained, serverless SQL database.14

Pros:

  • Zero configuration
  • Single file storage
  • Perfect for development and testing
  • No separate server process

Cons:

  • Not suitable for high-concurrency writes
  • Limited to single-machine deployment
  • No user management

Best For:

  • Mobile applications
  • Development and testing
  • Small applications with low concurrency

Official Documentation: https://www.sqlite.org/docs.html

MongoDB

MongoDB is a document-oriented NoSQL database.15

Pros:

  • Flexible schema
  • Horizontal scaling
  • JSON-like documents
  • Good for unstructured data

Cons:

  • No ACID transactions across documents (until recently)
  • Less mature query language
  • Can lead to data inconsistency if misused

Best For:

  • Rapidly changing schemas
  • Document-centric applications
  • Real-time analytics

Official Documentation: https://www.mongodb.com/docs/

Redis

Redis is an in-memory data store used as cache, message broker, and database.16

Pros:

  • Extremely fast (in-memory)
  • Versatile data structures
  • Pub/sub capabilities
  • Persistence options

Cons:

  • Limited by available memory
  • Not suitable as primary database for complex data

Best For:

  • Caching
  • Session storage
  • Real-time leaderboards
  • Message queues

Official Documentation: https://redis.io/docs/

Hosting Options

Vercel

Vercel is a platform optimized for frontend frameworks, created by the team behind Next.js.17

Pros:

  • Best-in-class Next.js support
  • Automatic HTTPS and global CDN
  • Preview deployments for every PR
  • Edge functions
  • Generous free tier

Cons:

  • Can get expensive at scale
  • Optimized for serverless, not traditional servers
  • Vendor lock-in concerns

Pricing: Free tier available, Pro from $20/user/month

Official Site: https://vercel.com/

Netlify

Netlify pioneered the Jamstack hosting model.18

Pros:

  • Excellent static site and Jamstack support
  • Built-in forms, identity, and functions
  • Easy CI/CD from Git
  • Good documentation

Cons:

  • Function limitations (10-second timeout on free tier)
  • Less optimized for Next.js than Vercel

Pricing: Free tier available, Pro from $19/user/month

Official Site: https://www.netlify.com/

Railway

Railway is a modern platform for deploying apps and databases.19

Pros:

  • Supports any Dockerfile
  • Easy database provisioning
  • Simple pricing model
  • Good developer experience

Cons:

  • Newer, less established
  • Smaller community

Pricing: Pay for what you use, ~$5/month for small apps

Official Site: https://railway.app/

Render

Render is a unified cloud for apps and databases.20

Pros:

  • Free tier for static sites and web services
  • Managed PostgreSQL, Redis
  • Auto-deploy from Git
  • Simple pricing

Cons:

  • Cold starts on free tier
  • Less feature-rich than AWS/GCP

Pricing: Free tier available, paid from $7/month per service

Official Site: https://render.com/

Fly.io

Fly.io runs apps close to users with global edge deployment.21

Pros:

  • Global edge deployment
  • Run Docker containers anywhere
  • Persistent volumes
  • Good for globally distributed apps

Cons:

  • Learning curve for edge concepts
  • Can be complex for simple apps

Pricing: Free tier available, pay for resources

Official Site: https://fly.io/

Traditional Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure)

The major cloud providers offer complete infrastructure:22

Pros:

  • Complete control
  • Any architecture possible
  • Enterprise features and compliance
  • Economies of scale

Cons:

  • Complex pricing
  • Steep learning curve
  • Over-engineered for simple apps

Best For:

  • Large-scale applications
  • Enterprise requirements
  • Complex architectures

For Beginners/Side Projects

Frontend: React or Vue
Backend: Node.js + Express or Next.js API routes
Database: PostgreSQL or SQLite
Hosting: Vercel or Netlify

Why: Gentle learning curve, lots of tutorials, free hosting options.

For Startups/MVPs

Frontend: Next.js or Remix
Backend: Next.js API routes or Node.js + Fastify
Database: PostgreSQL (Supabase or Neon for managed)
Hosting: Vercel or Railway

Why: Ship fast, scale later, good developer experience.

For Performance-Critical Apps

Frontend: Svelte/SvelteKit or Solid
Backend: Go or Rust
Database: PostgreSQL with Redis cache
Hosting: Fly.io or bare metal

Why: Maximum performance, minimal overhead.

For Enterprise

Frontend: React or Angular
Backend: Java Spring Boot or .NET
Database: PostgreSQL or Oracle
Hosting: AWS, GCP, or Azure

Why: Long-term support, enterprise features, compliance.

Decision Framework

When choosing a stack, consider:

  1. Team expertise - Use what your team knows well
  2. Project requirements - Match tools to needs (real-time? content-heavy? data-intensive?)
  3. Scalability needs - Will this need to handle millions of users?
  4. Time to market - How fast do you need to ship?
  5. Long-term maintenance - Will this be maintained for years?
  6. Hiring - Can you find developers for this stack?

The Boring Technology Rule

Dan McKinley’s “Choose Boring Technology” principle suggests:23

“Let’s say every company gets about three innovation tokens. You can spend these on things that are genuinely new to you… If you choose to use a technology that’s new to you, you’ll be spending one of your tokens.”

For most projects, proven, well-documented technologies reduce risk and debugging time.

Further Reading

References

Footnotes

  1. Stack Overflow. “2024 Developer Survey.” https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2024/ ↩

  2. State of JS. “State of JavaScript 2023.” https://stateofjs.com/ ↩

  3. React Documentation. https://react.dev/ ↩

  4. Vue.js Documentation. https://vuejs.org/ ↩

  5. Svelte Documentation. https://svelte.dev/ ↩

  6. Angular Documentation. https://angular.io/ ↩

  7. Astro Documentation. https://docs.astro.build/ ↩

  8. Node.js Documentation. https://nodejs.org/docs/ ↩

  9. Python Documentation. https://docs.python.org/ ↩

  10. Go Documentation. https://go.dev/doc/ ↩

  11. Rust Documentation. https://doc.rust-lang.org/ ↩

  12. PostgreSQL Documentation. https://www.postgresql.org/docs/ ↩

  13. MySQL Documentation. https://dev.mysql.com/doc/ ↩

  14. SQLite Documentation. https://www.sqlite.org/docs.html ↩

  15. MongoDB Documentation. https://www.mongodb.com/docs/ ↩

  16. Redis Documentation. https://redis.io/docs/ ↩

  17. Vercel Documentation. https://vercel.com/docs ↩

  18. Netlify Documentation. https://docs.netlify.com/ ↩

  19. Railway Documentation. https://docs.railway.app/ ↩

  20. Render Documentation. https://render.com/docs ↩

  21. Fly.io Documentation. https://fly.io/docs/ ↩

  22. AWS, GCP, Azure official documentation ↩

  23. McKinley, Dan. “Choose Boring Technology.” https://boringtechnology.club/ ↩