What Is a Technology Development Stack For Web Application Development in 2021? 
                     What Is a Technology Development Stack For Web 
Application Development in 2021? 
What’s the most important thing to consider when you’re developing a 
top-notch web application? No doubt it’s the technology stack your 
app will be based upon. 
The choice of a relevant tech stack is particularly challenging for small 
businesses and startups, since they usually have limited budgets and, 
thus, need a technology stack that provides the most bang for the 
buck to get their projects off the ground. 
The right tech stack is, to a great extent, the key to your project’s 
success, while the wrong choice of web app development 
technologies may be a reason for failure. 
We’ve decided to give you a helping hand and reveal the criteria for 
choosing the most appropriate tech development stack for your web 
app. 
What Is a Technology Development Stack For Web in 2020? 
Before moving on to the criteria for choosing a modern web 
technology stack, you should clearly understand what comprises the 
process of web application development. 
Without going too deep into details, there are two sides to web 
development: the client side and the server side. The client side is 
also called the front end. Server-side programming involves an 
application (and a backend programming language that powers it), a 
database, and the server itself. 
Client-Side Programming 
Client-side (i.e. frontend) web development involves everything users 
see on their screens. Here are the major frontend technology stack 
components: 
• Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style 
Sheets (CSS). HTML tells a browser how to display the content 
of web pages, while CSS styles that content. Bootstrap is a 
helpful framework for managing HTML and CSS. 
• JavaScript (JS). JS makes web pages interactive. There are 
many JavaScript libraries (such as jQuery, React.js, and 
Zepto.js) and frameworks (such as Angular, Vue, Backbone, and 
Ember) for faster and easier web development. 
Check this in-depth comparison of the JS frameworks for frontend. 
Server-Side Programming 
The server side isn’t visible to users, but it powers the client side, just 
as a power station generates electricity for your house. 
The challenge lies mainly in the choice of server-side technologies for 
developing your web application. 
As for server-side programming languages, they are used to create 
the logic of websites and applications. Frameworks for programming 
languages offer lots of tools for simpler and faster coding. Let’s 
mention some of the popular programming languages and their major 
frameworks (in parentheses): 
• Ruby (Ruby on Rails) 
• Python (Django, Flask, Pylons) 
• PHP (Laravel) 
• Java (Spring) 
• Scala (Play) 
Node.js, a JavaScript runtime, is also used for backend programming. 
Your web application needs a place to store its data, and that’s what 
a database is used for. There are two types of databases: relational 
and non-relational (the latter being subdivided into several categories), 
each having its pros and cons. Here are the most common databases 
for web development: 
• MySQL (relational) 
• PostgreSQL (relational) 
• MongoDB (non-relational, document) 
A web application needs a caching system to reduce the load on the 
database and to handle large amounts of traffic. Memcached and 
Redis are the most widespread caching systems. 
Finally, a web application needs a server to handle requests from 
clients’ computers. There are two major players in this domain: 
• Apache 
• Nginx 
To develop a web application, you need to select the server, database, 
programming language, framework, and frontend tools that you’re 
going to use. These web development technologies build on top of 
each other and are, in fact, collectively called a stack. 
The Technology Stack at RubyGarage 
At RubyGarage, we have found a perfect technology stack for our 
projects, uniting the best from the web app development. Throughout 
our work, we’ve managed to figure out which frameworks work better, 
which SQL data storage fits the projects naturally, and which 
programming languages are the best fit for a wide range of projects. 
Altogether, these technologies help us deliver products faster and 
keep high quality. Depending on your business needs, we can rework 
a technology stack, for instance, add necessary libraries or 
frameworks. Below you can find our choice for both frontend and 
backend web app development. 
The Technology Stack at RubyGarage 
Did you know that Ruby on Rails is one of the most startup-friendly 
frameworks?  
How NOT to Choose a Web Technology Development Stack 
Now that you have a general understanding of what a web technology 
stack is, we’d like to draw your attention to the common practices that 
entrepreneurs and startuppers follow when choosing the technologies 
for their projects. 
Though these practices may sound reasonable, following them may 
botch up your whole project. 
So, what do businesses usually rely on when choosing a technology 
stack? Here are the most common practices that you should avoid: 
#1: Don’t Choose Based on Competitors’ Experiences 
Learning from the experience of your competitors may be the right 
strategy, but not when you’re picking a technology stack. Remember 
that your project is unique and your ultimate goal is to beat your rival 
companies. 
Therefore, how can you be sure that the tech stacks used by your 
competitors are truly suitable for your project? If you initially make the 
wrong choice, you’re likely to face the need to modernize your 
technology stack in the future, which isn’t cheap. 
#2: Don’t Choose Based on Personal Preferences 
It’s possible to rely on your personal preferences when choosing a 
technology stack for a web application. However, there’s a pitfall: this 
approach works well only for people with a solid background in web 
development. 
For example, if you have relevant experience in web application 
development or if you’re a chief technology officer, your tech stack 
preferences may be totally correct. But if you don’t have in-depth 
knowledge of the web development process, this strategy might lead 
you to failure, as you are likely to pick the wrong components for your 
technology stack. 
#3: Don’t Choose Based on Previous Projects 
No matter how successful your previous projects turned out, you 
fulfilled them in the past. The technology stack components you used 
at the time may be outdated now. 
Moreover, your projects aren’t the same: the tech stack you use for 
one project may be inappropriate for another. 
#4: Don’t Choose Based on Online Research 
Today, the internet is full of surveys, comparisons, and other 
information that helps you select a technology stack for web 
applications. 
However, there’s a problem: you’re likely to come across sources that 
will express the exact opposite opinions, providing seemingly strong 
proofs. Which source should you believe? 
Choosing a technology stack is all about practical experience. You can 
make the right choice only if you’ve applied some technologies and 
know how well they work. If your knowledge is merely theoretical and 
based on online research, your chances of picking relevant 
technologies are very low. 
Choosing a tech stack based on internet research only is like trying to 
fix your car after reading the manual but without having any practical 
skills. You may do it right, but more likely you’ll have to bear losses for 
the damage you’ll cause. 
Criteria for Choosing a Tech Stack 
Having learned what you shouldn’t do when selecting an appropriate 
tech stack, it’s now time to move on to the core of our article, in other 
words the criteria you should consider. 
Criterion #1: Type of Web Application 
The first thing to decide upon is the type of web application you’re 
developing. A tech stack is a toolset for creating a web app, so you 
need to fully realize what you’re planning to build in order to pick the 
appropriate tools. You should find a toolset that provides unique 
advantages for your web application. 
In terms of complexity, all web projects can be divided into three 
types: 
• Simple. These web applications are created with the help of out-
of-the-box solutions (such as CMS software, for example). 
Examples: landing pages and simple online stores. 
• Mid-level. These apps have more functions than simple apps 
and are built with the help of frameworks. Examples: apps for 
large ecommerce stores and enterprises. 
• Complex. These web apps have lots of functions and 
integrations; they’re developed with the help of different web 
development technologies and may be composed of several 
programming languages. Examples: social networks, large 
ecommerce marketplaces, fintech software, etc. 
Knowing the type of web app you’re developing isn’t enough; you 
should take its business goals into account as well. This is important, 
since your business goals impact the choice of technologies for 
development. Your web app can be tailored for: 
• Processing heavy loads. If your web project relies on load 
processing, you should opt for programming languages and 
frameworks that can provide this. Examples of such projects are 
video/audio streaming apps and file sharing services. 
• Low latency. A different tech stack is required to make your web 
application highly responsive and to reduce latency. Social 
networks are probably the best example of websites that require 
low latency. 
Criterion #2: Time to Market 
Time to market (TTM) is extremely important when choosing a tech 
stack for startups and for small businesses. The faster you develop 
and release your application, the more ahead of competitors you’ll be. 
Moreover, the less time development requires, the cheaper the 
development cost. 
TTM heavily depends on the technology stack you select for your web 
application, and here’s a list of issues you should consider when 
choosing a proper stack: 
• Out-of-the-box solutions. Check whether a technology has some 
out-of-the-box solutions for adding some necessary functionality 
to your web application. For example, the Ruby on Rails 
framework allows developers to use lots of open-source libraries 
(called gems) that facilitate the development process and 
significantly reduce TTM. 
• Integration with third-party solutions. Make sure the tech stack 
you choose supports integration with third-party solutions, as it’ll 
help you add the functions you need to your web application 
without reinventing the wheel. 
• Developer availability. Even if you’ve decided upon the tech 
stack, there’s still a problem: you need developers to do all the 
coding. You should check whether you’ll be able to find 
developers with expertise in the technology stack you choose. 
And remember that building a web application is just the 
beginning. You also need developers to maintain it after launch. 
• Documentation and developer community. Producing good code 
is difficult, and any development team may stumble over some 
tricky issues. It may take quite long for a team to find a solution, 
which means, in turn, a missed web project release deadline. 
That’s why you should find out whether the technologies you’re 
going to select have large developer communities and rich 
documentation. 
• Easy to test. A web application contains many lines of code, so 
bugs are inevitable. Needless to say, removing all bugs requires 
a lot of time and slows down development. To counter this 
problem, choose technologies that are easy to test. Some 
technologies are based on a so-called test-driven development 
approach, which implies that testing goes first and coding comes 
after. Test-driven development allows you to guarantee your 
code and product quality and speed up development in the 
medium and long term. 
Criterion #3: Web App Development Cost 
Needless to say, turning your idea into a real-life web application isn’t 
free of charge and requires investment. The choice of a website 
technology development stack has a direct impact on the development 
cost. There are two main issues you need to take into account: 
• Developer salaries. Web developers are highly skilled 
professionals who are rather well-paid. Their salaries, however, 
depend on the technologies they work with. Consequently, your 
expenses will be different depending on tech stack. You should 
remember that the more advanced the technology is, the higher 
the developer salary will be. 
• App maintenance cost. Creating a web application is just one 
side of the coin; maintaining it is the other. To reduce 
maintenance costs, you should opt for free open-source 
technologies. For example, the Ruby on Rails web 
development framework is available with the MIT licence, which 
means it can be modified, upgraded, and used without any 
restrictions. 
Criterion #4: Security 
Our world has gone digital over the last two decades and so have 
criminals. Cyberattacks are the biggest threat to online businesses: 
according to a forecast by Juniper Research, annual financial losses 
from data breaches are expected to reach a mind-blowing $2.1 trillion 
by 2019. Today, governments and corporations are working hard on 
ensuring the highest level of cyber security possible. 
No doubt, you want your web application to be secure. Hence, you 
should pick technologies that allow you to create a really secure app. 
There are lots of different opinions as to which programming language 
is the safest, but in truth no language guarantees 100% safety. 
Every web development technology serves its purpose, so you should 
choose the right tool first and follow security guidelines second. Most 
web development technologies have security guidelines where all 
steps for preventing threats and minimizing vulnerabilities are given. 
You need to make sure that your web app is created in accordance 
with the appropriate security guidelines. 
Criterion #5: Scalability 
Scalability isn’t a feature to turn tail on when developing a web 
application. No doubt you wish to see your web project grow and gain 
popularity. In general, there are two kinds of scalability: 
• Horizontal scalability, which means the ability of a web 
application to accommodate more requests. In other words, an 
app must be able to work if the number of users grows 
dramatically. 
• Vertical scalability, which means the ability to add new 
components to a web application without damaging its 
performance. 
You should think of scalability in advance and choose an appropriate 
technology stack for your needs. This may seem a difficult choice as 
you’ll probably come across a number of contradictory opinions. 
However, we recommend relying not on someone else’s words, but on 
concrete examples of why exactly a certain technology is scalable. 
Technology Stacks Behind Successful Web Projects 
By now, you are almost certainly curious about some modern web 
application stacks. Let’s take a look at what technologies power some 
of the most successful web projects: 
• Airbnb, the world’s most well-known hospitality service that helps 
millions of people find rental apartments and short-term lodging, 
is largely based on Ruby on Rails. 
• Shopify helps entrepreneurs power their online stores. Ruby on 
Rails is the core technology behind this super-successful web 
service. 
• Quora is a question-and-answer website where people can find 
answers to each other’s questions. 
• Instagram, a mainstream social networking application, is built 
with Python. 
• Product Hunt is a popular service that allows users to share 
information about products and find new products on the web. 
• Codecademy is an online educational platform that offers free 
coding classes in 15 programming languages, including Ruby, 
Python, and Java. 
• Pinterest is a social network aimed at helping people share and 
find new interests. 
• Reddit is a popular news aggregator and discussion platform. 
• Coursera is a venture-backed educational platform that offers a 
variety of online courses on different subjects. 
• Facebook is the world’s biggest social network with almost 2 
billion active monthly users. 
Pick a Technology Stack According to Your Project 
As you can see, selecting the right tech stack is a real challenge, but 
the core idea that should guide you is as follows: choose the 
technologies according to your project. You shouldn’t rely on time-
proven technologies only, even if they have been used by some large 
and successful companies or prominent projects have been 
accomplished with their help. 
You should always be realistic and take all pros and cons into 
account. The wrong choice of a technology stack may end in financial 
losses, so if you aren’t experienced in web development, leave the 
choice to professionals. A team of professional web developers will be 
able to choose the right tools for delivering a top-notch web 
application with all the functionality you need.