What is the MERN stack?

A common question software engineers should be familiar with is, what stack are they working with? It is the equivalent of asking a car guy, what are they running underneath the hood. There are different versions of MERN. However, the most common four key technologies that make up this stack include: MongoDB, Express(.js), React(.js), and Node(.js).

Let us start with M, which stands for MongoDB. A document type of database with dynamic schema abilities. The superpower here is that MongoDB stores JSON data natively, as it was built on JavaScript. All we have to know is JavaScript, and how to read JSON objects. We will want a database that can work seamless with Express, React, and Node.

E is for Express, server side framework that is similar to a gutted track car. Running on the bare necessities only, it is ready to be placed within Node. Another reason why it is a common choice is because of its powerful models for the URL routing, handling of HTTP requests, and responses.

Next, R is for React. Declarative JavaScript framework that creates dynamic application content in HTML. In other words, building refined projects through easy to understand tools. React’s superpower is that it can, with ease, direct stateful, data-driven interfaces with hardly any code.

The N is for Node. A web server in JavaScript runtime built on Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine. Additionally, it uses an event-driven, non-blocking Input and Output system. This in turn, contributes to its fast speed. If that was not enough, imagine an open source library pairing that is absolutely huge, for example, npm.

With this stack, MERN, you can build the front-end, back-end, and connect to databases simply using JavaScript and JSON. All with modern technologies that are used by current companies in 2021.