What Is the Difference Between LAMP and MEAN?

Posted by Marbenz Antonio on June 23, 2022

MEAN Vs LAMP Stack - Key Differences You Need To Know

Discover the differences between the LAMP and MEAN stacks and their benefits and advantages for web app development.

LAMP and MEAN are popular open-source web stacks for building high-performance, enterprise-grade web, and mobile applications. They, like other web stacks, incorporate technology (operating systems, programming languages, databases, libraries, and application frameworks) that developers may utilize to easily and reliably construct, launch, and manage a fully complete web app via stack development.

LAMP and MEAN differ in that they offer different layers — or “stacks” — of technologies that a web project requires to perform across all frontend interface, network, and backend server operations. A web-based banking application, for example, might use either the LAMP stack or the MEAN stack to read a user’s request to view financial activities, retrieve the relevant data, and present it in a user interface.

What is the LAMP stack?

LAMP stands for the following stacked technologies:

  • L: Linux (operating system)
  • A: Apache (webserver)
  • M: MySQL (a relational database management system, or RDBMS, that uses SQL)
  • P: PHP (programming/scripting language)

The Linux operating system allows the full web program to work properly on a given piece of hardware. The Apache web server interprets a user’s request before retrieving and “serving” information to the user through HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol). The MySQL database (a relational database management system) contains the data that the web server can obtain and offer based on the user’s request (e.g., bank statement archives, financial activity, image files, CSS stylesheets). PHP collaborates with Apache to extract dynamic content from the MySQL database and deliver it to the user. While HTML can display static information (for example, a headline that remains on the screen regardless of data), PHP is used to display dynamic material that changes dependent on user input. The PERL and Python programming languages can also be utilized in the LAMP stack. In a 1998 article for a German computer magazine, writer Michael Kunze used the acronym LAMP stack for the first time.

Figure 1 shows a high-level illustration of how a web app responds to a user request across its LAMP stack. This request may involve user actions such as accessing the program, logging in, and searching within the application:

Figure 1: How a user request is processed across the LAMP stack.

What is the MEAN stack?

MEAN stands for the following stacked technologies:

  • M: MongoDB (non-RDBMS NoSQL database)
  • E: Express.js (backend web framework)
  • A: AngularJS (frontend framework that builds user interfaces)
  • N: Node.js (open-source backend runtime environment)

An incoming user request is processed by the AngularJS framework. The request is then analyzed by Node.js and translated into inputs that the web app can comprehend. These translated inputs are used by Express.js to select which requests to make to MongoDB, a non-relational NoSQL database. Once MongoDB has provided the required information, Express.js delivers the data back to Node.js, which then transmits it to the AngularJS framework, which displays the desired information in the user interface.

While other frontend frameworks, such as React.js, can be used in place of AngularJS, the Node.js environment is fundamental to the MEAN stack and cannot be replaced. This is because Node.js supports full-stack JavaScript development, which is a significant advantage that makes developing and managing applications using the MEAN stack extremely efficient. The stack is referred to as MERN when the AngularJS framework is replaced with React.js. Valeri Karpov, a MongoDB developer, coined the phrase “MEAN stack” in 2013.

Figure 2 shows a high-level example of how a web app replies across its MEAN stack to a user’s information request:

Figure 2: How a web app responds across the MEAN stack to fulfill a request.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of LAMP stack development?

Advantages of LAMP

Some advantages of utilizing LAMP to design, deploy, and maintain web applications are as follows:

  • Widespread support and trust: Because LAMP technologies have been utilized in numerous types of software development since the 1990s, they are universally trusted and supported by the open-source community. Many hosting services, for example, support PHP and MySQL.
  • Open-source technology: LAMP technologies are open source, which means they are freely available to developers. Because of its open-source technology, LAMP is also highly adaptable, allowing developers to choose the components that make the most sense for a given web app. PHP, for example, can employ a variety of compiler runtime engines, such as Zend or Laravel. LAMP can also take advantage of open-source databases like PostgreSQL.
  • Apache: The Apache web server is well-known for its dependability, speed, and security. It is also modular, making it extremely customizable.
  • Security: The LAMP stack has enterprise-grade security and encryption.
  • Efficiency: Because of its ease of modification, the LAMP stack can reduce app development time. For example, rather than writing code from scratch, programmers can start with an Apache module and modify it as needed.
  • Scalability: Because of its non-blocking structure, web apps designed, deployed, and managed with the LAMP stack are highly scalable and quick to develop.
  • Low maintenance: The LAMP stack ecosystem is reliable and requires little maintenance.
  • Comprehension: LAMP stack development is a fantastic alternative for novices because PHP and MySQL are reasonably simple to learn.

Disadvantages of LAMP

The following are some of the disadvantages of utilizing LAMP to design, deploy, and manage web applications:

  • Multiple languages: Because it necessitates the usage of various languages, LAMP is not termed “full-stack.” While PHP is used for server-side programming, JavaScript is utilized for client-side development. This indicates that a full-stack developer or many developers are needed.
  • Limited OS support: Only the Linux operating system and its derivatives, such as Oracle Linux, are supported by LAMP.
  • Monolithic architecture: While it is probably more secure than the cloud, LAMP systems are more monolithic than cloud-based architectures (cloud architectures are more scalable and affordable and return data quicker via APIs).

What are the advantages and disadvantages of MEAN stack development?

Advantages of MEAN

The following are some of the advantages of using MEAN to design, deploy, and manage web applications:

  • The use of a single language: MEAN is a “full-stack” application because it solely requires JavaScript. Switching between client-side and server-side code is now simple and efficient. A single JavaScript developer, for example, could theoretically create a whole web program.
  • Real-time updates and demonstrations: The technologies in the MEAN stack enable real-time upgrades to deployed web apps. Web app developers can also easily show the functionality of their creations.
  • Cloud compatibility: MEAN stack technologies can interact with cloud-based capabilities prevalent in current online services (such as calling on an API for data retrieval).
  • JSON files: MEAN lets users save papers as JSON files, which are optimized for quick data interchange across networks.
  • Efficiency: Developers can cut development time by using resources from public repositories and libraries. As a result, MEAN stack development is a low-cost solution that startups may find intriguing.
  • A fast runtime environment and ease of maintenance: The Node.js runtime is quick and responsive, while the Angular.js framework is simple to manage and test.
  • Cross-platform support: MEAN is a cross-platform stack, which means that its web applications may run on a variety of operating systems.

Disadvantages of MEAN

The following are some disadvantages of utilizing MEAN to design, deploy, and manage web applications:

  • Potential data loss: Because MongoDB requires a lot of memory for data storage, large-scale applications may face data loss. MongoDB also does not provide transactional functions.
  • Load times and incompatibility: On some devices, particularly older or low-end devices, JavaScript may cause websites or programs to load slowly. If JavaScript is disabled on a device, web apps may become unusable. Also, because older apps are unlikely to employ JavaScript, MEAN can be difficult to deploy in existing infrastructures.
  • High maintenance: Because the MEAN stack’s technologies are usually updated, web apps must be maintained regularly.

MEAN vs LAMP: Which is better?

Neither stack is superior to the other. However, the LAMP stack or MEAN stack may be more appropriate for a specific web development use case.

In general, the LAMP stack is the preferred option for online applications or sites that have the following characteristics:

  • Are broad in scope, static (needing no real-time updates), and will undergo high workflows with traffic surges.
  • Have a limited lifespan
  • Are they server-side?
  • Use a content management system (CMS) such as WordPress.

MEAN stack, on the other hand, is a better solution for web apps or sites like these:

  • Utilize current cloud technologies like APIs and microservices.
  • Have a lengthy life expectancy
  • Are more limited in focus and have regularly predictable traffic (decreasing the likelihood of data loss)
  • Require a significant amount of reasoning on the client-side

 

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