MEAN (

MongoDB MongoDB is a source-available cross-platform document-oriented database program. Classified as a NoSQL database program, MongoDB uses JSON-like documents with optional schemas. MongoDB is developed by MongoDB Inc. and licensed under the Ser ...

, Express.js, AngularJS (or Angular), and

Node.js Node.js is an open-source server environment. Node.js is cross-platform and runs on Windows, Linux, Unix, and macOS. Node.js is a back-end JavaScript runtime environment. Node.js runs on the V8 JavaScript Engine and executes JavaScript code o ...

) is a free and open-source

JavaScript JavaScript (), often abbreviated as JS, is a programming language that is one of the core technologies of the World Wide Web, alongside HTML and CSS. As of 2022, 98% of websites use JavaScript on the client side for webpage behavior, of ...

software stack In computing, a solution stack or software stack is a set of software subsystems or components needed to create a complete platform such that no additional software is needed to support applications. Applications are said to "run on" or "run on ...

for building dynamic web sites and

web application A web application (or web app) is application software that is accessed using a web browser. Web applications are delivered on the World Wide Web to users with an active network connection. History In earlier computing models like client-serv ...

s. A variation known as MERN replaces Angular with

React REACT or React may refer to: Science and technology *REACT (telescope), a telescope at Fenton Hill Observatory, New Mexico, US Computing * React (JavaScript library) , a JavaScript library for building user interfaces, from Facebook ** React Nati ...

. Because all components of the MEAN stack support programs that are written in JavaScript, MEAN applications can be written in one language for both

server-side In the client–server model, server-side refers to programs and operations that run on the server. This is in contrast to client-side programs and operations which run on the client. General concepts Typically, a server is a computer applicati ...

and

client-side Client-side refers to operations that are performed by the client in a client–server relationship in a computer network. General concepts Typically, a client is a computer application, such as a web browser, that runs on a user's local comput ...

execution environments. Though often compared directly to other popular web development stacks such as the

LAMP stack LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP/Perl/Python) is an acronym denoting one of the most common software stacks for many of the web's most popular applications. However, LAMP now refers to a generic software stack model and its components are largel ...

, the components of the MEAN stack are higher-level including a web application presentation layer and not including an operating system layer. The acronym ''MEAN'' was coined by Valeri Karpov. He introduced the term in a 2013 blog post and the logo concept, initially created by Austin Anderson for the original MEAN stack

LinkedIn LinkedIn () is an American business and employment-oriented online service that operates via websites and mobile apps. Launched on May 5, 2003, the platform is primarily used for professional networking and career development, and allows job se ...

group, is an assembly of the first letter of each component of the MEAN acronym.

Software components

MongoDB

MongoDB is a NoSQL database program that uses JSON-like

BSON BSON () is a computer data interchange format. The name "BSON" is based on the term JSON and stands for "Binary JSON". It is a binary form for representing simple or complex data structures including associative arrays (also known as name-value ...

(binary JSON) documents with schema. The role of the database in the MEAN stack is very commonly filled by MongoDB because its use of JSON-like documents for interacting with data as opposed to the row/column model allows it to integrate well with the other (JavaScript-based) components of the stack.

Express.js

Express.js (also referred to as Express) is a modular web application framework package for

. While Express is capable of acting as an internet-facing web server, even supporting SSL/TLS out of the box, it is often used in conjunction with a

reverse proxy In computer networks, a reverse proxy is the application that sits in front of back-end applications and forwards client (e.g. browser) requests to those applications. Reverse proxies help increase scalability, performance, resilience and securi ...

such as

NGINX Nginx (pronounced "engine x" ) is a web server that can also be used as a reverse proxy, load balancer, mail proxy and HTTP cache. The software was created by Igor Sysoev and publicly released in 2004. Nginx is free and open-source software ...

or Apache for performance reasons.

Angular and alternatives

Typically data is fetched using

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Gree ...

techniques and rendered in the browser on the client-side by a client-side application framework, however as the stack is commonly entirely JavaScript-based, in some implementations of the stack, server-side rendering where the rendering of the initial page can be offloaded to a server is used so that the initial data can be prefetched before it is loaded in the user's browser.

Node.js

Node.js is the application runtime that the MEAN stack runs on. The use of Node.js, which is said to represent a "JavaScript Everywhere" paradigm, is integral to the MEAN stack which relies on that concept.

References

External links

meanjs.org
is a fork of mean.io. It uses a tool called 'Yeoman' to generate Angular CRUD, routes, controllers, views, and services.
MEAN Stack User Registration and Login Tutorial

Spark Databox MEAN Stack Online Course

Understanding MERN and MEAN Stack
{{NodeJs Web frameworks Internet software for Linux