Choosing a tech stack for a mobile app can be a tough call. With so many options available at present, even the most experienced developers and tech geeks can be astounded in making the right decision. If you are thinking of launching your own app-based start-up and are not proficient in technology, you should be more diligent towards making a tech stack decision. If you select a wrong technology stack, your app dream can break completely in a matter of months.
Thankfully, there are a few crucial factors that can help you find the right tech stack as per your mobile app development project requirement. But before we move ahead with the factors, it is important to understand what a tech stack is and why is it crucial for a project?
Tech Stack: The Heart, Brain & Breath of a Project
Tech stack is a mixture of backend and frontend technologies that work in sync with each other to create powerful tech products. While the front-end deals with the client side and takes care of user interactions, the backend consists of a server, database, and application.
Applications are developed on top of each other with the help of codes and modules, making it just like a pile or stack of things. So, essentially, a tech stack consists of different server/component layers that make an app fully functional. Without a powerful tech stack that syncs with your product needs, you cannot think of making your app a big success.
Tech Stack: Impacting Development & Growth Prospects of a Mobile App
Choosing the right tech stack is really crucial with respect to current development efforts and future growth prospects. As the app is completely dependent on the tech stack, its features, functionalities, capabilities, and eccentricities are totally defined by the tech stack you are using.
A powerful tech stack can serve as a facilitator while a tech stack completely out of sync from your requirements can tumble your project even before launch. Tech stack will only define how your app will work and how great the user experience will be. This is because everything from servers to front end will be defined just as you choose a tech stack and you cannot roll back once you have started development on a tech stack if you do not mind doubling your expenditure on app development.
If you choose to go with cloud file storage, then you need to choose a tech stack which consists of everything that works perfectly with such a file storage system. Choosing to ignore the alignment can make it harder for you to develop and scale your app at a future stage.
Tech Stack Decision Dynamics: Factors to be considered before choosing a tech stack
Industry & Type of Project
Before moving ahead with the decision, it is important to classify your app project’s outlines. Who is the app for? Which platforms you will target? How big are your future scalability aspirations? Are you building an app for Android, iOS or any other platform? Will the app work only on mobile devices, desktops or wearables?
One more important thing to identify is what industry your app is catering to. Are you building an app for the healthcare segment or your app is meant for fintech space? Choosing a tech stack that aligns to the specific requirements of an industry will help you meet end-user expectations in a better way.
Development Cost & Time to Market (TTM)
TTM is a crucial aspect in the competitive tech ecosystem. So, you should choose a stack that accelerates the development process. As every development activity comes with a deadline, your decision should be influenced by the time that will be taken by a stack to develop the MVP and the final product before the deadline. This is essential as time would also be required to test the product to make it full-proof before final deployment.
Also, the cost of development is one of the most important factors that will determine your investment and returns, thereof. A lot of tech stacks are available as open source but they might not have the features you need in-built. While making a decision, you should find out what all features come as a part of the package and what are the premium features available in the tech stack. Make sure to find out if the features are aligned to your development budget, project requirements and TTM aspirations for best results.
Scalability
The tech stack you should be able to support your app as it scales up. When you are ready to enhance your productivity, your tech stack should be equipped with the right tools, frameworks and aspects that would accelerate the process without wasting time or money. As app landscape is dominated by MVP model, your stack should be able to support upgradation and scalability at various stages after the launch of prototype without complicating things.
DevOps & Security Requirement
The kind of DevOps practices you are used to, as well as the level of the security requirement, is a crucial factor, too. Will your app just serve as an informational hub for end-users or your app will manage their financial data?
If you need to manage user data, security is of paramount importance and hence, you should choose a tech stack that facilitates high-end security framework to fulfil app development goals.
Maintenance
Tech stack should be easy to manage without lengthy codes. If your tech stack confuses your developers with complex codes and takes a long time to process and complete a task, then you might get stuck after a point in development. At the same time, choosing a stack that has a very illegible coding structure can lead to additional spending on training and development of resources. So, your focus should be on finding a tech stack on which code is easy to maintain for your development team.
It is essential to thoroughly understand the tech stack landscape before making a final decision. And if you are not from the technical field, choosing a tech stack can be a mind-boggling experience. In such a condition, it is better to join hands with a professional expert who can guide you through the process. Intuz has been developing Android and iOS Mobile Applications for all kinds of businesses across industry segments.
If you are confused about making this decision, you can always consult the experts at Intuz who will not only help you choose the right tech stack but will spearhead the development activity for you by providing everything you need at a single pit stop. So, what are you thinking? Talk to our experts now.