MongoDB or Mongo is one of the four golden stars of the stellar Software Development stack, MERN. As you probably guessed, it represents the initial “M” in its name. Many reputable experts consider MERN the most popular stack for Web Development. It may be obvious why a tech stack with such powerful libraries and frameworks like React, Node, and Express became so widely adopted. Yet, it may be shocking that it doesn’t use the OG Database Management System (DBMS), MySQL. Users demand better products to solve their problems; the answer often lies in modern and powerful tools to build them. Mongo is a cutting-edge DBMS designed for scalable web and mobile applications. Let’s dive deeper into what it is and why it fits perfectly in the MERN stack.
What is the MERN Stack?
In Software Development, a stack is a set of the main tools you need to build an application from scratch. Each stack component has a role in the development process, involving both Front and Back End Development. In this context, the MERN Stack is used for building world-class web applications, popular due to its performance, scalability, and reusability. Moreover, all MERN elements (Mongo, Express, React, and Node) rely on the same programming language, JavaScript, which streamline the Product Development Life Cycle.
MERN can help provide every aspect a product requires to be successful, including speed, on-page SEO, security, support, dynamic User Interfaces (UIs), seamless User Experience (UX), and overall performance. That said, MERN can help cover the requirements of almost any business, regardless of the field they’re in. Thus, MERN stack projects can cover Edtech, Fintech, eCommerce, Healthcare, Transportation, Music, Security, etc. More specifically, developers love MERN for fast Single-Page Applications (SPAs). Let’s move on to the basics of Mongo and why it is one of the pillars of MERN.
What is MongoDB?
As mentioned above, MongoDB is a state-of-the-art DBMS perfect for building modern and scalable products, especially if their data requires some versatility. Mongo is a document-oriented DBMS that uses JSON-like documents to store and handle data instead of tables with schemas. Think of documents as the basic units of data in MongoDB. That makes it a non-relational DBMS, as opposed to the relational approach from MySQL. Also, instead of SQL, it uses a JSON query language to access data in a much simpler manner. MongoDB's flexible documents allow developers to easily handle and access large volumes of unstructured data.
One of the greatest advantages of MongoDB is that it allows for horizontal scaling without needing more infrastructure. Thus, not only is it modern and high-performance, but also a very cost-effective DBMS. MongoDB is well-equipped with Cloud Solutions involving stellar development environments, perfect for digital agencies and high-tech products. One of its most notorious features, Mongo Atlas, leads the cloud database industry with out-of-the-box AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud support. It also embraces the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by adding Vector Search and Natural Language Query Generation. MongoDB’s latest versions introduced native support for time series data in Fintech, the Internet of Things (IoT), or any Financial Analysis application. As you may have guessed, a tool of this caliber also excels at cybersecurity!
Why does MongoDB Works in MERN?
Have you seen a film cast or a sports team and felt that combining so many great performers or players must be almost against the rules? There’s no way to describe the synergy they have working together. Using MongoDB with the rest of the MERN stack is exactly like that. Like React.js, Node.js, and Express.js, you can use MongoDB in cutting-edge, high-performance apps. As mentioned, it uses a JSON-like query language (BSON), making it excellent for tools in the JavaScript ecosystem. That also allows for seamless data transfer and manipulation. Their massive community of talented Software Developers is another thing they have in common.
MongoDB’s flexibility and scalability perfectly match the dynamic React.js components and built-in database drivers for Node.js. It’s also worth mentioning that MongoDB has top-notch tools that enhance its functionality and usability. A perfect example is the Graphical User Interface (GUI) from MongoDB Compass for data exploration and manipulation. Plus, MongoDB Ops Manager can help automate and monitor deployments. That makes it excellent for providing a rapid and smooth Product Development Life Cycle (PDLC). All that translates into a stellar developer experience, demonstrating why MongoDB goes so well with the rest of the MERN stack.
Conclusion
On the one hand, modern and reputable tools like React.js, Node.js, and Express.js target large, fast, and scalable web products. They require a leading-edge DBMS that keeps up with their great features and capabilities. So many developers love using MongoDB with React.js, Node.js, and Express.js. One of the main reasons for building MongoDB was overcoming the limitations of relational databases that struggle to meet the requirements of modern software development. Replacing MongoDB with some database software like PostgreSQL or MySQL is technically possible. Yet, most developers have agreed to use MongoDB for a reason.
On the other hand, the core query language from MongoDB (BSON/JSON) is a perfect match for building Full-Stack JavaScript applications. That, of course, includes React.js, Node.js, and Express.js. The bottom line is that MongoDB was a fantastic addition to the MERN stack. As a full-cycle, UX-driven Product Development agency, we acknowledge the power of MongoDB and highly recommend MERN for fulfilling your project requirements.
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