The cool thing about software development is the number of technologies you have to build in different applications to serve your business needs. But it can also make figuring out who to hire in building those applications a bit murky.

In this post, we take you through the in-demand application development roles – MERN and MEAN full-stack developers. By the end of the article, you’ll hopefully have a better idea of who you need for your project and how to hire a dedicated full-stack developer.

What is Full Stack MEAN and MERN Development?

Full-stack development means developing client-side (frontend) and server-side (backend) software. MEAN full-stack development uses MongoDB (M), ExpressJS (E), AngularJS (A) and NodeJS (N) at the server and client sides of an application. MERN full-stack development is a variation of MEAN stack, involving MongoDB (M), ExpressJS (E), React (R), and NodeJS (N). MEAN is usually preferred for larger applications while MERN is used for smaller projects.

Roles and Responsibilities of Full Stack Developers

Full-stack developer skills are comprehensive as they require an understanding of an application’s backend and its user interface. In other words, full-stack engineers can oversee the entire application development and take on roles commensurate to their capabilities. What are they?

Roles of a full stack developer

• A product manager because they have engineering capabilities and a deep familiarity with business requirements.
• A start-up can hire a full-stack developer as CTO to build end-to-end technical solutions and contribute business ideas.
• To build a full-fledged web or mobile application, doing the jobs of front-end, back-end, and network engineers or leading a team of them.

Responsibilities of a full-stack developer

• Writing backend and frontend code
• Creating user interactions
• Testing and debugging software
• Developing servers and databases
• Ensuring applications’ responsiveness
• Considering scalability, maintenance, and security when developing applications
• Ensuring cross-platform optimization for mobile apps
• Collaborating with graphic designers for web design elements
• Designing and developing APIs
• Explaining the effectiveness of emerging technologies to decision-makers

When hiring a full-stack developer, state the responsibilities expected in the role clearly to improve your chances of attracting the right candidates.

Qualities of a Full-Stack Developer

A full-stack developer is in charge of many things and must have the qualities that make them equally good engineers, managers, and team members. The qualities expected in this role are:

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
• Impressive time management skills
• Strong creative vision
• Enthusiastic and effective communicator
• Curious about technologies
• Tenacious

Full-stack developers for hire are not a dime a dozen. As they possess diverse skills, they’re in demand. If you’ve determined that you’d rather have a full stack developer instead of specialized backend development and frontend development expertise, assess these key skills to build an effective product that pleases end users.

How to Find MEAN/MERN Full-Stack Developers?

When looking to hire MEAN stack developers, you have a couple of options, some of which may already be familiar to you:

• LinkedIn
• GitHub
• Stack Overflow
• Indeed
• WellFound (formerly AngelList)

These platforms are the go-tos for companies seeking tech talent. But they’re better suited for adding full-time MEAN/MERN full-stack developers rather than on a per-project basis.

Required Technical Skills for a MEAN/MERN Full-Stack Developer

Let’s look at the extent of technical capabilities that MEAN/MERN full-stack developers must possess.

Front-end Languages

HTML/CC

A MEAN/MERN full-stack developer should have mastery over these building blocks of web application development.

JavaScript

JavaScript is a fundamental skill for full-stack developers, who must have a working understanding of JS frameworks and libraries such as Angular and React.

Backend Languages

NodeJS

MEAN/MERN developers should know how to use NodeJS to build fully synchronous, scalable applications.

Python

While JavaScript is well-suited to web and mobile apps, enterprise solutions, and middleware products, Python’s ease of use and versatility has made it popular for machine learning apps, game development, and prototyping. Python development skills are an added value addition to MERN/MEAN developers.

C# Language

The universal programming language is used for Windows applications, web applications, games, microservices and more. It’s a useful skill if your project needs a .NET stack for building an API product or cloud service. A MERN/MEAN engineer with .NET backend development proficiency can prove valuable across various tech frameworks.

Database management system

A full-stack developer works with databases. Along with designing and building the front end, they design, develop and debug databases. When looking to hire a dedicated full-stack developer, check for MySQL, SQL SERVER and PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and Oracle Database proficiency.

Version control

In software development, version control is a way to work with teams and keep track of projects. Full-stack developers work with popular version-control systems (VCSs) such as GitHub and Git to collaborate on projects and manage projects more efficiently.

Web hosting platforms

Deploying an application to the cloud to make it available to customers is a part of the development process. Full-stack developers must have a working knowledge of cloud-based platforms such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud.

How to screen for a MEAN/MERN Full Stack Developer?

It’s a best practice to assess technical skills when hiring software developers for your tech team. While algorithmic programming tests are a popular way to gauge skills with specific frameworks and languages, they don’t exactly provide a big picture of full-stack skills. For that, coding tests that mirror real-life tasks are far more effective in assessing candidates’ problem-solving capabilities and predicting their on-the-job performance.

While testing candidates’ knowledge across a web stack, a coding skills assessment should also provide insights into their ability to solve the real-world problems they’re likely to encounter in their roles. Coding assessment tools like CodinGamePlatform and GLIDERai make your job easier and faster.

Cost to Hire a MEAN/MERN Full Stack Developer

As you might imagine, full-stack developers don’t come cheap. According to Glassdoor, the average salary for a full stack developer is approx $108,803, including average base pay and bonus. The hourly cost to hire a MEAN/MERN full-stack developer depends on their experience and location.

Read here for some best practices to help reduce software development project costs.

How to Hire MEAN & MERN Full-Stack Developer Quickly 

There are companies like VLink which can supply expert Full stack developer talent quickly and to a high degree of reliability thanks to their internal vetting mechanisms. If the company has a global presence, then it will also be a big factor in your reduced project budget spending to allow for cost optimization or provide onshore/nearshore or offshore MEAN & MERN developers who fit your culture.

Hire a Dedicated Full Stack Developer with VLink

As a destination for the best software development talent from various locations and across emerging technologies, we outperform other IT staff augmentation companies. Get in touch with our IT talent experts to discuss your requirements and find dynamic full-stack developers for your project.