In the digital era, every company is transforming into a software company. As Microsoft chief Satya Nadella says, “Every business can become a software or digital business. You need to think and operate like them.”
In recent years, there has been a boom in demand for full-stack developers such as MEAN & MERN. The reasons are versatility, the ability to manage entire projects, and the broad range of skills that apply to various software development tasks. Full-stack developers are gaining more popularity with the highest (58.0%) as shown in the below figure:
In recent years, there has been a boom in demand for full-stack developers such as MEAN & MERN. The reasons are versatility, the ability to manage entire projects, and the broad range of skills that apply to various software development tasks.
They are often called “Swiss Army Knives” in the software development industry. Such professionals are assets for any onshore and offshore web development company.
Hiring & accessing Full stack developers are challenging due to the wide range of technical and non-technical skills required, the changing technology landscape, and the importance of cultural fit.
You must have proper knowledge of full-stack programmers to overcome these challenges and find the right full-stack software developers for your organization.
MEAN & MERN are two types of Full-Stack Developers.
Let’s first know about each one by one.
MEAN Stack Developer: Brief Overview
A mean stack developer often has extensive knowledge of JavaScript and its associated programs and frameworks to build sites and applications.
There are several roles & responsibilities of a MEAN stack developer:
- Build and test web or mobile apps quickly
- Build and maintain databases for clients to store and recover data
- Integrate existing apps with other software
- Analyze & fix errors before and after deployment
- Host apps on various web servers, including cloud technology
MEAN Stack Developer Skills
Technical Skills
- Expertise in technologies such as MongoDB, ExpressJS, AngularJS, and NodeJS
- Knowledge about HTML/CSS, jQuery, PHP, Java, Python, UI/UX design, AWS, JSON, AJAX, and security, frontend CSS frameworks like Bootstrap
- Experience in software architecture, server management, cross-browser compatibility, responsive design, and website performance
- Understand DB architecture design, programming templates, Agile approches, and client-side and server-side processes
Soft Skills
- Good communication skills
- Critical thinking and time management
- Strong problem-solving and analytical skills
- Collaboration skills to support business goals
Benefits of Hiring MEAN Stack Developer
Benefits of hiring MEAN stack developers are shown in the image below:
Some popular companies such as Google, Netflix, Accenture, LinkedIn, Uber, & PayPal are using MEAN stack to build apps.
MERN Stack Developer: Brief Overview
MERN Stack programmers create interactive consumer data from various systems and build and design frontend web architecture. They specify the choices in code architecture to support high-performance software.
- Create features & fix bugs
- Add new features to an existing app
- Implement new standards, technologies and frameworks
- Create mockups for new features
- Test the finished product for bugs before the launch
- Write cross-platform and cross-device compatible code
- Knowledge of rest APIs
- Integrate RDBMS & NoSQL DB data storage solutions
Technical Skills
- Expertise in technologies such as JavaScript, React.JS, Node.JS, MongoDB & Express.JS
- Frontend Development
- Testing
- Deployment
- Version Control
Soft Skills
- Problem-solving
- Project management
- Adaptability & flexibility
Benefits of hiring MERN stack developers are shown in the image below:
Many large enterprises such as Facebook, Instagram, & WhatsApp used MERN stack to build their apps.
A Quick Comparison: MEAN Stack vs. MERN Stack
Here is a quick comparison of MEAN Stack & MERN stack, shown in the below table:
Parameters | MEAN Stack | MERN Stack |
Type | JS Framework | JS Library |
Language | TypeScript | JavaScript, JSX |
Scalability | Medium | High |
Architecture | Component-Based | Component-Based |
Data Binding | One & two way | One-way |
DOM | Regular DOM | Virtual DOM |
Features | Moderate Level | High Level |
Learning Curve | Medium | Low |
Data Flow | Bidirectional | Unidirectional |
Security | High | Medium |
Performance | Slow | Fast |
Let’s come to the main topic.
Challenges to Hire & Access MERN/MEAN Stack Developer
Hiring & assessing managers think that a full-stack developer can work on all programming languages. But the fact is that various stacks need specific technical expertise or knowledge of specific elements.
Here are most popular stacks and their technologies;
- MEAN Stack includes MongoDB, Express, AngularJS & Node.JS.
- MERN Stack includes MongoDB, Express, ReactJS & Node.JS.
MERN/MEAN stack developers are in high demand because of their ability to work with popular technologies. As a result, there's a lot of competition among employers seeking to hire skilled developers.
Since MERN/MEAN stack is a relatively new and rapidly evolving technology stack, there might be a need for more experienced developers with a proven track record. Finding developers with substantial experience in these technologies could take time and effort.
Since the MERN/MEAN stack is relatively new, there might need to be well-established and standardized skill evaluation methods. It makes it difficult to assess a candidate's proficiency accurately.
How to Access & Hire the Right MEAN & MERN Full-Stack Developer
Here are a few steps you can follow to access & hire the right programmer for your MEAN/MERN full-stack development project.
Before hiring & accessing MEAN/MERN stack developers, list your project's requirements and success metrics.
It'll help you find a talented developer with the required expertise.
With the right hiring model, you can find the experts you need for your project. Here are two main types of hiring strategies; Outsourcing & IT staff augmentation.
Also Learn: Staff augmentation vs. IT outsourcing: which one is the best for your project.
Outsourcing
Hiring an outsourcing dedicated team will help you gain the skills and experience of seasoned MERN Stack developers.
An IT outsourcing provider such as VLink helps companies to find the MEAN/MERN Full stack experts they want for a low cost. This hiring model helps reduce the time hiring programmers while gaining access to the latest technologies.
Also Read: Myth about Full-Stack development
IT Staff Augmentation
IT staff augmentation service is the best way to access the best MERN Stack developers without hiring a whole team or hiring in-house.
This approach allows you to hire MERN developers or a project manager as your team’s part without the hassle and costs of e-commerce development, CMS development, etc.
Also Read: IT staff augmentation guide to hire full stack web developer for your project.
A MEAN/MERN full-stack developer should be versed in technical skills & programming languages;
Frontend languages;
- HTML and CSS to build web development solutions.
- JavaScript & JS frameworks like React, Angular, Node, and Vue to create dynamic web interactions.
Backend or server-side languages;
- Java, PHP, Python, Ruby, etc
- Web architecture and APIs for backend development
In addition, make sure your hired experts must have comprehensive knowledge of database technologies.
Like technical skills, soft skills are vital in delivering a successful project. It’s essential to take soft skill assements when hiring a full-stack developer whether MERN or MEAN.
Here are common soft skills a full-stack developer must have:
- Open-mindedness & flexibility
- Integrity
- Creative mind
- Agile decision-making
- Ability to communicate and lead
It’s the 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.
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.
Questions You Must Ask in the MEAN/MERN Full Stack Developer Interview
You can understand the candidate’s skills, qualifications, and capabilities with a few questions. It’ll help you find the right fit for your project. Here are several questions you must ask from MEAN/MERN Stack developer during the interview:
- What are the key features they have for SEO when building a web app?
- Which development approach do they want for such projects?
- How do they fix bugs?
- How do they handle continuous integration?
- How can they protect a website from being web-scraped by a publicly available API?
- How well-versed are they in UI development paradigms like Bridge and Observer?
Where to Find MEAN/MERN Full-Stack Developers?
When looking to hire MEAN developers, you have a couple of options, some of which may already be familiar to you:
- 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.
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.
If you need an expert full-stack programmer to build complex web and mobile app solutions for your business, VLink is the right choice!
Hire a Dedicated Full Stack Developer with VLink!
At VLink, you can hire dedicated full-stack programmers with unmatched expertise in coding frontend and backend layers of your web and mobile app solutions. As a leading IT outsourcing agency, we connect you with the best 1% of talented resources from around the globe.
Why Choose VLink to Hire MEAN/MERN Stack Developers?
- Fast hiring within 24 hours
- Simple & Transparent Pricing
- Fully Signed NDA & Code Security
- Regular Reporting & Transparent Communication
- Easy Exit Policy
Contact our IT talent experts to discuss your requirements and find dynamic full-stack developers for your project.
Frequently Asked Questions
Full-stack development refers to creating web applications that involve both frontend (client-side) and backend (server-side) development.
Full-stack developers are proficient in multiple programming languages and frameworks, enabling them to handle all aspects of a project, from designing user interfaces to managing databases and server operations.
Hiring a MEAN/MERN Stack Developer is beneficial for your project because they possess expertise in modern web technologies like MongoDB, Express.js, Angular (MEAN) or React (MERN), and Node.js.
Their full-stack proficiency enables efficient development, seamless communication between frontend and backend, and a faster turnaround for your web application.
You should hire a MEAN/MERN/Full Stack Developer when you need a versatile professional who can handle both frontend and backend development using the respective technology stacks.
They are proficient in JavaScript, allowing them to build dynamic and robust web applications efficiently. It helps streamline the development process and ensures a seamless user experience across the entire application.
