What is Mean Stack Development, How Does it Work? Benefits & Use Cases - tutorial for building a simple Application using Mean

Ashraf KhanFullstack Developer

Published On

Updated On

Table of Content

What is the MEAN stack?

The MEAN stack is a web development framework that brings together MongoDB, ExpressJS, AngularJS, and NodeJS. Each component has a specific role:

MongoDB: a document-oriented database
ExpressJS: a web framework for NodeJS
AngularJS: a client-side JavaScript framework
NodeJS: a JavaScript back-end runtime environment

Inside a MEAN stack application architecture

A full-stack MEAN developer handles every layer of a web application from the user interface to the backend logic and database.

This includes building interfaces users interact with, setting up routes and APIs, managing server logic, and connecting with a database to store and retrieve data.

How MEAN stack components communicate

The Angular-based client can take the form of a web, mobile, or desktop application. It interacts with the backend through REST APIs built with Express.js.

These APIs connect to a Node.js server, which processes client requests and performs operations on the MongoDB database to store or retrieve data.

The MEAN stack has become a preferred solution for full-stack JavaScript development. Trusted by companies like Google, PayPal, and Accenture, it offers a streamlined way to build dynamic, data-driven applications.

In the following sections, we'll break down each core component to understand their individual roles and how they work together in a complete application.

MongoDB (Database)

MongoDB is a document database with a unique setup. Unlike traditional SQL databases that organize data into tables and columns, MongoDB opts for a horizontal scale-out architecture and a flexible schema.

Instead of rows and columns, MongoDB stores data as documents in BSON format, which is a binary version of the data. These documents are then easily retrievable in JSON format, making it a breeze for applications to handle.

Here's the link to the official documentation of MongoDB.

A used case example for MongoDB

Imagine you're building a task management app. In a task management tool (like Trello or Asana), MongoDB plays a key role in storing structured, yet flexible, data.

Here’s how:

{
  "projectName": "Marketing Website Launch",
  "owner": "jane_doe",
  "tasks": [
    { "title": "Design landing page", "status": "done" },
    { "title": "Set up Google Ads", "status": "in-progress" }
  ]
}

This reduces the need for complex joins and speeds up data retrieval in Angular dashboards.

User Profiles and Role Permissions

MongoDB stores user information, including roles, preferences, and assigned projects:

{
  "userId": "u123",
  "name": "Jane Doe",
  "role": "manager",
  "projects": ["p001", "p002"]
}

When the Angular app loads, it fetches the user role and filters the UI accordingly.

Activity Logs for Teams

You can store audit trails or activity logs to track collaboration:

{
  "projectId": "p001",
  "action": "comment_added",
  "by": "jane_doe",
  "timestamp": "2025-07-14T09:12:45Z"
}

This log data can be used to build a real-time activity feed or admin dashboard.

Express.js (Backend)

ExpressJS, the second piece of the MEAN stack, helps us create the backend for web and mobile apps.

With Express, we don't need extra Node modules because it offers lots of handy tools, called middleware, to keep our code in check.

It basically adds a layer on top of Node.js to help you manage servers and routes smoothly. Here's the link for the official documentation of Express.js.

Benefits of ExpressJS

Simple and Light

This software is simple and light, a breeze to install and get your app up and running.

Flexible

Customizing and setting it up is a cinch, giving you the flexibility you need.

Good for creating APIs

When it comes to building APIs, Express.js shines.

Express.js for Task API Layer In our task management app, Express.js acts as the API layer between the Angular frontend and MongoDB.

It defines routes, handles requests, validates input, and structures responses.

Creating a New Task

app.post('/api/tasks', async (req, res) => {
  const task = new Task(req.body);
  await task.save();
  res.status(201).send(task);
});

This endpoint receives a task from Angular, validates it, stores it in MongoDB, and sends back a success response.

Fetching all tasks for a project

app.get('/api/projects/:id/tasks', async (req, res) => {
  const tasks = await Task.find({ projectId: req.params.id });
  res.send(tasks);
});

Express routes handle authentication, query MongoDB, and deliver only the necessary data to Angular, keeping things efficient.

AngularJS (Frontend)

AngularJS, the third component of the MEAN stack, is a popular front-end framework known for building dynamic user interfaces.

Its standout feature is the ability to interact with web applications without needing to refresh the page, leading to reduced site traffic and improved performance.

By allowing you to extend your HTML tags with metadata (or jQuery), AngularJS makes it easier to develop dynamic, interactive online experiences compared to manually constructing them with static HTML and JavaScript.

Additionally, AngularJS offers features such as form validation, localization, and connectivity to back-end services, which are standard for front-end JavaScript frameworks.

Here's the link for the official documentation of AngularJS.

Angular Benefits

Two-Way Binding Feature:

AngularJS makes it easy to keep your app's data and view in sync.
So, when you change something in the model, it instantly shows up in the view, and vice versa.
This makes building the user interface a piece of cake, keeping things simple and smooth.

Supports SPA features:

When you're building a website with AngularJS, it feels super fast and smooth. With AngularJS, building SPAs is a breeze.
Your site loads quickly, works on any device, and gives users a great experience. Plus, it's a cinch to maintain.

Simple Declarative UI:

AngularJS uses HTML to create templates for your webpages. It's easy to understand and work with.
Designers can focus on making things look pretty, while developers connect everything up using simple tags like ng-app and ng-model.

Task UI & interactions

Angular powers the entire user interface, creating tasks, managing projects, and handling real-time updates.

Displaying Task Lists

<ul>
  <li *ngFor="let task of tasks">{{ task.title }} - {{ task.status }}</li>
</ul>

The tasksarray is fetched from the Express API and displayed reactively using Angular’s component-driven architecture.

Creating a New Task

this.http.post('/api/tasks', {
  title: 'Write documentation',
  projectId: 'p001'
}).subscribe(response => this.tasks.push(response));

Angular handles the form, sends the data, and instantly updates the view without reloading the page.

NodeJS (Backend)

Node.js is a crucial part of MEAN.js. It's an open-source platform that runs JavaScript code, making it perfect for building the back end of web and mobile applications. Web apps run in browsers, while mobile apps run on mobile devices.

Both types of apps need to interact with backend services for tasks like storing data, sending emails, and managing push notifications.

Node.js is great for building highly scalable, data-intensive, and real-time applications. It's also perfect for agile development and creating services that can scale up easily.

For instance, PayPal uses Node.js alongside Java and Spring for its applications. Here's the link for the official documentation of NodeJs.

NodeJS Benefits

Speed:

Node.js apps are faster compared to those built with other frameworks, and they need fewer developers to get the job done.

Less code:

It requires fewer lines of code, making development more efficient.

Faster response time:

Node.js apps boast a 35% faster response time compared to others.

Smooth transition:

The biggest advantage is that Node.js uses JavaScript.
If you're already a front-end developer, transitioning to full-stack development with Node.js is a breeze.

Running the Server

Node.js runs the backend engine of our app. It executes Express APIs and manages asynchronous logic like database connections and file handling. Examples

Setting Up the Server

const express = require('express');
const mongoose = require('mongoose');
const app = express();

mongoose.connect('mongodb://localhost/tasks');
app.use(express.json());
app.listen(3000, () => console.log('Server is live'));

Node.js keeps the server non-blocking, so while it handles one task operation, it’s still able to accept other user requests.

Handling File Uploads

For attachments or user profile pictures:

app.post('/api/upload', upload.single('file'), (req, res) => {
  res.send({ filename: req.file.filename });
});

Node integrates libraries like multer to process files without crashing the app under heavy load.

How does the MEAN stack work?

The MEAN bundle lets you make live apps, really fit for cloud-based and one-page web apps made with Angular.js. JSON files made in the Angular.js user part can go to the Express.js server to work on and save in MongoDB.

The parts of the MEAN bundle mix well because they all use JavaScript and JSON, which makes making apps easy and direct.

Express.js makes it easy to guide and handle web tasks, while Angular is strong for making web pages that change and chat with the server part.

Node.js offers an open and for-all, cross-use JavaScript run space that lets JavaScript run on the server side.

Even with MEAN's plus points, coders need to watch out for possible mix-ups and speed bumps when it gets big because of how JavaScript works and the speed of making things, which might lead to mixing up business and server work.

All in all, the MEAN bundle gives an all-in-one way to make full web apps using JavaScript all through, pushing the use of the same code again and making things match.

It fits cloud-hosted apps well, scales up, and handles many users at once well, making it a liked pick for new web app making.

What are the possible applications of the MEAN stack?

Though not the best fit for each and every use case, the MEAN stack is still an ideal option in many instances. It is the best choice if you need to develop large-scale cloud-native applications with thousands of concurrent users.

Furthermore, the AngularJS front-end framework makes it a perfect tool for developing single-page applications (SPAs) that provide all information and features on one page.

Thus, here are some examples of MEAN usage:

Calendars
Expense tracking
News aggregation sites
Mapping and location finding

In software development, stack refers to a combination of program packages and development tools that work together to deliver complex online or mobile applications.

With the combination of development and sustainability, software developers are now able to expedite web development procedures.

Custom MEAN Stack Solutions

At CODE B our developers specialize in the MEAN stack, covering from the front to the back end of software developed in MEAN. Contact us to develop custom software or get solutions for your MEAN stack apps.

Popular Companies Using the MEAN Stack

PayPal

PayPal is a sophisticated money-transfer service that was built using HTML, templates, and Javascript from both the application side and the database.
PayPal has two very different frontend and backend programmers who use AngularJS and NodeJS, respectively.

Netflix

Netflix is a famous subscription model that utilizes MEAN technologies.
The streaming site uses AngularJS in many ways to explore various patterns.
The back end of Netflix was written in Java, while the front end was done in JS. However, it seemed difficult to deal with numerous programming skills.

The Weather Channel

The Weather Channel is a television network that broadcasts weather reports.
To conduct its business, the Weather Channel also uses weather.com.
Significantly, functioning depends on the utilization of MEAN features on the website as well as the software itself.
AngularJS is applied by Weather Report for easy prognosis of weather conditions coupled with normal functionality.
For various themes, AngularJS was employed twice.

Advantages and disadvantages of using the MEAN stack

Schedule a call now

Start your offshore web & mobile app team with a free consultation from our solutions engineer.

We respect your privacy, and be assured that your data will not be shared

Call Us

Mail Us