Choosing A Tech Stack As A Non-Technical Person

When considering options for the tech stack of a new app, it’s important to consider many factors. Careful thought placed on the architecture of the solution from both a client-facing and server-side point of view is paramount to building a successful solution. Can your solution survive at scale? Do the tools you’re choosing have excellent documentation and a strong developer community behind it? These are examples of some of the questions you should be thinking about when selecting the technology stack for your next project.

Keep Modern Tools Front And Center

There is a vast array of tools for the tech newbie out there. Not all tools are created equal. Every day there is a new framework, library, or other helpful software being invented that makes some aspect of development easier. Be cautious about such things. Be diligent in selecting something that is in active development. If there is a Github repository for the tool check to see when the latest commit was to the master branch. Do a little investigation into the product to see if it has garnered a large user base.

Is It Proven At Scale?

Proven reliability at scale is another core tenant that you should consider heavily. While it may not matter if you are building a small application, concepts related to scaling should always be in your thought process. Especially when researching the pros and cons of cloud providers, gather information on what suite of products can scale your application automatically based on usage. For example, many cloud providers will auto-scale your application based on the amount of traffic flowing to your site. Such auto-scaling products will duplicate instances of your app so that it can handle increased bandwidth. These tools can be advantageous to you in a few ways. Tools designed to deliver peak reliability to your application can also save you money by only using the resources that matter, when they matter.

Developer Experience Matters

If you’re hiring developers to work on your next project, then it’s especially important to choose aspects of your tech stack that have developer experience in mind. Aspects of software development can be frustrating at times. Developers are frequently asked to solve complex problems. One problem that should not have to be solved on a regular basis is one that does not involve code frameworks and libraries. If you want excellent developers to build an impressive product, be sure to select a stack that is reliable, simple to code in, and has excellent documentation that helps developers solve problems easily.

Good Documentation

When looking for components of a tech stack, one should consider documentation as a deciding factor for choosing the component. Some of the best tools, frameworks, and libraries have high-quality documentation. You should be able to find an answer to a problem relatively quickly, and good documentation is the first step to finding those answers. Does the product have a way for users to submit bugs, syntax issues, and general feedback? Many organizations will actively solicit feedback or user contributions to documentation.

Strong Community

The last and arguably most important aspect of choosing components of your tech stack relates to the community surrounding the technology. Languages, frameworks, and libraries are made better by their community. Finding answers to questions from users within a particular community becomes easier with highly active groups. Many languages and frameworks have Slack workspaces where questions can be answered very quickly. This is great when you encounter a bug that others have run into. The ability to receive real-time assistance is second to none. Always consider choosing tools that have wide user adoption, as it also ensures that the product has been tested among a wide set of use-cases.

Let Us Help

When in doubt, trust the experts! One huge advantage to working with a development agency is that they can advise you on what tech stack they believe would best suit the solution you’re building.

At Flint Hills Group, we specialize in building custom solutions crafted around the needs of your business. We can also evaluate your custom legacy systems and support them with recommendations to scale your business. Flint Hills Group is a fully distributed team that takes pride in customer success. Our hand-picked, US-based software developers can give your business what it needs to thrive in a dynamic technology climate. Our team has a diverse skillset that can make your custom software dreams a reality. Browse what Flint Hills Group can provide for your business. When you choose Flint Hills Group, you choose a dedicated team of experienced US individuals whose focus is delivering a high quality and reliable product.

We can provide you with outsourced developers or an entire software team with a project manager. Be sure to read our reviews on Clutch, an independent platform for rating agencies. You can then review our process, and request an estimate for your project.