MERN Stack vs Java Full Stack

A website is a collection of various web pages made by the most popular technologies, like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, along with other front-end and back-end technologies. A website contains primarily three sides: a client side, a server side, and a database.

When it comes to the three sides of a website complete together, it is called a stack. In current scenarios, MERN Stack and Java Stack are the most popular stacks for making all three sides of the website. In this article, we will get to know about the comparison of MERN Stack and Java Full Stack in various aspects. Let’s dive in!

What to Choose?

The decision to learn the MERN stack or Java stack depends on individual aspects, enthusiasm, and most importantly, market demand. Both the Stacks have good demand in the job market. Both MERN and Java full-stack have good career options and opportunities.

What is the MERN Stack?

MERN Stack is a combination of technologies like MongoDB, ExpressJS, ReactJS, and NodeJS that work together to make a complete website. It is used by most of the developers worldwide. The MERN Stack is very useful; if someone knows JavaScript, the backend, frontend, and database of a website will be easily created or managed by the MERN technologies. Also, MERN Stack is a preferred choice for developers seeking an efficient, full-stack development framework.

• MongoDB: MongoDB is a non-relational database that is used to store data in JSON format.
• ExpressJS: ExpressJS is a framework of JavaScript that allows developers to establish a server.
• ReactJS: React JS is a client-side library of JavaScript used for building user interface components.
• NodeJS: NodeJS allows the running of JS on its server.

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Advantages of MERN Stack

• Easy and faster to learn, and good demands in the market.
• MERN Stack can work on both the client and server sides by only using JavaScript.
• Provides developers the flexibility to build APIs and backend logic according to project requirements, resulting in better performance.
• MERN Stack completely revolves around JavaScript, which is widely used in the backend in NodeJS and ReactJS.
• There is good community support present.
• MERN provides reusable code components for the UI, which are used further when needed.
• NodeJS provides a real-time running environment for developing real-time web apps.

What is the Java Stack?

Java Stack is a combination of software development techniques that involves using the Java programming language as a base for both the front-end and back-end parts of a web application. In this stack, Java is used to create both the parts of a website that you see and interact with in the UI and the parts that work behind the scenes to store data, process requests, and make the website function properly. This includes technologies like Java, SpringBoot, and Hibernate, and databases such as MySQL and PostgreSQL, along with essential front-end technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

• SpringBoot: Java Spring Boot is a utility that automates and streamlines the development of web applications and microservices with the Spring Framework by configuring the application automatically based on its dependencies.
• Hibernate: Hibernate is a free and open-source ORM solution that facilitates the mapping of object-oriented domain models to relational databases for web apps.
• MySQL: As the main relational data storage, MySQL is often the most popular open-source relational database.
• ThymeLeaf: Thymeleaf is a modern server-side Java template engine for both web and standalone environments, capable of processing HTML, XML, JavaScript, CSS, and even plain text.

Dependency Tools

• Apache Maven: is one of the most popular build automation tools in Java development. Maven simplifies the process of managing dependencies, building projects, and generating project documentation. Maven uses XML-based configuration files (pom.xml) to define project settings and dependencies.
• Gradle: Gradle is another popular automation tool that’s gaining popularity in Java development. It offers a more flexible and concise syntax compared to Maven, using Groovy or Kotlin DSLs to build scripts. Gradle also provides powerful dependency management capabilities and supports incremental builds.

Advantages of the Java Full Stack

• Core Java skills will be used across many domains in the backend.
• Strong fundamentals in object-oriented programming and syntax.
• Gives promising career growth into the backend, DevOps, etc.
• Easy to learn and implement for those who can learn Core Java as a beginner.
• Provides different types of built-in libraries that are helpful in the development of web applications.
• Provides a robust ecosystem for development.
• Java is known for its scalability, making it suitable for developing large-scale enterprise applications.
• Java Stack provides a better architecture for developing applications where security is a top priority, such as banking or e-commerce platforms.

MERN Stack vs Java Full Stack

Key Points	MERN Stack	Java Full Stack
Performance	Easy to use because NodeJS provides a better run time environment for real-time web applications.	Java provides better performance and memory management. Java’s enterprise frameworks like Spring Boot can optimize performance.
Tools & Technologies	MongoDB, ExpressJS, ReactJS, NodeJS	Java, SpringBoot, Hibernate, SQL, or MySQL(databases)
Common Language	JavaScript for both Front-end and Back-end	Java for the back end and JavaScript for the front end.
Scalability	Scalable and most demand in the market	Used for large enterprise-level Web applications for Java’s robustness and scalability.
Community Support	MERN has a large and active community of developers with many open source Libraries & Frameworks.	It also has a wide community of developers and frameworks like SpringBoot and Hibernate.
Hosting	Deployment and Hosting of the Website will be easy	Deployment and Hosting will be more complex than MERN Stack.
Learning Curve	Provides better documentation and is easy to learn.	It is a steeper learning curve.
Use Cases	Used for developing Real-time Web applications. Mostly used by start-ups and small-scale businesses.	Used by large enterprises where scalability is needed.
Job Market	The high demand in the Job market for MERN stack will be increasing day by day as small enterprises & start-ups commonly use it.	Java Full Stack will be used in the industry by large-scale companies. Big tech giants which have large and complex databases highly use this stack.

Use Cases

MERN Stack

• Rapid development and the small size of the database are needed to store it.
• Building real-time Web applications such as chat applications, collaborative tools, or social media platforms.
• If you learn JavaScript as a beginner language.
• You only need to learn JavaScript for front-end and back-end development.

Java Full Stack

• Developing enterprise-level applications requiring high scalability, reliability, and security.
• Integrating with existing Java-based systems or libraries.
• Long-term maintainability and robustness of Web apps.
• You need to learn Core Java and its frameworks, like SpringBoot and Hibernate.

Conclusion

Both Java full stack and MERN have their merits, and their demand can vary based on industry, location, and specific project requirements. Java full-stack developers are likely to remain in demand, especially in established enterprises, but MERN stack is gaining prominence, particularly in more agile and startup environments.

If you’re new to programming, MERN might be more accessible due to its JavaScript focus. However, if you’re comfortable with Java or have a particular interest in backend development, Java Full Stack can also be a solid choice. Ultimately, gaining practical experience through projects and internships can have a significant impact on your career prospects, regardless of the path you choose.