Highly Rated Backend Options

Let’s discuss backend options when using React and Typescript. Here are some of the most popular backend options for use with React and TypeScript with brief summaries and takeaways to help you compare them and find the right one for you!

1. Node.js is a popular open-source runtime environment for executing JavaScript on the server side. It has over 61 million monthly downloads and is free to use. Node.js is known for its ease of use and flexibility and is widely used in conjunction with React and TypeScript. However, it may have a steeper learning curve than some other options due to its asynchronous, event-driven programming model.

2. Django is a high-level Python web framework that provides a full-stack solution for building web applications. It has over 13 million monthly downloads and is free to use. Django is known for its simplicity and ease of use and is well-documented. However, it may not be as flexible as some other options and may require more work to integrate with React and TypeScript than Node.js.

3. Ruby on Rails is a popular web framework that provides a full-stack solution for building web applications. It has over 6 million monthly downloads and is free to use. Ruby on Rails is known for its simplicity and convention-over-configuration approach but may have a steeper learning curve than some other options due to its use of the Ruby programming language.

4. ASP.NET is a web framework developed by Microsoft that provides a full-stack solution for building web applications. It is popular in the enterprise space and has over 4 million monthly downloads. ASP.NET is known for its scalability and security features but may require more work to integrate with React and TypeScript than some other options, and may not be as well-documented.

5. Laravel is a PHP web framework that provides a full-stack solution for building web applications. It has over 3 million monthly downloads and is free to use. Laravel is known for its simplicity and ease of use but may have a steeper learning curve than some other options due to its use of the PHP programming language.

It’s worth noting that the choice of backend technology will depend on the specific needs of your project*, as well as your* team’s existing skills and preferences*. Additionally, many developers choose to use a “headless” CMS or backend-as-a-service (BaaS) provider, such as Firebase, Strapi, or Prisma, to handle the back-end functionality of their web applications.*

Use Cases For Each Option

Node.js

• Need to build a fast, scalable, and responsive web application that can handle large amounts of traffic.

• Need to use a single language, JavaScript, for both the front-end and back-end of the application, which can simplify development.

• Need to use a framework like Express.js or Koa.js, which provides a lot of flexibility and customization options for building RESTful APIs.

• Need to use a lightweight and flexible database like MongoDB or PostgreSQL, which can be easily integrated with Node.js.

Django

• Need to build a full-stack web application using Python, a popular and versatile programming language that has a lot of libraries and frameworks available.

• Need to use a framework that provides built-in security features, like Django’s built-in authentication and authorization functionality.

• Need to use a framework that provides a lot of pre-built functionality, like Django’s built-in admin interface and ORM.

• Need to use a database like PostgreSQL or MySQL, which can be easily integrated with Django.

Ruby on Rails

• Need to build a full-stack web application using Ruby, a programming language that is known for its simplicity and readability.

• Need to use a framework that provides a lot of convention-over-configuration features, which can help developers get up and running quickly.

• Need to use a framework that provides a lot of pre-built functionality, like Rails’ built-in scaffolding and ORM.

• Need to use a database like PostgreSQL or MySQL, which can be easily integrated with Rails.

ASP.NET

• Need to build a full-stack web application using Microsoft technologies, which can be integrated with other Microsoft products and services.

• Need to use a framework that provides a lot of security features, like ASP.NET’s built-in authentication and authorization functionality.

• Need to use a framework that provides a lot of pre-built functionality, like ASP.NET’s built-in controls and AJAX support.

• Need to use a database like SQL Server or MySQL, which can be easily integrated with ASP.NET.

Laravel

• Need to build a full-stack web application using PHP, a popular and well-supported programming language for web development.

• Need to use a framework that provides a lot of flexibility and customization options, like Laravel’s built-in artisan CLI and blade templating engine.

• Need to use a database like MySQL or PostgreSQL, which can be easily integrated with Laravel.

• Need to use a framework that has a lot of community support and documentation, making it easier to get help and learn the framework.

3rd Party Compatible Options

Here are some popular third-party libraries or frameworks that work with each of the backend options I listed previously, along with some of their benefits and features:

Node.js

• Express.js: A fast and flexible web application framework that provides a lot of middleware options and routing functionality.

• Socket.io: A real-time, event-based communication library that allows for bidirectional communication between the server and client.

• Mongoose: An object modeling library that provides a simple and easy-to-use API for working with MongoDB.

• Passport.js: An authentication library that provides a lot of flexibility and support for different authentication strategies, including local, OAuth, and OpenID.

• Winston: A logging library that provides a lot of flexibility and customization options for logging messages.

Django

• Django REST Framework: A powerful and flexible toolkit for building APIs in Django, providing serialization, authentication, and permissions functionality.

• Celery: A distributed task queue that allows for asynchronous processing of tasks, including background tasks, scheduled tasks, and periodic tasks.

• Django CMS: A content management system for Django that provides a lot of flexibility and customization options for creating and managing content.

• Django Debug Toolbar: A debugging tool that provides a lot of useful information about the request/response cycle of a Django application, including SQL queries, caching, and performance metrics.

• Django Channels: A library that provides support for WebSockets and asynchronous HTTP requests in Django, allowing for real-time, bidirectional communication between the client and server.

Ruby on Rails

• Devise: An authentication library that provides a lot of flexibility and support for different authentication strategies, including local, OAuth, and OpenID.

• Sidekiq: A distributed task queue that allows for asynchronous processing of tasks, including background tasks, scheduled tasks, and periodic tasks.

• CanCanCan: An authorization library that provides a lot of flexibility and customization options for defining permissions and roles for users.

• ActiveAdmin: A content management system for Rails that provides a lot of flexibility and customization options for creating and managing content.

• Pundit: An authorization library that provides a lot of flexibility and customization options for defining permissions and roles for users.

ASP.NET

• Entity Framework: An object-relational mapping library that provides a lot of flexibility and support for working with databases, including SQL Server and MySQL.

• AutoMapper: A mapping library that provides a lot of flexibility and customization options for mapping objects to different types and formats.

• SignalR: A library that provides support for WebSockets and real-time communication in ASP.NET applications.

• Unity: A dependency injection library that provides a lot of flexibility and support for managing dependencies and services in ASP.NET applications.

• NancyFX: A lightweight web framework for building RESTful APIs in ASP.NET, providing a lot of flexibility and customization options.

Laravel

• Laravel Echo: A library that provides support for WebSockets and real-time communication in Laravel applications, including broadcasting events to clients.

• Laravel Horizon: A monitoring and management tool for Laravel queues, providing real-time monitoring, metrics, and alerts.

• Laravel Passport: An authentication library that provides support for OAuth2 authentication and token management in Laravel applications.

• Laravel Telescope: A debugging tool that provides a lot of useful information about the request/response cycle of a Laravel application, including SQL queries, caching, and performance metrics.

• Scout: A search library that provides support for indexing and searching content in Laravel applications, using popular search engines like Elasticsearch and Algolia.

I Want To Build!

Here I’ve provided a few hypothetical sites to show how you can utilize the technologies discussed in his article. If you have a site in mind and would like to learn about the best stack and technologies to use, contact me for a free consultation (Twitter, LinkedIn, Email).

3D Animated learning tool for guitar:

• Three.js: A popular JavaScript library for creating 3D graphics in the browser, which could be used to create interactive 3D models of guitar chords, scales, and techniques. Three.js provides a lot of flexibility and customization options for creating and animating 3D objects and has a large and active community of developers. An alternative option could be Babylon.js, which is similar to Three.js but is more focused on game development and has a more structured API.

A site that transcribes audio to text and itemizes the different speakers:

• Azure Cognitive Services: A suite of APIs and services provided by Microsoft that includes speech-to-text and speaker identification functionality. Azure Cognitive Services provides a lot of accuracy and reliability for transcribing audio to text and has a lot of customization options for identifying different speakers. An alternative option could be Google Cloud Speech-to-Text, which provides similar functionality and has a pay-as-you-go pricing model.

Interactive end-of-course HS test practice site consisting of practice problems with geometric shapes coordinate planes in both 2D and 3D:

• React-Konva: A library that provides a declarative way to create and manage complex 2D graphics in React applications, which could be used to create interactive practice problems and solutions involving geometric shapes and coordinate planes. React-Konva provides a lot of flexibility and customization options for creating and animating 2D graphics, and has a relatively shallow learning curve for developers familiar with React. An alternative option could be D3.js, which is a popular library for creating data visualizations in the browser and has a lot of built-in functionality for working with geometric shapes and coordinate planes. However, D3.js may have a steeper learning curve than React-Konva for developers who are new to data visualization.

Thanks for reading!!! I hope this provides a nice foundation for frontend developers that want to learn the fully stacked experience 😁

Jon Christie

jonchristie.net