Product Analysis: MERN Stack

Overview

MERN is a fullstack implementation based on MongoDB, Expressjs, React/Redux, and Nodejs. It is a JavaScript/Node-based framework for fullstack web development. The MERN stack allows for seamless integration between the front-end and back-end of web applications.

Features

• MongoDB: A NoSQL database that provides scalable storage for data in a JSON-like format.
• Expressjs: A web application framework for building APIs and handling server-side applications.
• React/Redux: A JavaScript library for building user interfaces and managing state.
• Nodejs: A JavaScript runtime that allows for server-side execution of JavaScript code.
• Fullstack Web Development: MERN offers a complete solution for building web applications, from the database to the front-end UI.
• JWT Authentication: MERN supports JSON Web Token (JWT) authentication, allowing users to securely access protected API endpoints.
• Client-Server Communication: MERN enables seamless communication between the client-side and server-side components of a web application.
• Deployment to Heroku: MERN provides a guide for deploying the server to the Heroku cloud platform.

Installation

To install and run the MERN stack on your machine, follow these steps:

1. Prerequisites:

   • MongoDB
   • Node ^10.0.0
   • npm

2. Clone or download the project structure.

3. Client-side usage (PORT: 3000):

   • Run npm install to install the required dependencies.
   • Make sure the client and server run concurrently in different terminal sessions to enable communication between them.

4. Server-side usage (PORT: 8000):

   • Run npm install to install the required dependencies.
   • Prepare your secret by adding a JWT_SECRET in the .env file to connect to MongoDB.
   • Run the script at the first level.

5. Deploy Server to Heroku:

   • After creating a Heroku app, update the file of client/webpack.prod.js if using webpack, or client/.env.production if using parcel.

6. Dependencies (tech-stacks):

   • Client-side: axios: ^0.15.3, babel-preset-stage-1: ^6.1.18, lodash: ^3.10.1, react: ^16.2.0, react-dom: ^16.2.0, react-redux: ^4.0.0, react-router-dom: ^4.2.2, redux: ^3.7.2, redux-thunk: ^2.1.0.
   • Server-side: bcrypt-nodejs: ^0.0.3, body-parser: ^1.15.2, cors: ^2.8.1, dotenv: ^2.0.0, express: ^4.14.0, jwt-simple: ^0.5.1, mongoose: ^4.7.4, morgan: ^1.7.0.

Summary

MERN stack is a powerful and efficient framework for fullstack web development. It combines MongoDB, Expressjs, React/Redux, and Nodejs to provide a seamless integration between the front-end and back-end of web applications. With features such as JWT authentication and client-server communication, MERN stack simplifies the development process and enables the creation of robust, scalable, and secure web applications.