The first step in creating any kind of online marketplace is choosing the right technology stack.

However, if you’re not familiar with the specificities of software product development, the choice might be a tough one, especially if you’re new to web design.

There are so many options available that it can quickly become overwhelming. But don’t get discouraged too early – with a grasp of the basics of website creation and the general idea of what kind of marketplace your company wants to create, it’s always possible to narrow down the list of options to a more manageable number.

Below we present some advice on how to choose the right technological basis for your startup, as well as some useful information on tech stacks and a number of important things to consider when working with them.

What Is a Tech Stack?

Simply put, a technology stack is all the software products, programming languages and other tools that are used to create and then run a website or web application.

Tech stack consists of two large parts: the server-side (also known as back-end technology stack) and the client-side (front-end technology stack).

Client-side technology stack

As you can tell from the name, the client-side of the tech stack is the visual part of your website, the one that users will interact with. It includes:

Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), which tells the user’s browser how to display the web page’s content

JavaScript (JS), which allows the user to interact with the website.

Server-side technology stack

Again, as the name implies, the server-side tech stack is the part that powers the whole website or application but isn’t visible to users. It consists of:

programming language, which is used to build the basic logic of the website or application

a database, which is the place where the site will store the necessary data

a server, which deals with the requests from the users’ devices.

Now, with the basics covered, we can move on to our tips for choosing and dealing with the technology stack for marketplace development.

Things to Keep in Mind When Choosing the Technology to Create a Marketplace

There are some universal things you need to pay attention to when choosing your technology stack for marketplace development. The success of your online marketplace directly depends on the following factors:

The size of your project

If you’re trying to make a fairly basic website in the shortest possible time, then simple technologies like WordPress or CMS will most likely do the job. However, if your goal is to create a huge online marketplace, you should use several programming languages, as well as other web technologies.

Security

With the exponential growth of the Internet, the problem of digital crime is becoming more and more severe, so if you’re going to create anything cash-related on the web, you should think about the safety of your potential users. Create your website following the security guidelines available for your chosen technology stack to minimize the threat and avoid unnecessary vulnerabilities.

The cost

Creating and then maintaining a website requires a fair amount of resources, and this includes financial resources as well. The kind of software you choose has a direct impact on the final price of the project.

All expenses associated with the website can be divided into two categories:

Developer payment – the more skilled the developers you hire are, the higher their salary is going to be;

Site maintenance – it’s not enough just to make a site, you also need to keep it running. You can reduce the maintenance cost by using open-source technologies such as Sellacious or Multi-Vendor .

Human resources

Human resources available to you are another important factor that will influence your choice of technology stack.

Certain programming languages or software types are more popular among developers, while others are less common. For example, it’s easy to hire a developer who’s good at working with Java, but if you want something rarer like PHP, finding a good expert may be a problem.

Examples of Popular Technology Stacks for Startups

There are some technology stacks commonly used by startup projects. You may want to look into them if you are going to work on developing the project for your business by yourself.

LAMP technology stack

Being one of the first technology stacks that became popular, LAMP is reliable, time-tested and easily accessible. It’s also worth noting that most developers are very likely to be familiar with it.

LAMP pack includes:

Linux operating system

Apache web server

MySQL database

PHP, Perl or Python scripting languages.

Advantages of LAMP:

General reliability and security – Linux is a popular programming language with developers

Apache is the most popular web server option currently on the web – it’s used by companies like Apple and PayPal

MySQL database is famed for its reliability and used by large websites like YouTube

PHP is flexible and easy to learn – it’s also easy to integrate into most servers and databases.

Disadvantages of LAMP:

Linux can be complicated for a developer who’s not familiar with it

It doesn’t support many Windows programs

Apache is not suited for heavy traffic

MySQL has fewer features than most other databases on the market.

MEAN technology stack

MEAN is a modern technology stack powered entirely by JavaScript. It consists of:

MongoDB database

Express.js back-end application framework

AngularJS front-end application framework

Node.js back-end language environment.

Advantages of MEAN:

Innovative and original

MongoDB is very easy to work with

Express.js is a very open application framework that leaves most of the tool choices up to the developer

AngularJS is simple but effective for creating single-page applications

Node.js shows better performance under heavy traffic than Apache.

Disadvantages of MEAN:

MongoDB is less stable and reliable than other databases

Node.js requires a professional developer to get the most out of its scalability and achieve the best results

AngularJS can sometimes be unnecessarily complicated and is not recommended for use on simpler websites.

Our Advice For Online Marketplace Creation

There is more to app development software than just those tech stacks. There are some especially interesting services and tools that we’ve used in our own projects and can readily recommend to you:

First of all, our marketplace application needs a solid API. We recommend using Swagger with Rails + Grape frameworks , as this combination allows for incredibly fast product development, as well as the realization of documentation compatible with client’s project.

with , as this combination allows for incredibly fast product development, as well as the realization of documentation compatible with client’s project. If you want a great open source database, PostgreSQL will most likely do it for you.

will most likely do it for you. For testing, there is nothing better than Rspec .

. When your application needs to support several languages, web_translate_it will sure come in handy. This useful online service allows you to keep all of your translations in one place and easily access all translated texts at any time.

will sure come in handy. This useful online service allows you to keep all of your translations in one place and easily access all translated texts at any time. Our choice for handling e-mails is Sendgrid , a flexible yet reliable electronic mail management tool.

, a flexible yet reliable electronic mail management tool. For any data storage needs our application might have, we choose Cloudinary . This platform is easy to scale and easy to use, and it also has a good API for downloading/uploading images.

. This platform is easy to scale and easy to use, and it also has a good API for downloading/uploading images. We suggest using Semaphore CI as a continuous integration tool your project will inevitably need. It can be easily customized for your needs and it is also remarkably useful.

as a continuous integration tool your project will inevitably need. It can be easily customized for your needs and it is also remarkably useful. To keep track of the application’s current state, as well as to be able to quickly find any errors that emerge, we recommend using the Honeybadger service. It can be easily integrated with the most popular frameworks, and actually reduces the number of bugs your app users will face by a great deal.

service. It can be easily integrated with the most popular frameworks, and actually reduces the number of bugs your app users will face by a great deal.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right technology behind an online marketplace is a significant factor in its success.

However, it may be a daunting task if you are not familiar with the intricacies of web development. There are many options to choose from, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. We recommend always seeking advice from professionals before making a final decision.

Our development team is always open for consultation.