Exploring the MERN Stack: MongoDB, Express, React, and Node.js

Introduction to the MERN Stack

The MERN Stack is a JavaScript Stack that is used for easier and faster deployment of full-stack web applications. MERN Stack comprises of 4 technologies namely: MongoDB, Express, React and Node.js. It is designed to make the development process smoother and easier.

MongoDB

MongoDB is a source-available cross-platform document-oriented database program. Classified as a NoSQL database program, MongoDB uses JSON-like documents with optional schemas.

Express

Express.js, or simply Express, is a back end web application framework for Node.js. It is designed for building web applications and APIs. It is the de facto standard server framework for Node.js.

React

React (also known as React.js or ReactJS) is a free and open-source front-end JavaScript library for building user interfaces or UI components.

Node.js

Node.js is an open-source, cross-platform, back-end JavaScript runtime environment that runs on the V8 engine and executes JavaScript code outside a web browser.

Building a MERN Application

Building an application using this stack involves the following steps:

1. Set up a MongoDB database using a platform like MongoDB Atlas.
2. Create a Node.js server with Express.
3. Connect the Node.js server to the MongoDB database.
4. Build the React application and connect it to the Node.js server.

In the next articles, we will look at each of these steps in detail.