Application stacks have become a crucial aspect of enterprise development. An application stack is a collection of software, subsystems, and components that are used to create a platform that requires no additional software. One of the oldest stacks is the LAMP stack, which comprises Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP. This stack has been used for countless application deployments. It’s a stack that helps to power the likes of WordPress and so many other web-based applications.
Since LAMP came into being, there have been many other stacks that have come into play with enterprise businesses, some of which are custom and some that enjoy widespread usage. And even though those application stacks might vary in many different ways, there are still some universal best practices your company can employ to get the most out of them.
There is, of course, another type of stack businesses use, called the Deployment Stack. Instead of being a collection of apps that come together to make a foundation for an app to be developed, a deployment stack is a series of prebuilt applications that come together to demonstrate and define common application architectures. These stacks are typically comprised of scripts, applications, and even starter code that greatly simplify the deployment of your code to a particular infrastructure.
By using a deployment stack, you can not only customize your code to meet your specific needs, but you can also see how the stack will respond when deployed on different architectures.
Some of the Best Deployment Stacks on the Market
- Vercel is a serverless app deployment platform that is designed specifically for web applications and offers build and edge deployment, server-side rendering, domains, integration with a marketplace, templates, and analytics.
- Netlify makes it easy to build, deploy, and scale all of your modern web applications. This platform includes built-in CI/CD, domain and DNS management, cloud-scale serverless functions, identity and authentication, and a wide array of plugins, forms, and analytics.
- Heroku is a Platform-as-a-Service tool that offers support for numerous programming languages, full stack deployment, built-in CI/CD, plugin support, code and data rollback, application metrics, and build packs.
- Firebase is Google’s application hosting and deployment platform that supports real-time databases, authentication provider integration, Google Analytics integration, and tools for machine learning.
- AWS Amplify is a full-stack deployment platform that is part of the AWS ecosystem and offers full-stack application management, extensive documentation, and the Amplify Toolset (which helps you develop, build, deploy, and manage your application stack).
- DigitalOcean is an app platform that helps you build, manage, and scale your application deployments. DigitalOcean offers one of the broadest supports for programming languages, takes care of SSL and other security issues, includes CI/CD, and offers plenty of alerts and monitoring tools.
Now that you have an idea of the available deployment stacks/platforms available, what are the best practices you should be following? Let’s dive in.
Full-Stack Deployment Best Practices
As far as full-stack deployment best practices are concerned, the following are what we found to be consistent from one client to the next.
Follow the Best Practices for Programming Languages
Every programming language has its best practices, and your developers should always adhere to them. This can get complicated when a program uses multiple languages, which means your developers have to be up-to-date on the best practices for each language they use.
These best practices will apply to just about every stage of the project, from early-stage design all the way to the build and deployment of the app.
Make sure your developers are apprised of all the latest best practices for each language and that they are applying them.
Document All of Your Code
Documentation is far more important than you might think. It’s also one of the first tasks that is tossed to the side (especially when complications and issues arise). Documentation is important because it enables other developers to step in and know exactly what they’re doing without having too steep a learning curve.
For example, you might have a senior programmer leave a project and have to slide in a replacement. If that code isn’t documented, that new developer will have a hard time getting up to speed. That lost time can be costly for your company.
Employ Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)
Modern application stacks have to be not only reliable but also competitive. That means Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) must be a part of the workflow. CI/CD makes it possible to automate a good portion of the process to ease the complication and repetition of the software lifecycle.
With CI/CD implemented correctly, your developers could make changes to the code within a repository, which would automatically kick off a new build and deployment. That level of automation has become an absolute must for modern deployments. Without the likes of CI/CD, your company could have trouble keeping up with the competition. If you don’t have this in your strategy yet, be sure to consult or hire CI/CD engineers who can help you address these practices.
Place a Priority on User Experience
User Experience (UX) is absolutely crucial for keeping customers happy. If you’re not giving UX its due, chances are good you’re deploying those full-stack applications that will frustrate your customers and clients.
You need designers, developers, testers, and your ops teams paying very close attention to UX. That means not only designing and developing those apps with your users in mind but also honestly considering any feedback you receive. If you’re not already receiving feedback from users, you should encourage it. Without input from those who are using your app, the chances of your developers improving the next iteration can be slim.
Stay Up-To-Date with New Technologies
Technology advances faster than anything else. Blink, and something new has arrived. This can be challenging to keep up with because it seems the advancements are never-ending, and new software, platforms, and architecture are being released daily.
To that end, your production teams must stay updated on the newest of the new. That doesn’t just mean the latest releases of software you currently use but also those new bits of tech that might help make your company more competitive.
Make Collaboration a Priority
Without collaboration, your developers would struggle to keep up with the blistering pace that is required to remain relevant and competitive.
Collaboration comes in many forms: from the simple use of things like GitHub for version control and code sharing to the more complex DevOps methodology. The key, however, is communication and collaboration. No matter the size and scope of the project, it is absolutely essential that your teams are able to work together seamlessly and reliably.
Make Use of Analytics and Monitoring
Without analytics and monitoring, you have no idea what’s going on in your deployments. They might be running, but are they running at optimal performance? Are you getting the most bang for your buck on that hosting platform? Are there optimizations you can make that will not only help your application perform better but also save your company money?
These are all questions you can ask but can only answer with the help of analytics and monitoring. That means, when you select your deployment stack platform, you’ll want to select one that offers analytics and monitoring, so you can view and make use of insights into what’s going on “under the hood” of your application.
Conclusion
Even if you’re not already using a deployment stack, as your business grows, the likelihood of you having to depend on such a platform grows exponentially. Choose and use those deployment stacks wisely, and your company will reap benefits like you’ve never before experienced.
