Tech Stack
How teams pick their tools
⏱ Est. ~4 min
01 · Read
A tech stack is the combination of technologies a team uses to build an app. Think of it like the ingredients list of a recipe — each ingredient handles one job, and together they make the final product.
Every tech stack has the same basic layers: something for the frontend, something for the backend, something for the database. The specific picks vary, but the pattern is always the same.
💡 Picture thisPicking a tech stack is like picking materials to build a house. You need a foundation (database), walls and plumbing (backend), paint and furniture (frontend). You can use brick or wood, tile or hardwood floors — the combination depends on what you're building and what the team knows.
Key points
- A tech stack usually includes: a frontend framework + a backend language/framework + a database
- Companies pick based on team familiarity, project needs, and performance requirements
- There's no single "best" stack — different combos suit different projects
- Knowing what a tech stack is helps you decode job descriptions and tech discussions
02 · Code example
Here are two popular tech stacks real companies use. Notice each one covers all three layers — frontend, backend, database — just with different tools.
MERN Stack (used by many startups)
Frontend: React (JavaScript UI library)
Backend: Node.js + Express (JavaScript server)
Database: MongoDB (NoSQL document database)
Why: One language (JavaScript) for everything
Python Stack (used by data-heavy apps)
Frontend: HTML / CSS / JavaScript
Backend: Django (Python web framework)
Database: PostgreSQL (SQL relational database)
Why: Python excels at data processing and AI
The MERN stack is popular because engineers only need to know one language — JavaScript — to work on both frontend and backend. The Python stack is popular when an app needs heavy data processing, AI features, or complex backend logic.
03 · Match
Match each technology to its role in a tech stack.
(This section is interactive — please enable JavaScript.)
04 · Quiz
A job description says the company uses the "MERN stack". What does that tell you?
- They use Python for everything
- They only build mobile apps
- They don't use any database
- They use MongoDB, Express, React, and Node.js
Other lessons in this chapter
⚠ The full interactive experience needs JavaScript. Please enable it and reload.
※ This is an independent Traditional Chinese teaching project — not an official Anthropic product. Claude™ is a trademark of Anthropic, PBC.