Backend framework and language options provide the components and structure for creating successful web applications. Using a backend framework and well-known language lets you increase your productivity and utilize extra functionalities, efficiently scale the end application, and take advantage of built-in features, such as integrations with backend data storage and identity services. Using a framework makes it easier to build, deploy, and test your application as it provides structure and tooling for common development tasks. This includes leveraging framework features to increase the overall reliability, security, and performance of your application.
Languages
Consider the architecture for the primary programming language for your backend:
| Architecture Types | |
|---|---|
| Server-Based Architectures | Consider a language that offers built-in scalability and a complete feature set that is optimized for singular, large applications. Consider compilation or built-time optimizations for this type of architecture, as spin-up time is not a major concern. Popular choices include Java, Python, and PHP. |
| Serverless Architectures | Consider an interpreted language that offers fast initialization and cold start time with a small memory footprint. The language should be optimized for event-driven invocation and needs to be supported by your cloud provider. Popular choices include Node JS (and languages compiled to JavaScript, such as TypeScript or Dart), Python, and Go. |
| Microservice Architectures | Each individual service is run separately and can be optimized for its particular use case. Select a language that works best for each task and that can be broken out into its own container. Communication between microservices is abstracted and thus, different languages (or frameworks) can be combined together. |
Frameworks
Select a framework that uses the language and development and architectural pattern of your choice, then consider other factors based on the requirements for your application.
Select a Framework
When constructing a web application, it's important to carefully consider the potential framework choices. The selected framework has a significant impact on the success of the project, including development time, scalability, and performance. With a plethora of frameworks available, deciding on the best one for your application can be a daunting task. This guide outlines the key factors to take into account when selecting the optimal framework. By assessing these factors, you can make an informed decision that is inline with your project's objectives and needs. Additionally, it's important to note that each backend architecture has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Factors to consider when choosing the best framework for your web application:
| Factors | |
|---|---|
| Active Development and Community Support | The framework should be under active development and is regularly maintained. This includes fixes for security issues and bugs and support for new features that improve the framework. With a large, active community, you can access support, resources, or useful libraries from other developers. |
| Performance and Scalability | The framework should meet your performance criteria, such as ease of scaling, support for caching, or specific performance-related features, such as server-side rendering or caching, that fit into your backend architecture. For content-driven applications, consider how scaling impacts static and dynamic content for data consistency and distribution. |
| Security | Consider the track record of the framework around security. This includes the frequency of updates, processes for handling security issues, and following security best practices. |
| Ease of Development and Maintenance | Consider your experience with the language and paradigm used by the framework. Be mindful of a potential learning curve and consider what documentation, resources, and support are available. A framework should reduce the complexity of developing and maintaining your backend application. |
| Features |
The framework should support the features you need to build the application. For example, if you want to use an ORM (object-relational mapping) abstraction as part of the data storage of your application, make sure that the framework supports it. This also includes other features or integrations you plan to add, such as third-party services for authentication or payments. For content-driven web applications, key features may include support for built-in data caching, global localization, distribution, and support for different types of content and media that can be combined to build a great frontend authoring experience. |
| Cost | Consider any upfront or long-range costs when choosing the most effective framework for your web application. Costs may include building your development team, skill growth, or necessary resources. For content-driven web applications, consider the impact of scaling to meet your performance requirements and how your backend architecture and hosting or service platform need to be designed to support the framework. |
| Backend Architecture and Cloud Provider Support | Your backend architecture may limit your framework choice. Choose a framework that is optimized and built for your selected architecture. Ensure that your hosting or cloud provider supports the framework, but also consider whether the provider supports platform or framework independent features (such as containerization through Google Cloud buildpacks) to deploy the application. |
Popular frameworks web backends
This table provides an overview of common backend frameworks used to develop content-driven web applications that are supported by Cloudwork. Keep in mind that the language that you choose to utilize in the development of your app can influence the throughput, cost, and latency.
| Framework | Language | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Django | Python | High-level Python web framework includes built-in templating, internationalization, and ORM mapping support. |
| Flask | Python | Web micro-framework in Python that utilizes libraries to extend its core capabilities. |
| Ruby on Rails | Ruby | Web framework that focuses on the model-view-controller pattern, providing abstractions for data storage, front-end web standards, and common software engineering patterns. |
| Next.js | JavaScript | Popular React-based framework that includes built-in support for server-side rendering, static pages, and hybrid rendering. |
| Express.js | JavaScript | JavaScript-based framework that focuses on a small core feature set and performance. It is extendable through an extensive repository of available plugins. |
| Spring Boot (Java) | Java, Kotlin | The Java-based framework includes embedded web application servers and follows the opinionated Spring application framework. |
| Laravel (PHP) | PHP | The PHP-based framework follows the model-view-controller pattern and provides abstractions for object-relational mapping built-in support for templates, testing, and extensions through bundles. |
| ASP.NET | .NET | .NET framework that supports multiple development patterns, including model-view-controller patterns, real-time applications, and content-focused templating. |
| Gin | Go | Golang-based web framework focused on performance. While not targeted at content-driven applications, features such as rendering template support and route management make developing a web application with Go easier. |