The most important consideration for choosing a backend for a web app is how much control you need in operating the backend, informed by how unusual your needs are and how much traffic you expect. If you're doing something relatively common, you're generally best served by using a popular language and framework with a managed server.
If you expect to have to serve heavy traffic, opting for a managed service lets you save engineering effort in managing your own infrastructure.
Consider the tradeoffs of common web app architectures, language and framework choices, and setting up a reliable testing and build pipeline.
Key Considerations for web backends
Multiple factors impact your architecture choice for a content-driven web application.
| Considerations | |
|---|---|
| Team's expertise | Your development team's unique skill set, talent, and knowledge influence the types of frameworks and languages that best meet your needs. Your team should know the intricacies of your chosen language. |
| Frameworks and languages | Backend framework and language options provide the components and structure for creating successful web applications. Select a framework that best supports the language and architectural pattern of your choice. |
| Testing | Testing is a critical part of the development process and any on-going monitoring to ensure the health of your application. |
| Scaling and performance | Scaling and progressive performance are critical; be sure to consider how your application will grow and develop in the future. Scaling horizontally and vertically may require additional resources and impact the cost of running your backend, including unique challenges for content-driven web application backends. If expanding an existing web application, consider the potential constraints of the current infrastructure and your needs as you expand. |
| Deployment | Implement an effective build pipeline for your backend to cover the entire build, test, deploy, and promote the lifecycle of your application. |
| Security | Consider a security solution that best meets your application's requirements to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of private customer data. |