How to Choose the Right Technology Stack for Your Project?

In May 2024, roughly two years after the release of .NET MAUI, Microsoft officially ended support for Xamarin, its former flagship framework for cross-platform development. This example shows how rapidly the domain of custom software development technologies can evolve. In just two years, Xamarin was fully replaced, prompting many businesses to migrate their cross-platform solutions to .NET MAUI to stay current and supported.

To avoid the need for early modernization or costly redesigns, it is vital to approach tech stack selection strategically and with long-term viability in mind.

In this article, we provide actionable tips that will help you choose the right technology stack early in the project.

The tech stack for app development is a combination of programming languages, frameworks, libraries, tools, and platforms used to build and run an application. Choosing the tech stack is about aligning technology choices with your business goals, team capabilities, and long-term vision. The technology stack influences multiple aspects of a project, from day-one development to post-launch maintenance and scaling. Here’s how.

Some frameworks and tools offer capabilities for rapid prototyping or enhanced development with built-in components, extensive third-party integrations, or excellent code reusability. For example, we, at Leobit, managed to reuse around 95% of the code while building a cross-platform concert ticketing app with the combination of Blazor and .NET MAUI. Conversely, a less mature or overly complex stack can lead to delays and increase the development costs due to extensive custom coding and the lack of community support.

A tech stack defines how easy it will be to extend, refactor, or modernize your software down the road. In some cases, proper technology decisions, like developing a flexible microservices architecture with Azure and .NET, can make your solution more agile and better prepared for continuous updates and future growth. Meanwhile, poorly chosen stacks can result in brittle code, high maintenance costs, and frequent rewrites.

Selecting the right tech stack is also crucial if you are setting up a development team or seeking an outsourcing partner. For example, the pool of .NET developers is significantly bigger than the one of Dart, which means fewer challenges in finding specialists for your project.

Or, for instance, average salaries of Vue.js developers (around $114.000/year in the US) are lower than average salaries of React.js specialists (around $129.000/year in the US). This means that by selecting a more accessible and less expensive software development technology, you save time, effort, and money.

Over time, your app’s user base is likely to grow, which will require the app to scale to handle increased load. Some technologies, like .NET, are well-optimized for high concurrency, asynchronous operations, and distributed computing. Such capabilities are especially relevant for building scalable and high-performance systems.

Meanwhile, if you decide to create a website with a content management system (CMS) like WordPress, you may face challenges with scaling your solution up and enhancing its performance. This issue is often caused by WordPress’s rigid monolithic architecture and database bottlenecks stemming from the limitations of MySQL, the database technology the CMS heavily depends on. Similarly, platforms like Salesforce allow for rapid app development using built-in tools, but they offer limited flexibility for deep customization, which may make them unsuitable for businesses with specific or complex requirements.

Software security starts with the technologies you use. To safeguard their solutions, businesses rely on frameworks and platforms with mature ecosystems that include advanced security libraries and built-in protection mechanisms that are regularly updated.

For example, by relying on Azure’s cloud ecosystem, you can leverage Azure’s security-oriented services like Azure Active Directory, Azure Key Vault, and Azure Firewall. These tools seamlessly integrate with Azure-based systems and can cover different security vulnerabilities with minimal to no configuration.

The list of possible technologies for a software development project can be overwhelmingly extensive. The IT industry offers a significant number of frameworks, programming languages, tools, and platforms that will fit particular business needs and projects.

For instance, if you need to quickly launch a simple e-commerce website without complex platform management, there’s no need to choose a complex traditional stack like a .NET back end with an Angular front end. A more cost-effective and efficient solution would be to use WordPress with the WooCommerce plugin.

Below are the key tech stack categories commonly used in such projects, along with examples of widely adopted technologies in each.

A software front end is the app’s user-facing part. It includes the design, the layout, and the interactive components. Some of the most efficient front-end tech stack options are:

• Angular. A dynamic and multi-functional front-end development framework developed by Google. Angular shines when it comes to building large-scale and highly dynamic applications thanks to its built-in support for routing, state management, and form validation.
• React.js. A lightweight, component-based library created by Facebook. React.js offers excellent flexibility and a large ecosystem that supports rapid development of interactive user interfaces.
• Blazor. A Microsoft-backed framework that allows developers to build interactive web UIs using C# instead of JavaScript. Blazor seamlessly integrates with .NET, which makes it an efficient solution for .NET-based projects.
• Vue.js. A lightweight JavaScript framework notable for its relatively gentle learning curve and flexibility. Vue.js combines some features of Angular and React.js and is typically applied for developing small to medium-load apps or single-page applications (SPAs).

Overall, there is a great range of front-end development frameworks, each based on different programming principles and suited for distinct purposes. Above, we listed the ones that we at Leobit typically recommend to our clients while planning their projects. Other strong options for building application front-end include Next.js, Svelte, Ember.js, etc.

A software back end refers to the server side of an application. It is responsible for processing data, managing the database, and handling business logic behind the facade of the solution’s front end. A well-organized app back end is responsible for smooth and secure app operations. Some of the most powerful technologies for building application back end include:

• .NET. A versatile framework developed by Microsoft. Notable for its strong focus on performance, cross-platform capabilities, and deep integrations with other Microsoft technologies, .NET is a preferred choice for building complex software, especially in enterprise environments. Particularly, the world’s top organizations like Blip, Xbox, NBC Sports Next, UPS, and Bing rely on solutions built with this framework. Additionally, .NET is backed by a rich ecosystem of frameworks and services, including ASP.NET for web development and .NET MAUI for cross-platform applications.
• Ruby on Rails (RoR). It is a developer-friendly framework that is based on the Ruby programming language. RoR is known for its convention-over-configuration principle that enables rapid application development. This makes Ruby on Rails an efficient solution for building startup applications within tight timeframes and budget constraints.
• Node.js. A JavaScript-based framework that ensures efficient code reusability and is convenient for full-stack developers. Node.js also provides fast and event-driven server-side development, particularly suited for real-time applications.
• Python/Django. An efficient combination for developing innovative applications, particularly those that rely on AI features. Python is a code-efficient and versatile language, while Django is its high-level web framework that ensures rapid development with a clean and pragmatic design.
• Java. A robust, platform-independent language. Known for its maturity and vast ecosystem, Java is widely used for building large-scale, high-traffic applications.

Some other powerful back-end development technologies worth considering include the Laravel framework for the PHP programming language and JavaScript-based frameworks like Express.js and NestJS.

There are two common options for building native mobile apps: Kotlin and Swift, designed for Android and iOS development, respectively.

• Kotlin. A Google-backed programming language officially created for Android development. Kotlin is currently used by 9.4% of developers globally. This language is secure, concise, and efficiently offers a variety of pre-built components for developing efficient Android software.
• Swift. A fast, powerful, and easy-to-read language created by Apple for building iOS, macOS, and watchOS applications. Used by 4.7% developers globally, Swift is a successor of Objective-C, which had once been the primary technology for iOS software development.

With its vast ecosystem, Java can also be used for native mobile development. However, it typically offers fewer platform-specific features than Kotlin and Swift.

If you want your software to work on different platforms without building separate native apps, cross-platform development frameworks offer a practical solution. With 3.1% of developers using .NET MAUI and 9.4% of developers using Flutter, these two technologies have a strong presence in the market of cross-platform software development.

• .NET MAUI. Developed by Microsoft, .NET MAUI (Multi-platform App UI) allows developers to build software for Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS. This framework uses a shared C# codebase, efficiently accesses native features of different platforms, and relies on tools and libraries from the .NET tech stack.
• Flutter. Backed by Google, this framework is a powerful solution for developing visually rich and high-performing cross-platform apps in short and moderate terms. Apps built with Flutter rely on a single codebase written in Dart.

Other tools and frameworks for cross-platform development include Ionic, React Native, and Xamarin, which is .NET MAUI’s legacy predecessor within the Microsoft ecosystem.

A database stores and manages application data for retrieval, processing, and analysis, which makes it the backbone of any software solution. Your choice of a database technology for your software should depend on data structure, scalability, analytical needs, and query complexity. Databases can be roughly divided into three types:

• Relational databases. Databases like PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQL Server. use structured schemas and are a preferred choice for apps that require data consistency, transactions, and complex queries.
• NoSQL databases. Notable examples of such technologies are MongoDB, Firebase, and Redis. NoSQL databases take a less structured approach to data storage. However, they are well-suited for real-time apps due to their flexibility and high-speed caching.
• Data warehouses. Database technologies like BigQuery, Snowflake, and Redshift are optimized for large-scale analytics and reporting. Therefore, these tools are preferred solutions for businesses that prioritize business intelligence and data-driven practices.

In many cases, combining different database types allows companies to reach a balance between performance and functionality. For instance, you may use PostgreSQL for storing and managing core data efficiently, while Redis may become your primary solution for data caching.

With the cloud technology market expected to exceed $1 trillion in 2027, cloud hosting outperforms the on-premises model in many aspects. Some of the key benefits of cloud technologies include on-demand computing power, storage, and seamless integration with other cloud-based services. When it comes to choosing a cloud platform, the choice is typically made between the three giants of cloud development, namely Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). The image below illustrates their market positioning.

• Microsoft Azure. A cloud platform known for its deep integration with the Microsoft ecosystem. Microsoft Azure is a preferred choice for enterprises thanks to its hybrid cloud and compliance-ready solutions. Some of the biggest companies using Microsoft Azure are Coca-Cola, Nestle, Fujitsu, Vodafone, etc.
• AWS. It is the most widely adopted cloud platform. AWS offers a vast range of services, global reach, and mature tooling for completely different purposes.
• GCP. It is a comprehensive suite of cloud computing services. GCP provides an innovative set of services for data analytics and the development of experimental AI/ML features.

Not all software systems are necessarily bound by a single cloud provider. In fact, around 92% of enterprises use the multi-cloud strategy, which allows them to combine the benefits of different cloud platforms.

The technology stack for a software development project goes beyond the categories mentioned above. Depending on the complexity and functionality of your solution, you may apply a vast range of tools, services, systems, libraries, and integrations for software development.

For example, a technology stack for a software development project may involve:

• Tools for integrating with external systems, such as RESTful APIs and GraphQL
• Third-party integrations designed to provide payment or communication functionality, such as Stripe and Twilio
• Technologies that ensure secure authentication for your project, such as OAuth2, JWT, Auth0, and Firebase Authentication
• Tools for version control, such as Git, Mercurial, and Fossil
• Testing frameworks, such as Jest, Cypress, Mocha, and Selenium.

Reviewing technologies’ popularity or market share is not enough for selecting an optimal stack for your project. In the next chapter, we outline some steps that will help you make the right choices.

Choosing the right technology stack for a project may be quite challenging. It is often hard to anticipate project needs precisely or decide between different technologies that may be similar in their core functionality and development principles. Here we outline some practical tips for choosing a technology stack for your project, presented in no specific order.

Before you choose a tech stack for a project, clearly define what you want to build and what goals your software solution should meet. Outlining essential performance, scalability, and security requirements from the outset will help select the technologies for the project. Consider the size of your software solution and its core functionality.

For example, if you want to develop an enterprise-grade enterprise solution enhanced with a variety of services, .NET will be an efficient back-end development framework. Meanwhile, if you need to develop a minimum viable product (MVP) as soon as possible, Ruby on Rails may be a preferred solution for fast back-end development thanks to its concise code, focus on convention over configuration, and a significant list of pre-built components. If you want to ensure your solution’s cross-platform outreach in the short term, look into cross-platform development frameworks like .NET MAUI or Flutter.

If you prioritize software scalability and seamless integration with AI features, Azure may be an excellent option. All thanks to its cost-efficient scaling, robust infrastructure, and a variety of pre-built AI services.

Ultimately, a comprehensive project discovery phase helps you clarify your requirements and identify the best tech stack for your project.

Your team’s existing skill set is a key factor in tech stack decisions. If you already have developers proficient in specific languages or frameworks, choosing such technologies for your project can enhance development speed and efficiency.

Alternatively, you can define the ideal tech stack first, preferably with the help of a solutions architect, and then hire or source developers with the required expertise. In this case, outsourcing the project to a dedicated team can provide quick access to specialists with the necessary expertise. The key consideration is to select technologies supported by a strong and accessible pool of skilled professionals in the market.

Community support enhances problem-solving and accelerates onboarding. This directly translates into faster development cycles and lower costs.

Take .NET as an example, with contributions from over 100,000 developers across 3,700+ companies beyond Microsoft, it offers a deeply supportive environment. It’s no surprise this technology was named the #1 most-loved framework three years in a row (2019–2021) in the Stack Overflow Developer Survey.

Gartner’s API Strategy Survey for 2024 reveals that 71% of digitized organizations use APIs provided by third parties, such as SaaS vendors. By integrating the system with an existing tool or solution, development teams can save time, effort, and cost from developing custom features.

The technologies behind your solution should seamlessly integrate with APIs, third-party tools, or legacy systems without endpoint or format inconsistencies. Poor integration capabilities can disrupt your system’s performance or lead to a growing technical debt in the long run. The chosen tech stack should support necessary integrations either natively or through well-maintained software development kits (SDKs) and connectors.

A BCG survey of global C-suite executives showed that more than 30% of their technology development exceeded their budget and missed deadlines. One important contributor to this issue is the hidden cost structure of many technologies. While open-source tools are often perceived as “free,” businesses may underestimate the expenses tied to hosting, ongoing maintenance, and scaling. This leads to an inaccurate estimation of the total cost of ownership (TCO), which can drive unexpected budget overruns or project delays.

In addition, it is important to consider developer salaries, cloud infrastructure usage fees, support costs, and software licensing fees that are also directly influenced by the technology choices you made.

This approach might not suit projects with unique requirements or unconventional technical demands. However, there are modern tech stack combinations that may be used “as is” to improve reliability, reduce decision-making overhead, and simplify hiring. Ultimately, the choice depends on the peculiarities of your project.

Here are some examples of common tech stacks for custom software development:

• Microsoft-based stack. Businesses that run systems based on Microsoft tools can build custom software with technologies like .NET, Blazor, Azure, and MS SQL Server. This combination is efficient for developing enterprise and internal business systems. It also allows companies to create a cohesive and fully integrated Microsoft ecosystem.
• JavaScript-centered stack. If a company has a development team proficient in JavaScript and wants to leverage its benefits, such as rapid prototyping and a vast ecosystem, a JS-based stack can be a preferred solution. For example, the team can use MongoDB database, Express.js, and .Node.js for the back end, and React.js for the front end.
• Lightweight stack for rapid development. A back-end tech stack centered around Ruby on Rails is an efficient solution for developing lightweight startup apps and MPVs. In this setup, Heroku, well-known for its seamless integration with Rails, can be used as the cloud platform, PostgreSQL as the database, and Vue.js for the front end.

Many development teams also rely on their preferred tech stacks that have consistently proven effective across multiple projects.

With over 150 successfully delivered projects, we at Leobit have refined optimal technology stacks for different software types and business objectives. From our experience, one of the most versatile, reliable, and scalable tech stacks is the one that relies on the Microsoft ecosystem.

Our preferred back-end development technology is .NET, a high-performing framework with strong cross-platform development capabilities. For front-end development, we use either Blazor, notable for its seamless integration with .NET, or Angular, a framework with excellent capabilities for developing dynamic user interfaces.

The image below illustrates some critical features and properties specific to Angular.

For mobile and cross-platform development, we often use .NET MAUI. This framework is a part of the .NET ecosystem and offers excellent code reusability while paired with Blazor. .NET MAUI allows our specialists to build apps for iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows while accessing native capabilities of these platforms. In addition, we have a solid expertise in using Flutter and its powerful capabilities for rapid development of dynamic cross-platform UIs.

We apply a variety of database technologies, but the efficient stack for .NET product development involves Microsoft SQL Server (MS SQL) or PostgreSQL. These relational databases deliver excellent performance, security, and deep integration with the .NET codebase. To support scalability and cloud-native capabilities, we deploy applications on Microsoft Azure. This cloud platform offers a variety of out-of-the-box capabilities and AI services that allow our specialists to establish a feature-packed and innovative system. We can also provide experienced AWS-certified specialists that efficiently leverage Amazon Web Services, a platform notable for its maturity and significant diversity of services.

This tightly integrated stack enables us to build high-performing, secure, and future-proof solutions across industries. For example, we used .NET, Blazor, .NET MAUI, and PostgreSQL to build a cross-platform concert ticketing platform in the Azure cloud. An efficient tech stack involving .NET, Angular, Azure, and PostgreSQL helped us develop an innovative real estate solution with comprehensive functionality for property search and bidding.

As a Microsoft Solutions Partner for Digital & App Innovation, we specialize in Microsoft tools and frameworks. However, our expertise extends far beyond the Microsoft ecosystem. We have strong capabilities in back-end technologies such as Ruby on Rails, PHP, Node.js, Java, and Python, as well as front-end solutions including React.js, Vue.js, and TypeScript.

Our team also excels in native and cross-platform mobile development, working proficiently with technologies like Swift and Kotlin. While we have deep experience with Azure and AWS, our cloud development expertise also encompasses Google Cloud Platform.

Choosing the right technology stack is a strategic decision that directly impacts your project’s success, cost-efficiency, and long-term sustainability. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to the question of how to choose a tech stack for your project. However, certain helpful steps include:

• Aligning technology choices with your business goals
• Evaluating your team’s expertise
• Analyzing the technologies’ communities and ecosystems
• Analyzing your integration needs
• Considering the security capabilities of different tech stacks
• Using proven combinations and types of tech stacks (optionally).

At Leobit, we help businesses navigate these decisions by developing custom solutions backed by hands-on experience and a deep understanding of modern tech ecosystems. Contact us and let’s come up with an ideal technology stack for your needs together.