Solution stack

In computing, a solution stack or software stack is a set of software subsystems or components needed to create a complete platform such that no additional software is needed to support applications.^[1] Applications are said to "run on" or "run on top of" the resulting platform.

For example, to develop a web application, the architect defines the stack as the target operating system, web server, database, and programming language. Another version of a software stack is operating system, middleware, database, and applications.^[2] Regularly, the components of a software stack are developed by different developers independently from one another.

Some components/subsystems of an overall system are chosen together often enough that the particular set is referred to by a name representing the whole, rather than by naming the parts. Typically, the name is an acronym representing the individual components.^[3]

The term "solution stack" has, historically, occasionally included hardware components as part of a final product, mixing both the hardware and software in layers of support.^[4]^[5]

A full-stack developer is expected to be able to work in all the layers of the application (front-end and back-end). A full-stack developer can be defined as a developer or an engineer who works with both the front and back end development of a website, web application or desktop application.^[6] This means they can lead platform builds that involve databases, user-facing websites, and working with clients during the planning phase of projects.

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Examples

OS-level stacks

BCHS^[7]: OpenBSD (operating system); C (programming language); httpd (web server); SQLite (database)

Ganeti^[8]: Xen or KVM (hypervisor); Linux with LVM (mass-storage device management); Distributed Replicated Block Device (storage replication); Ganeti (virtual machine cluster management tool); Ganeti Web Manager (web interface)

GLASS^[9]: GemStone (database and application server); Linux (operating system); Apache (web server); Smalltalk (programming language); Seaside (web framework)

LAMP^[10]: Linux (operating system); Apache (web server); MySQL or MariaDB (database management systems); Perl, PHP, or Python (scripting languages)

LEAP^[11]: Linux (operating system); Eucalyptus (free and open-source alternative to the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud); AppScale (cloud computing-framework and free and open-source alternative to Google App Engine); Python (programming language)

LEMP/LNMP^[12]: Linux (operating system); Nginx (web server); MySQL or MariaDB (database management systems); Perl, PHP, or Python (scripting languages)

LLMP^[13]: Linux (operating system); Lighttpd (web server); MySQL or MariaDB (database management systems); Perl, PHP, or Python (scripting languages)

LYME and LYCE^[14]: Linux (operating system); Yaws (web server, written in Erlang); Mnesia or CouchDB (database, written in Erlang); Erlang (functional programming language)

MAMP^[15]: Mac OS X (operating system); Apache (web server); MySQL or MariaDB (database); PHP, Perl, or Python (programming languages)

LAPP^[16]: Linux (operating system); Apache (web server); PostgreSQL (database management systems); Perl, PHP, or Python (scripting languages)

MLVN^[17]: MongoDB (database); Linux (operating system); Varnish (software) (frontend cache); Node.js (JavaScript runtime)

WAMP^[18]: Windows (operating system); Apache (web server); MySQL or MariaDB (database); PHP, Perl, or Python (programming language)

WIMP^[19]: Windows (operating system); Internet Information Services (web server); MySQL or MariaDB (database); PHP, Perl, or Python (programming language)

WINS^[20]: Windows Server (operating system); Internet Information Services (web server); .NET (software framework); SQL Server (database)

WISA^[21]: Windows Server (operating system); Internet Information Services (web server); SQL Server (database); ASP.NET (web framework)

WISAV/WIPAV: Windows Server (operating system); Internet Information Services (web server); Microsoft SQL Server/PostgreSQL (database); ASP.NET (backend web framework); Vue.js (frontend web framework)

OS-agnostic web stacks

ELK^[22]: Elasticsearch (search engine); Logstash (event and log management tool); Kibana (data visualization)

GRANDstack^[23]: GraphQL (data query and manipulation language); React (web application presentation); Apollo (Data Graph Platform); Neo4j (database management systems)

JAMstack^[24]: JavaScript (programming language); APIs (Application programming interfaces); Markup (content)

MARQS^[10]: Apache Mesos (node startup/shutdown); Akka (toolkit) (actor implementation); Riak (data store); Apache Kafka (messaging); Apache Spark (big data and MapReduce)

MEAN^[10]: MongoDB (database); Express.js (application controller layer); AngularJS/Angular (web application presentation); Node.js (JavaScript runtime)

MERN^[25]: MongoDB (database); Express.js (application controller layer); React.js (web application presentation); Node.js (JavaScript runtime)

MEVN^[26]: MongoDB (database); Express.js (application controller layer); Vue.js (web application presentation); Node.js (JavaScript runtime)

NMP^[27]: Nginx (web server); MySQL or MariaDB (database); PHP (programming language)

OpenACS^[28]: NaviServer (web server); OpenACS (web application framework); PostgreSQL or Oracle Database (database); Tcl (scripting language)

PERN^[29]: PostgreSQL (database); Express.js (application controller layer); React (JavaScript library) (web application presentation); Node.js (JavaScript runtime)

PLONK: Prometheus (metrics and time-series); Linkerd (service mesh); OpenFaaS (management and auto-scaling of compute); NATS (asynchronous message bus/queue); Kubernetes (declarative, extensible, scale-out, self-healing clustering)

SMACK^[10]: Apache Spark (big data and MapReduce); Apache Mesos (node startup/shutdown); Akka (toolkit) (actor implementation); Apache Cassandra (database); Apache Kafka (messaging)

T-REx^[30]: TerminusDB (scalable graph database); React (JavaScript web framework); Express.js (framework for Node.js)

XAMPP^[31]: cross-platform (operating system); Apache (web server); MariaDB or MySQL (database); PHP (programming language); Perl (programming language)

XRX^[32]: XML database (database such as BaseX, eXist, MarkLogic Server); XQuery (Query language); REST (client interface); XForms (client)

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References

[1]
"Solution stack". Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. The Computer Language Company. 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
[2]
Mimoso, Michael S. (24 February 2003). "Red Hat: Linux served at vertical data center dinner tables". SearchEnterpriseLinux.com. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
[3]
Beal, V. (7 September 2007). "Acronym Guide to Web Stacks". Webopedia. Quinstreet, Inc. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
[4]
Ferguson, R. (2002). Using Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server. Que Publishing. p. 616. ISBN 9780789725707.
[5]
Anderson, G.W. (2003). SAP Planning: Best Practices in Implementation. Sams. p. 13. ISBN 9780789728753.
[6]
Amir, Masroor. "Full Stack Developer - Complete Roadmap | Technologies in 2023". The Geeks Bot | A Computer Science Site for geeks. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
[7]
Dzonsons, K. "BCHS Stack". Retrieved 5 July 2018.
[8]
"Ganeti installation tutorial". Ganeti Documentation. Google, Inc. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
[9]
Glynn, A. (3 June 2015). "A Beginners' Guide to Installing and Configuring GLASS: Gemstone 64/S Smalltalk / Seaside / Application Server / Object Database Server Environment". Horizons of Identity. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
[10]
Frampton, M. (2018). Complete Guide to Open Source Big Data Stack. Apress. p. 7. ISBN 9781484221495.
[11]
Kaisler, S.H.; Amour, F.; Espinosa, A.; Money, W.H. (2015). Obtaining Value from Big Data for Service Delivery. Business Expert Press. p. PT69. ISBN 9781631572234.
[12]
"LEMP Stack Info". LEMP.io. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
[13]
Johnston, C. (18 February 2009). "Setting up a LLMP Stack (Linux, Lighttpd, MySQL, PHP5) on Ubuntu 8.10". ChrisJohnston.org. Archived from the original on 5 February 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
[14]
"Solution Stack". Idiosyncratic Knowledge. 9 July 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
[15]
Coucouvanis, N. (2007). "Get Your Wiki On". Mac Life (5): 83–86. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
[16]
Rittinghouse, J.W.; Ransome, J.F. (2017). Cloud Computing: Implementation, Management, and Security. CRC Press. p. PT184. ISBN 9781351615365.
[17]
Sharma, A. (2018). "Chapter 2: Introducing MEVN". Full-Stack Web Development with Vue.js and Node. Packt Publishing Ltd. pp. 6–30. ISBN 9781788830775.
[18]
"WAMP". Softaculous Ltd. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
[19]
"Tutorial: Installing a WIMP Server on an Amazon EC2 Instance Running Windows Server". AWS Documentation. Amazon Web Services, Inc. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
[20]
Evgen (28 January 2018). "How to Choose Your Technology Stack for Web Development". GBKSOFT Blog. GBKSOFT Dev LLC. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
[21]
Sachdeva, B. (27 May 2009). "Which Web Application Stack Is Best for Me?". developer.com. QuinStreet, Inc. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
[22]
Chhajed, S. (2015). "Chapter 1: Introduction to ELK Stack". Learning ELK Stack. Packt Publishing Ltd. pp. 1–22. ISBN 9781785886706.
[23]
"GRANDStack". Retrieved 24 Dec 2019.
[24]
"JAMstack". Retrieved 5 July 2018.
[25]
Wilson, E. (2018). "Chapter 1: Introduction to the MERN Stack". MERN Quick Start Guide. Packt Publishing Ltd. pp. 7–13. ISBN 9781787280045.
[26]
Sharma, A. (2018). "Chapter 1: Introducing MEVN". Full-Stack Web Development with Vue.js and Node. Packt Publishing Ltd. pp. 6–30. ISBN 9781788830775.
[27]
Luna, F. (2017). Programador Web Full Stack: Desarrollo frontend y backend. RedUSERS. pp. 17–18.
[28]
"OpenACS: What it is and why to use it". OpenACS.org. OpenACS Community. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
[29]
"Learn the PERN Stack by building a web app - Full video course". freeCodeCamp.org. 2020-03-20. Retrieved 2021-06-19.
[30]
"TerminusDB on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
[31]
"XAMPP Apache + MariaDB + PHP + Perl". Apache Friends. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
[32]
McCreary, D. "XRX". danmccreary.com. Retrieved 6 July 2018.

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[CDESolution15-1] [1]
"Solution stack". Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. The Computer Language Company. 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2018.

[2] [2]
Mimoso, Michael S. (24 February 2003). "Red Hat: Linux served at vertical data center dinner tables". SearchEnterpriseLinux.com. Retrieved 2009-08-09.

[BealAcronym07-3] [3]
Beal, V. (7 September 2007). "Acronym Guide to Web Stacks". Webopedia. Quinstreet, Inc. Retrieved 5 July 2018.

[FergusonSpecial02-4] [4]
Ferguson, R. (2002). Using Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server. Que Publishing. p. 616. ISBN 9780789725707.

[AndersonSAP03-5] [5]
Anderson, G.W. (2003). SAP Planning: Best Practices in Implementation. Sams. p. 13. ISBN 9780789728753.

[6] [6]
Amir, Masroor. "Full Stack Developer - Complete Roadmap | Technologies in 2023". The Geeks Bot | A Computer Science Site for geeks. Retrieved 2023-04-27.

[DzonsonsBCHS-7] [7]
Dzonsons, K. "BCHS Stack". Retrieved 5 July 2018.

[GanetiInstall-8] [8]
"Ganeti installation tutorial". Ganeti Documentation. Google, Inc. Retrieved 5 July 2018.

[GlynnABegin15-9] [9]
Glynn, A. (3 June 2015). "A Beginners' Guide to Installing and Configuring GLASS: Gemstone 64/S Smalltalk / Seaside / Application Server / Object Database Server Environment". Horizons of Identity. Retrieved 5 July 2018.

[FramptonComplete18-10] [10]
Frampton, M. (2018). Complete Guide to Open Source Big Data Stack. Apress. p. 7. ISBN 9781484221495.

[KaislerObtain15-11] [11]
Kaisler, S.H.; Amour, F.; Espinosa, A.; Money, W.H. (2015). Obtaining Value from Big Data for Service Delivery. Business Expert Press. p. PT69. ISBN 9781631572234.

[LEMPHome-12] [12]
"LEMP Stack Info". LEMP.io. Retrieved 6 July 2018.

[JohnstonSetting09-13] [13]
Johnston, C. (18 February 2009). "Setting up a LLMP Stack (Linux, Lighttpd, MySQL, PHP5) on Ubuntu 8.10". ChrisJohnston.org. Archived from the original on 5 February 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2018.

[SamkoughSolution16-14] [14]
"Solution Stack". Idiosyncratic Knowledge. 9 July 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.

[CoucouvanisGetYour07-15] [15]
Coucouvanis, N. (2007). "Get Your Wiki On". Mac Life (5): 83–86. Retrieved 6 July 2018.

[RittinghouseCloud17-16] [16]
Rittinghouse, J.W.; Ransome, J.F. (2017). Cloud Computing: Implementation, Management, and Security. CRC Press. p. PT184. ISBN 9781351615365.

[17] [17]
Sharma, A. (2018). "Chapter 2: Introducing MEVN". Full-Stack Web Development with Vue.js and Node. Packt Publishing Ltd. pp. 6–30. ISBN 9781788830775.

[AMPPS-WAMP-18] [18]
"WAMP". Softaculous Ltd. Retrieved 6 July 2018.

[AWSTutorialWIMP-19] [19]
"Tutorial: Installing a WIMP Server on an Amazon EC2 Instance Running Windows Server". AWS Documentation. Amazon Web Services, Inc. Retrieved 6 July 2018.

[EvgenHowTo18-20] [20]
Evgen (28 January 2018). "How to Choose Your Technology Stack for Web Development". GBKSOFT Blog. GBKSOFT Dev LLC. Retrieved 6 July 2018.

[SachdevaWhich09-21] [21]
Sachdeva, B. (27 May 2009). "Which Web Application Stack Is Best for Me?". developer.com. QuinStreet, Inc. Retrieved 6 July 2018.

[ChhajedLearning15-22] [22]
Chhajed, S. (2015). "Chapter 1: Introduction to ELK Stack". Learning ELK Stack. Packt Publishing Ltd. pp. 1–22. ISBN 9781785886706.

[GrandStack-23] [23]
"GRANDStack". Retrieved 24 Dec 2019.

[Jamstack-24] [24]
"JAMstack". Retrieved 5 July 2018.

[WilsonMERN18-25] [25]
Wilson, E. (2018). "Chapter 1: Introduction to the MERN Stack". MERN Quick Start Guide. Packt Publishing Ltd. pp. 7–13. ISBN 9781787280045.

[26] [26]
Sharma, A. (2018). "Chapter 1: Introducing MEVN". Full-Stack Web Development with Vue.js and Node. Packt Publishing Ltd. pp. 6–30. ISBN 9781788830775.

[LunaProg17-27] [27]
Luna, F. (2017). Programador Web Full Stack: Desarrollo frontend y backend. RedUSERS. pp. 17–18.

[OpenACSWhatIs-28] [28]
"OpenACS: What it is and why to use it". OpenACS.org. OpenACS Community. Retrieved 6 July 2018.

[29] [29]
"Learn the PERN Stack by building a web app - Full video course". freeCodeCamp.org. 2020-03-20. Retrieved 2021-06-19.

[30] [30]
"TerminusDB on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2020-10-14.

[AFXAMPP-31] [31]
"XAMPP Apache + MariaDB + PHP + Perl". Apache Friends. Retrieved 6 July 2018.

[McCrearyXRX-32] [32]
McCreary, D. "XRX". danmccreary.com. Retrieved 6 July 2018.

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Examples

OS-level stacks

OS-agnostic web stacks

See also

References

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Solution stack