How to Choose a Modern No Code & Full MVP Tech Stack

This beginner-friendly article provides a comprehensive guide to mvp tech stacks using modern tools, helping you stay on top of the best tools and methods.

Published by Jonathan Melo

MVP Tech Stack Explained

A Minimum Viable Product (MVP) tech stack refers to the combination of programming languages, frameworks, servers, and software tools that are used to build the earliest version of a product.

Prioritizing Must Have Features

Choosing the best tech stack for our MVP will largely depend on the features we’ve prioritized to be included. If these features are too complex, a traditional tech stack may offer the flexibility and customization we need to build them effectively. On the other hand, if our must-have features are more straightforward, a no-code platform could provide a quicker, cost-effective solution to get our MVP to market.

Effective MVP Tech Stack Examples

Considerations Around Hiring and Talent Availability

An often overlooked, but very important factor to consider, is the availability of talent that you'll need for development, maintenance, and future enhancements. Here are a few things to think about.

  1. Current Market Trends: Put yourself in the shoes of a developer and search Google and YouTube for “how to become a developer” and “how to develop x with y.” Look at what is frequently mention. There you’ll start to get a sense of what your tech stack should be. Looking at developer surveys and developer job posting is a great tactic for research.
  2. Cost of Hiring: Research average salaries and hourly rates for different skill sets. Use resources like Glassdoor, Payscale, and freelance platforms to get an idea of what you might have to pay for the talent you need.
  3. Community and Support: Evaluate the activity level of the tech’s community by checking the frequency of commits, pull requests, issues resolved, and new issues created on their GitHub repositories and community forums.

Why No-Code for MVPs

  1. Agile: No-code platforms allow for faster iterations and A/B testing.
  2. Reduced Time to Market: The ability to quickly build functional prototypes with no-code platforms drastically reduces time-to-market, offering a competitive edge.
  3. Collaborative Environment: Many no-code platforms support collaboration, allowing teams to work together seamlessly, regardless of individual coding ability.
  4. Automation Opportunities: Many no-code platforms come with built-in tools for automation, reducing manual effort for tasks such as data entry, email notifications, and report generation.
  5. Interoperability: No-code platforms often provide seamless integration with other business tools and services.
  6. Independence from IT bottlenecks: No-code platforms give non-technical teams the ability to create solutions without being reliant on IT departments or developers, speeding up internal processes and boosting productivity.

Limitation of No-Code App Builders

Once we’ve scoped out the functionality of our MVP, we’ll learn about the feasibility of building them with No-Code platform. Here are something to keep in mind when doing the research.

  1. Scalability: No-code platforms are generally well-suited for small to medium-sized projects. However, as your user base grows and your application needs become more complex, these platforms may not scale well.
  2. Performance: Apps built with no-code platforms might not perform as well as apps built using traditional coding. This is particularly relevant for applications that are expected to handle heavy traffic, complex computations, or large amounts of data.
  3. Dependence on the Platform: When you build your app with a no-code platform, you're locked into that platform. If the platform closes, changes its pricing structure, or otherwise alters its service in a way that's unfavorable to you, you might be in a difficult position.
  4. Platform-Specific Skills: While using a no-code platform can significantly speed up the development process, if you need to make changes or updates in the future, you'll need someone who understands that specific platform. This can make it harder to find the right talent.

How much focus should be on scalability?

None. Absolutely no calories should be burned optimizing for scalability. It’s important to think of an MVP as a prototype you’ll throw away most of it. It’s purpose is to learn and further validate a business idea. Running into scalability issues is a very nice problem to have!

Listen to Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel talk about Paul Graham’s idea of “Do Things That Don’t Scale.”