Tech Stack Evaluation Guide

Framework for making technology decisions.

When to Use

• Choosing between frameworks/libraries

• Evaluating cloud providers

• Making build vs buy decisions

• Planning technology migrations

• Standardizing tech stack

Evaluation Framework

Decision Matrix

Factor Weight Option A Option B Option C

Team Experience 20% Score Score Score

Community/Support 15% Score Score Score

Performance 15% Score Score Score

Scalability 15% Score Score Score

Cost (TCO) 15% Score Score Score

Integration 10% Score Score Score

Security 10% Score Score Score

Scoring Guide

Score Meaning

5 Excellent, best in class

4 Good, above average

3 Adequate, meets needs

2 Below average, concerns

1 Poor, significant issues

Common Comparisons

Frontend Frameworks

Factor React Vue Angular

Learning Curve Medium Low High

Ecosystem Large Medium Large

Performance Good Good Good

Enterprise Yes Growing Yes

Job Market Largest Growing Strong

Backend Languages

Factor Node.js Python Go Java

Performance Good Medium Excellent Good

Ecosystem Large Large Growing Large

Learning Easy Easy Medium Hard

Concurrency Event-loop Async Native Threads

Databases

Factor PostgreSQL MySQL MongoDB DynamoDB

Type Relational Relational Document Key-Value

Scalability Vertical Vertical Horizontal Horizontal

Schema Strict Strict Flexible Flexible

Cost Free Free Free/Paid Usage

Cloud Providers

Factor AWS GCP Azure

Market Share Largest Growing Second

Services Most complete Strong ML/Data Enterprise

Pricing Complex Simpler Complex

Free Tier 12 months Always free 12 months

Evaluation Process

Step 1: Define Requirements

Requirements

• Scale: [Expected users/requests]
• Performance: [Latency requirements]
• Budget: [Monthly/yearly budget]
• Team: [Current skills and size]
• Timeline: [Implementation deadline]

Step 2: Identify Options

Research 3-5 viable options:

• Current market leaders

• Rising alternatives

• Team-familiar options

Step 3: Proof of Concept

Build minimal POC for top 2-3 options:

• Core functionality

• Integration test

• Performance benchmark

Step 4: Total Cost Analysis

Cost Type Option A Option B

Licensing $ $

Infrastructure $ $

Development $ $

Training $ $

Maintenance $ $

Total (3 yr) $ $

Step 5: Risk Assessment

Risk Option A Option B

Vendor lock-in Low/Med/High

Technology obsolescence

Skill availability

Security concerns

Build vs Buy

Build When

• Core competitive advantage

• Unique requirements

• Long-term cost savings

• Team has expertise

Buy When

• Commodity functionality

• Time to market critical

• Ongoing maintenance burden

• Industry standard exists

Decision Tree

Is it core to your business? ├── Yes → Does expertise exist? │ ├── Yes → Build │ └── No → Buy (for now) └── No → Buy or use open source

Migration Planning

Migration Phases

• Assessment - Current state analysis

• Planning - Target architecture

• Preparation - Team training, tooling

• Migration - Incremental rollout

• Validation - Testing, monitoring

• Cutover - Final switch

• Optimization - Post-migration tuning

Risk Mitigation

• Run parallel systems

• Feature flags for rollback

• Comprehensive testing

• Staged rollout

• Clear rollback plan

Documentation Template

Technology Decision: [Name]

Context

Why are we making this decision?

Options Considered

1. [Option A] - Pros/Cons
2. [Option B] - Pros/Cons
3. [Option C] - Pros/Cons

Decision

We chose [Option] because...

Consequences

• Positive: [List]
• Negative: [List]

Implementation Plan

• Phase 1: [Action]
• Phase 2: [Action]