Choosing the right technology stack for SaaS products is essential to the ultimate success of a future platform. It determines the number of application features, impacts its performance, and can reduce maintenance costs. This is what we will discuss in this article.
What is SaaS?
Software as a service (SaaS) is a computing approach that delivers a web application, including IT infrastructure, to end users via a browser.
This solution is great for large enterprises, small businesses, or individuals who:
- Don’t want to take on the responsibility of buying and maintaining infrastructure and platforms
- Prefer easier cost management at the expense of operational costs
- Minimize the amount of customization for their software
- Favor subscription models
SaaS reduces initial user costs by eliminating the need for ongoing software purchases or investments in on-premises IT infrastructure. However, SaaS customers must also consider the complexity of their network setup, as the performance often hinges on the speed and reliability of their cloud server connections.
SaaS makes it easier for software vendors to deploy new features to their customers. Most SaaS applications are pre-configured products in which the vendor manages everything behind the application, including SaaS platforms and ready-made solutions:
- Hardware components — network, storage, and servers for data processing
- Platforms — virtualization, operating system, and middleware
- Software requirements — runtime, data, and the application itself
This method allows greater flexibility and ensures seamless integration with different tools used by customers. Our MaybeWorks SaaS developers for hire have great experience developing SaaS products, so they can augment your team and boost your processes.
Distinctive Features of SaaS
What components differentiate SaaS from other types of web or mobile applications? Here are some key criteria that every SaaS application should have, including a well-defined front-end tech stack to ensure a seamless user experience.
Scalable Infrastructure
One of the significant benefits of using a SaaS architecture is its versatile and scalable solutions that allow businesses to customize their infrastructure according to their specific needs. Whether a company is experiencing a temporary slowdown or rapid growth, the software architecture can be adjusted to scale up or down, ensuring that it only pays for the resources it actually uses. This flexibility is especially valuable for SaaS businesses, enabling them to select various components that best support their operations, ensuring cost-efficiency and optimal performance. Customizability is the main feature of SaaS, making it an indispensable asset in the dynamic SaaS market.
Subscription Model
SaaS applications rely heavily on subscription models to provide software licenses. Unlike a perpetual license, this software delivery model ties each account to a subscription that provides access to SaaS for a specific period — usually annually or monthly. The subscription fee typically includes access to product documentation and ongoing support governed by a service level agreement (SLA). However, some SaaS vendors may also charge additional support fees for custom code changes at the source code level, especially when dealing with complex backend structures or ensuring compatibility with distributed data sources.
The essence of a SaaS application is its high availability, supported by a flexible billing cycle. This allows customers to use the service as much as they need and for as long as they want. Unlike traditional software, which might have fixed costs or long-term contracts, SaaS lets users adjust their usage based on their current needs. This flexibility also supports different modules and third-party integrations, making it easier for businesses to adapt and grow.
CRM system
Because SaaS offers a common platform for many tenants, it requires a single repository for customer accounts and the management of that information. This is achieved through a well-defined SaaS application stack that integrates advanced logic for managing multiple users effectively.
Automation
SaaS automation helps simplify the customer onboarding process in a cloud-based application. It increases the efficiency of independent software vendors (ISVs) as the required infrastructure updates are quickly delivered to subscribers. Moreover, it saves users from fixing issues and force majeure by enhancing the application’s scalability.
Support and Analytics
The SaaS application’s customer support and analytics module provides tools for platform management and metrics validation. In this way, providers can improve customer experience and optimize their service by leveraging business logic to refine their operations and decision-making processes.
SaaS Architecture
SaaS applications are based on a rental model. Each client using the platform is considered a tenant and receives access rights after paying a subscription fee. This model benefits from authentication mechanisms to ensure secure and efficient user access management.
Single-Tenant SaaS Architecture
This type of architecture serves a single tenant who pays for this software service. This means the tenant gets their dedicated software instance, a single infrastructure, server, and database. This architecture is convenient for customers as they don’t have to share database resources with other users. Moreover, customers can even customize the software according to their business needs and scale it at any time, leveraging cloud hosting and back-end technologies to ensure a seamless and adaptable experience.
The essence of single-tenant architecture is as follows: cloud providers host separate entities with isolated resources and detailed access control. This allows customers to have a different version of the same SaaS product and even provides access to customize the application to their needs, using a unique database management system for each tenant.
Multi-Tenant SaaS Architecture
Multi-tenant architecture is one of the most preferred architecture types when developing a SaaS application. In this model, each site serves multiple tenants. This means that all clients share a common database and application information while keeping each tenant’s data secure and private. This approach enhances code reusability and simplifies database management by centralizing resources while ensuring isolation between tenants.
Multitenancy has become widespread and is most commonly used in cloud computing. This type of architecture appears in both public and private cloud storage, allowing each user’s data to be separated from others. For example, in a multi-tenant public cloud, the same servers are used in a hosted environment to accommodate multiple users. Each user is given a separate and secure space on these servers to store their data, leveraging a cloud platform and back-end development techniques to ensure security and efficiency. Additionally, this setup is supported by a robust SaaS software stack to manage and optimize resources effectively.
Building a SaaS app with multi-tenant architecture offers several advantages over other methods:
- It is less expensive compared to other architectures, thanks to shared resources and backend management
- A “pay only for what you use” pricing model makes it cost-effective for tenants
- Tenants don’t have to worry about upgrades because the host provider makes them
- Tenants don’t have to worry about maintaining the equipment on which the data is hosted
- Providers only have to monitor and administer one system, which simplifies development time and reduces overhead
- The architecture is easier to scale, accommodating growth without significant additional costs
If you need to augment your development team with experienced MERN developers, our MaybeWorks team can help you.
Mixed SaaS Architecture
Unlike single or multi-tenant, where boundaries and functionality are defined, the mixed type is a little different. Let’s imagine a situation where a tenant uses common infrastructure resources, but specific business requirements force it to have one or two dedicated components. It can be a database or some modules of the common infrastructure. This is where mixed architecture comes in handy.
Under this model, one or two application parts are dedicated to each tenant, and all users share the rest of the components. Adopting a mixed architecture can significantly enhance app performance and flexibility in various business processes.
SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS — What Are the Differences?
In addition to SaaS (Software as a Service), there are the terms Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS).
IaaS means that the vendor provides infrastructure to the user through the cloud. This includes servers, networks, virtualization, and data storage. The user can access an API or dashboard while the infrastructure is leased. One of the drawbacks of IaaS is that it requires careful management to ensure the infrastructure meets specific product requirements. For insights into managing infrastructure effectively, check out our article on data dashboard development.
The tenant manages things like the operating systems, applications, and middleware, while the vendor provides the hardware, network, hard disks, storage, and servers. The vendor is also responsible for troubleshooting and repairing the hardware.
PaaS provides users with hardware and application software platforms from an external service provider. Since users handle the applications and data themselves, this model is great for developers and programmers. PaaS provides users with a platform to create, execute, and manage their applications without building and maintaining the infrastructure or environment needed to run the applications. With the best SaaS stack solutions, PaaS simplifies coding and accelerates development.
We also recommend you investigate our ERP implementation case study.
Criteria for Selecting a SaaS Technology Stack
A technology stack is a set of frameworks, libraries, programming languages, and databases used to create a fully functional platform.
A competent choice of the tech stack for SaaS is one of the main criteria for a successful product launch. Choosing exotic tools during the SaaS development process will make updating and maintaining the system complex in the long run. Considering data analytics ensures better decision-making capabilities.
A prime example is the Ruby on Rails framework. When it came out, customers worldwide asked vendors to use this new and cool platform for their projects and even ported their existing applications to RoR. But it soon became clear that working with them wasn’t as easy as everyone thought.
As soon as more user-friendly frameworks emerged, RoR’s popularity dropped dramatically. Today, most Ruby projects are supported for a lot of money as the demand for support remains, and far fewer developers use this stack. This shift highlights the importance of agility in choosing the right technology and the coding process during development.
The most reliable option not to make a mistake with the choice is to hire analysts who are able to select the most suitable tools for a particular project. Data analysis, agile methodologies, artificial intelligence, and APIs are integral aspects to consider when choosing a SaaS technology stack.
Code Maintainability
Any product owner has to think several years ahead. Will the framework used to build the application still be popular, or will it be considered obsolete? If one of the developers leaves the team, how easy and quick will it be to find a replacement? How long will it take for a new developer to be incorporated into the project?
Using a popular combination of language and framework will reduce the likelihood of being left with a legacy project after a few years. New development tools appear every year, but not all of them are noteworthy. A tool’s popularity can be measured by the number of stars on GitHub and by studying the developer market: the more jobs and requests a certain SaaS stack has, the more popular it is. This approach also ensures that the software is compatible with current trends, making it easier to integrate data streams into the development process.
Scalability
The question concerning the scalability of the project should be raised at the stage of planning and budget allocation. This will be especially true if the project is designed for unlimited users.
Physical servers can be improved indefinitely by increasing the hard disk’s memory or production capacity. However, in software development, you may encounter limitations that prevent further product development, particularly when dealing with complex business processes.
For example, if the framework is not designed to withstand heavy load, users will encounter app hangs or other problems as the number of requests increases. This issue can be exacerbated by inefficient algorithms or the lack of scalability in various system components.
It should be taken into account that if you initially choose the best stack for SaaS with a reserve for the future, the app’s first version will require more development costs than simpler solutions. For example, Angular applications scale much better than React applications because Angular was created with scalability in mind from the very beginning and has all the features for it. That said, an Angular app will always be more expensive to develop than React. This higher cost can be justified by the versatility and scalability that Angular provides in the long run. However, migrating from React to Next can offer a more cost-effective and performance-enhancing solution, as Next.js provides built-in optimizations like server-side rendering (SSR) that improve both speed and scalability.
MVP
The shorter a product’s time to market, the more chances it has to outperform its competitors. Therefore, it pays to choose technologies and approaches that increase software development speed by automating and simplifying repetitive operations. This includes automated unit tests for code, implementing continuous code delivery through CI/CD pipelines, additional features like automated analytics, and more. Selecting the optimal tech stack for SaaS can further streamline application development and enhance your product’s competitiveness. Weighing the pros and cons of rapid application development can help streamline processes and enhance the product's market performance.
In addition, the MVP approach allows you to manage customer needs more effectively. When a product is already released in production, metrics, managers, marketers, and analysts can be used to find problem areas in the app. Analyzing this data and implementing new solutions are really helpful. By taking advantage of targeted marketing strategies, you can better address these challenges and elevate your product’s performance.
Key components of the SaaS technology stack
In 2024, the technology stack for SaaS (Software as a Service) remains a key element of successful products and platforms. It brings together a variety of technologies to create powerful and scalable products. Choosing the right ecosystem can significantly impact the efficiency and scalability of your SaaS applications. Below is an overview of the key components of this stack and their benefits.
SaaS Front-end Stack
The basis of any web interface is HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript. But based on classic JS, many libraries and frameworks have been created to facilitate the work in one way or another.
- React: A highly popular library for building dynamic user interfaces, React offers the flexibility to create reusable UI components. It excels in handling high-load applications with fast rendering using its virtual DOM. For expert assistance with your React project, consider working with React developers who can enhance your application’s performance and functionality
- Angular (Angular 2+): Angular is known for its comprehensive framework that provides everything needed for front-end development, from templating to data binding. It's particularly suited for building complex applications with large teams, offering scalability and robustness. To learn more about the latest advancements, explore our article on Angular 17 new features.
- Next.js: Built on top of React, Next.js introduces server-side rendering, which improves performance and SEO. It’s an excellent choice for creating fast, scalable SaaS applications that require a dynamic front-end.
- Ionic & React Native: While primarily used for mobile app development, these frameworks can also be leveraged for building hybrid apps that share a single codebase across platforms. This is beneficial for SaaS products aiming to offer a seamless experience on both web and mobile devices.
SaaS Back-end Stack
- Node.js continues to take center stage in the development of server-side SaaS applications. Its asynchronous architecture allows for high performance and scalability. Express and Nest.js, built on top of Node.js, offer robust frameworks for building efficient APIs and scalable applications. What is Nest.js’s role here? It provides a more structured approach with built-in support for TypeScript, while Express is lightweight and flexible.
- Python is also a key player in this space, known for its simplicity and powerful libraries, which complement Node.js effectively. Flask, a micro-framework for Python, is lightweight yet powerful, ideal for building small to medium-sized SaaS applications with a focus on simplicity and flexibility.
- TypeScript is increasingly adopted for its strong typing and improved maintainability, making it a valuable addition to the backend stack. How does TypeScript work when combined with frameworks like Nest.js and Express? It enhances code quality and makes complex systems easier to manage.
- Express remains relevant, especially with frameworks like Laravel. Laravel's elegance, simplicity, and built-in tools streamline the development process, making it a strong choice for building robust backends in SaaS environments.
- PostgreSQL is a powerful open-source relational database. Its benefits include reliability, performance, and support for extensions. This makes it an ideal choice for storing data for SaaS applications, especially when combined with SaaS development practices to enhance overall system efficiency.
- For NoSQL solutions, MongoDB offers flexibility in handling large-scale, unstructured data, making it suitable for SaaS applications requiring high performance with dynamic schemas.
The benefits of this SaaS technology stack include high performance, scalability, reliability, simplified deployment and maintenance, and the flexibility to meet evolving market demands. It enables development teams to build innovative and competitive SaaS solutions in a rapidly changing technology environment.
Popular SaaS Services
Software vendors provide products to fulfill any business need. SaaS can include those applications that involve multi-tenancy using the internet:
Software vendors provide products to fulfill any business need. For performance and scalability, adopting the best SaaS tech stack is a game-changer. This approach enables the efficient management of various applications — especially noticeable in complex environments. SaaS can include web apps that involve multi-tenancy using the internet:
- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications: Think of ERP applications as the all-in-one solution for managing a company’s core operations. They handle everything from finance and HR to supply chain and inventory. Businesses that adopt a top-notch ERP system can integrate various processes, making everything run smoother and more efficiently.
- HR management software: HR management software takes care of all the people-related tasks, from hiring and payroll to performance reviews and employee records. With a SaaS-based HR system, you can manage everything from anywhere, making it easier to stay on top of your team’s needs.
- Enterprise Software: This is specialized software built to meet the unique needs of large organizations. Whether it’s for finance, operations, or project management, enterprise software helps companies handle complex processes efficiently. It’s like having a custom-built toolkit for your business.
- Messaging Services: SaaS messaging services provide cloud-based platforms for communication and collaboration within an organization. These services can include email, instant messaging, and video conferencing tools. Designed to support efficient communication, they maintain data security and reliability.
- Cloud Services: Cloud services encompass multiple online solutions, including infrastructure, platforms, and software delivered over the Internet. These services allow businesses to scale resources as needed without requiring on-premises hardware. Services like Azure offer robust solutions for hosting and managing your apps and data, making it easy to scale up or down based on your needs.
- Virtual Hosting: Virtual hosting is a smart way to use server resources efficiently. It allows you to host various applications or websites on a single physical server, each in its own virtual environment. This setup is perfect for businesses looking to optimize resource use and keep costs down.
- Systems for Collaborative Document Editing: These systems enable multiple users to work on documents at once, facilitating real-time collaboration and version control. SaaS solutions for document editing streamline the workflow and boost productivity by allowing users to access and edit documents from any location, using any device.
- CRM systems: CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems are crucial for managing your customer interactions and sales processes. They help you track leads, manage customer data, and analyze interactions to improve relationships. A SaaS CRM solution gives you the tools you need to keep your customers happy and your sales team organized.
Here are some popular examples of SaaS:
- Spotify: A leading music streaming service that lets users access a vast library of songs, playlists, and podcasts from anywhere. Its SaaS model means you don’t need to download music or manage storage — everything is available online, with updates and new features delivered automatically.
- Zoom: A widely used video conferencing tool that enables virtual meetings, webinars, and collaboration. As a SaaS product, Zoom provides a scalable solution for remote communication and team collaboration, accessible from any device with an internet connection.
- Netflix: A global streaming platform offering a vast collection of TV shows, movies, and original content. Netflix operates on a SaaS model, allowing users to stream content directly from the cloud servers without downloading or storing files locally.
- Google Docs: A cloud-based word-processing application that allows users to create, modify, and share documents online. It supports real-time collaboration enabling simultaneous editing of a document by multiple people from various locations.
- Trello: A project management tool that employs boards, lists, and cards to help teams organize tasks and workflows. Trello’s SaaS model provides a flexible and visual approach to project management, accessible from any device with internet access.
- Dropbox: A service for storing and sharing files that lets users save and access their files from any device. Dropbox’s SaaS offering ensures that files are synchronized and accessible across multiple platforms, with collaboration and file-sharing features.
All these applications share a common trait — they operate on a SaaS model, providing complete systems for users. Whether for personal entertainment, professional collaboration, or project management, they deliver their services over the Internet, removing the need for extensive local installations and offering the convenience of cloud-based access and updates.
To achieve similar success, hire SaaS developers who can bring your project to life with the right technology and expertise.
Tech Stack of Popular SaaS Products
Understanding the technology stacks of leading SaaS products helps appreciate how they deliver exceptional performance and user experiences. Here’s a detailed look at the tech stacks used by some of the most popular SaaS platforms:
Spotify Stack
Spotify’s tech stack is built to handle massive data transactions and deliver high-quality music streaming. It leverages technologies such as Apache Kafka for real-time data processing, Redis for caching, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) for cloud infrastructure. These technologies ensure that Spotify can efficiently manage millions of concurrent streams and provide a seamless listening experience, demonstrating the value of a well-chosen tech stack in delivering exceptional service.
Zoom Stack
Zoom uses a tech stack optimized for video conferencing, which includes WebRTC for real-time communication and AWS for scalable cloud infrastructure. The platform also employs advanced security protocols to prevent DDoS attacks and maintain high-quality video and audio even during peak usage. Event-driven architecture helps Zoom handle high loads and provide a reliable service.
Netflix Stack
Netflix’s technology stack is designed for high scalability and efficient content delivery. It utilizes microservice software architecture, AWS for cloud services, and a custom content delivery network (CDN) to handle large-scale data transactions and deliver content quickly. Netflix also employs machine learning algorithms for personalized recommendations, enhancing user experience.
Google Docs Stack
Google Docs is built on a tech stack that supports real-time collaboration and document editing. It uses Google’s own infrastructure, including front-end technologies such as Angular and backend services powered by Google Cloud Platform (GCP). The stack reflects backend trends, ensuring smooth, synchronous collaboration and integration with other Google Workspace tools, making it a robust solution for various front-end side and backend requirements.
Trello Stack
Trello’s tech stack is focused on project management and task tracking. It uses JavaScript frameworks like React for its front end, Node.js for server-side operations, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) for cloud storage and scalability. These technologies enable real-time updates and an intuitive user interface for effective project management, making it suitable for various task management and tracking cases. If you're looking to develop similar applications, you can outsource MERN development to access skilled developers.
Dropbox Stack
Dropbox’s tech stack emphasizes reliable file storage and synchronization. It employs technologies such as Python for backend development, PostgreSQL for database management, and AWS for scalable cloud storage. Dropbox’s stack ensures secure data handling and efficient file synchronization across multiple devices, addressing the needs of a dedicated team and supporting various fintech applications.
MaybeWorks: Your Reliable IT Staff Augmentation Provider
At MaybeWorks, our engineers are experts in developing high-quality SaaS products and have extensive experience augmenting various development teams. Our developers have played a central role in creating complex solutions such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications, HR management software, cloud services, and CRM systems.
Our IT Staff Augmentation model seamlessly integrates top-notch engineers into your existing team, making them feel like an extension of your in-house staff. This approach not only ensures that you get the expertise of seasoned professionals but also supports the strategic vision of your CTO and aligns with the innovative mindset of entrepreneurs driving your project. By leveraging our team, you can accelerate your SaaS development and achieve your goals efficiently.
Feel free to contact us to discuss your future SaaS project.
Conclusion
Selecting the right tech stack is essential for building successful SaaS products. The technology you select influences everything from how your app performs to how it scales and serves your users. Just like the tech stacks behind popular platforms like Spotify, Google Docs, and Dropbox, picking the right tools and frameworks can make a huge difference in delivering a smooth and engaging user experience.
To bring your SaaS vision to life and stay ahead in the market, consider integrating top-notch engineers into your team. Reach out to us, and let’s discuss how we can help you achieve your development goals!
