Should I use LAMP or MEAN stack for scalable web application?

This depends on a couple of different things. The first and foremost is, do you want to learn the MEAN stack. Node (the N in MEAN) can be a bit tricky to learn, especially if you don't understand how JavaScript works. However it can also be used to rapidly develop a web app that can be scaled pretty easily. Another positive is that Node is becoming very popular and many jobs are opening up for Node developers. Of course I myself am a NODE developer so take all of this with a grain of biased salt. Angular is the A in the MEAN stack, but do not feel that you must use it if you want to use Node and Express (the E). Angular is a great front end framework, but it is completely optional. I've made several full stack web apps without Angular in them. That being said, if you know Angular already, or if you want to learn Angular then it would be a great choice. Mongo (the M) is my current favorite choice for a database. Especially for personal projects as there is almost no preparation time to begin using it. That being said, there are times when a relational database is a good idea, but I personally haven't needed one for a while now. If you end up going with the MEAN stack, then I suggest that you use the Node package Mongoose as it makes interfacing with Mongo a little bit easier. However Node can be used with a SQL based database without a problem which can help reduce the number of technologies that you would need to learn at once. If however you want to continue learning PHP, and especially if you are concerned that programming in two different stacks might make it more difficult to work on your paying job then by all means stick with the LAMP stack. It is by no means an inferior stack when it comes to creating web apps. Just different. Whatever technology you choose, good luck with your project! read less