How to Install & Setup MEAN Stack on Ubuntu (MongoDB, Express.JS, Angular.JS, Node.JS)

The MEAN stack is a popular web development framework consisting of MongoDB, Express.js, Angular.js, and Node.js. It is an open-source platform that allows developers to create robust web applications quickly and efficiently. In this article, we will guide you through the installation and setup process of the MEAN stack on Ubuntu.

Step 1: Install Node.js and NPM

Node.js is the runtime environment that allows developers to run JavaScript code outside of the browser. It is the backbone of the MEAN stack. To install Node.js on Ubuntu, follow these steps

Open the terminal on Ubuntu by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T.

Type the following command to add the Node.js PPA (Personal Package Archive) to your system

curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_16.x | sudo -E bash -

Once the PPA is added, run the following command to install Node.js and npm

sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

To verify the installation, type the following command to check the version of Node.js and npm

node -v
npm -v

If the installation is successful, the version numbers of Node.js and npm will be displayed on the terminal.

Step 2: Install MongoDB

MongoDB is a NoSQL database that stores data in JSON-like documents. It is a popular choice among developers because of its flexibility and scalability. To install MongoDB on Ubuntu, follow these steps

Open the terminal and type the following command to import the MongoDB public GPG key

wget -qO - https://www.mongodb.org/static/pgp/server-6.0.asc | sudo apt-key add -

Next, add the MongoDB repository to the list of sources on your system by running the following command

echo "deb [ arch=amd64,arm64 ] https://repo.mongodb.org/apt/ubuntu $(lsb_release -sc)/mongodb-org/6.0 multiverse" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mongodb-org-6.0.list

Once the repository is added, update the package list and install MongoDB by running the following commands

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y mongodb-org

To start the MongoDB service, run the following command

sudo systemctl start mongod

To enable MongoDB to start at boot, run the following command

sudo systemctl enable mongod

To verify the installation, type the following command to check the status of the MongoDB service

sudo systemctl status mongod

If the installation is successful, the MongoDB service status should be displayed as "active (running)".

Step 3: Install Express.js and Angular.js

Express.js is a web application framework for Node.js that provides a set of tools and features for building web applications. Angular.js is a JavaScript framework for building dynamic web applications. To install Express.js and Angular.js on Ubuntu, follow these steps

Open the terminal and navigate to your project directory

Install Express.js by running the following command

npm install express --save

Install Angular.js by running the following command

npm install angular --save

Step 4: Create a MEAN Stack Application

Now that we have installed all the required components, let's create a simple MEAN stack application to test our installation.

Open the terminal and navigate to your project directory.

Create a new directory for your MEAN stack application by running the following command

mkdir mean-app

Navigate to the new directory by running the following command

cd mean-app

Initialize a new Node.js project

npm init -y

Create a new file called server.js by running the following command

touch server.js

Open the server.js file in your preferred text editor and add the following code

const express = require('express');
const app = express();
const port = 3000;

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
   res.send('Hello World from MEAN Stack!');
});

app.listen(port, () => {
   console.log(`Server running on port ${port}`);
});

Save the server.js file.

Start the server by running the following command

node server.js

Open a web browser and navigate to http://localhost:3000. You should see the message "Hello World from MEAN Stack!" displayed on the page.

Test MongoDB Connection

To verify that MongoDB is working properly, open a new terminal and run the MongoDB shell

mongosh

Create a test database and insert a document

use testdb
db.users.insertOne({name: "John", age: 30})

{
  acknowledged: true,
  insertedId: ObjectId("...")
}

Query the inserted document

db.users.find()

[
  {
    _id: ObjectId("..."),
    name: "John",
    age: 30
  }
]

Conclusion

The MEAN stack is a powerful web development framework that allows developers to create robust web applications quickly and efficiently. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can easily install and set up the MEAN stack on Ubuntu and create your own applications with MongoDB for data storage, Express.js for server-side logic, Angular.js for frontend, and Node.js as the runtime environment.