I. Mini Program Development Overview

Mini Programs are lightweight applications based on platforms like WeChat and Alipay, which users can use without downloading. Due to their convenience, they have become an increasingly integral part of daily life for many people. Compared to traditional app development, mini program development offers many advantages, such as no installation required, fast startup, and minimal storage usage, which has driven the rapid development of mini programs.

The development process of mini programs includes front-end page development, back-end service development, and interaction with various platform interfaces. To develop an efficient and stable mini program, developers need not only to be familiar with the technical stack of the mini program platform itself but also to understand some mainstream development frameworks and tools.

II. Front-End Technology Stack

1. Native Mini Program Development Framework

The native development framework for WeChat Mini Programs is an official development environment that includes basic components and APIs, allowing developers to quickly build a mini program. Developers only need to use WXML (WeChat Markup Language), WXSS (WeChat Style Sheets), and JavaScript to write front-end pages and logic.

• WXML: Similar to HTML, responsible for the structure of the mini program.

• WXSS: Similar to CSS, responsible for the styling of the mini program. Compared to CSS, WXSS supports more WeChat-specific styles, such as rpx (responsive unit).

• JavaScript: Similar to regular JavaScript, used to handle the interactive logic of the pages.

The native development framework provides sufficient support for small projects and individual developers, but for complex projects, development efficiency is lower, and code maintainability is poor.

2. Mini Program Development Frameworks

To improve development efficiency, many third-party frameworks have emerged. These frameworks typically offer more powerful features and development tools, helping developers quickly build and optimize mini programs.

• Taro Framework

Taro is an open-source cross-platform mini program framework developed by JD.com, supporting multiple platforms such as WeChat Mini Programs, Alipay Mini Programs, and Baidu Mini Programs. Taro uses React syntax, allowing developers to leverage their React knowledge to develop mini programs. It also supports multi-platform development, enabling developers to write once and deploy across platforms.

Features of the Taro framework:

• Cross-Platform: Supports multi-platform development, allowing developers to deploy the same code to multiple platforms simultaneously.

• Supports React Syntax: Developers can directly use React syntax and tools, simplifying the development process.

• Rich Plugin Ecosystem: Taro has a powerful plugin system, making it easy for developers to integrate third-party libraries and plugins.

• mpvue Framework

mpvue is an open-source mini program development framework by Meituan-Dianping, based on Vue.js. Vue.js is a lightweight front-end framework with simple and easy-to-use syntax, and mpvue brings Vue's development patterns and concepts into mini program development.

Features of the mpvue framework:

• Based on Vue: Developers can use Vue's development patterns, reducing the learning curve.

• Cross-Platform Support: In addition to supporting WeChat Mini Programs, it also supports mini programs on platforms like Alipay and Baidu.

• Simple and Easy to Use: Compared to other frameworks, mpvue's development approach is more straightforward and easier to understand, making it suitable for developers to get started quickly.

• uni-app Framework

uni-app is a cross-platform development framework introduced by the DCloud team. It not only supports mini program development but also H5, App, and other multi-platform applications. uni-app provides rich components and APIs, supports Vue development syntax, and helps developers achieve "write once, run anywhere."

Features of the uni-app framework:

• One Code, Multiple Platforms: With uni-app, developers can write once and support multiple platforms (including WeChat, Alipay, Baidu, ByteDance, etc.).

• Rich Plugin Library: uni-app offers many commonly used plugins, making it easy for developers to quickly integrate common features.

• Comprehensive Ecosystem: uni-app has a rich set of development tools and documentation support, helping developers improve development efficiency.

3. Front-End Development Tools

During front-end development, developers need to use certain tools to improve work efficiency, especially in mini program development. Below are some commonly used front-end development tools.

• WeChat Developer Tools

WeChat Developer Tools is an official development tool provided by WeChat, offering a complete development, debugging, and publishing environment for mini program developers. Developers can use this tool for code editing, previewing, debugging, and publishing.

• VSCode

VSCode is a lightweight code editor widely used in front-end development. It supports a rich array of plugins and extensions, helping developers with code writing, debugging, formatting, and more.

• Postman

Postman is a powerful API testing tool suitable for developers to debug back-end interfaces. With Postman, developers can easily send HTTP requests, check responses, and debug interfaces.

III. Back-End Technology Stack

The back-end of mini programs typically uses traditional web development technology stacks, along with some back-end frameworks specifically designed for mini programs. The back-end is primarily responsible for providing data interfaces, handling business logic, and storing data.

1. Node.js + Express

Node.js is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 engine, suitable for developing high-performance back-end services. Express is a web framework for Node.js that simplifies the handling of HTTP requests and supports middleware functionality, making it easy for developers to process different requests.

Advantages of the Node.js + Express combination:

• Efficient: Node.js is event-driven, making it suitable for high-concurrency applications.

• Rapid Development: The Express framework offers many convenient features, helping developers quickly set up back-end services.

• Rich Ecosystem: Node.js has a vast package manager, npm, allowing developers to leverage various open-source libraries to quickly implement features.

2. Python + Flask/Django

Python is a popular programming language suitable for web development. Flask and Django are the most commonly used web development frameworks in Python. Flask is lightweight and flexible, ideal for small to medium-sized projects, while Django is feature-rich and suitable for large projects.

Advantages of the Python + Flask/Django combination:

• Easy to Learn: Python syntax is concise, with a gentle learning curve.

• Rapid Development: Both Flask and Django help developers quickly build back-end services.

• Strong Library Support: Python has a rich set of web development libraries to meet various development needs.

3. Java + Spring Boot

Spring Boot is a framework for quickly building Java web applications. It simplifies configuration and development tasks, making it suitable for large enterprise-level applications.

Advantages of the Java + Spring Boot combination:

• High Stability: Java is the preferred language for enterprise-level applications, known for its high stability.

• Strong Community Support: Spring Boot has a large developer community, making it easy for developers to get support and solutions.

IV. Architecture Design for Mini Program Development

The architecture design of mini programs needs to consider factors such as performance, scalability, and maintainability. A well-designed mini program architecture can help developers achieve efficient development and long-term stable operation.

1. Layered Architecture

The architecture of mini programs typically adopts a layered design, separating the front-end layer, service layer, and data layer. The front-end is responsible for user interaction, the service layer handles business logic, and the data layer manages data storage and retrieval.

2. Component-Based Development

Component-based development in mini programs enhances code reusability and maintainability. Developers can encapsulate commonly used functional modules into independent components, making them reusable across different pages and projects.

3. State Management

State management is particularly important in mini program development. As application complexity increases, managing state between components becomes more challenging. Common state management solutions include using the mini program's setData method and third-party libraries like Redux (used in Taro).

V. Summary

The technology stacks and frameworks for mini program development are continuously evolving with technological advancements. Whether using native development frameworks or third-party frameworks, developers have more choices and more efficient development methods. Selecting the appropriate technology stack and framework is key to developing efficient and stable mini programs. In practical projects, developers should choose the right tools and frameworks based on project requirements and their own technical expertise to improve development efficiency and quality.