The evolution of full stack development in the digital age has expanded exponentially from this niche’s humble origins. From mastering front and back-end development to integrating with DevOps, it’s a realm that continues to test developers' adaptability and problem-solving prowess.

Considered the one-stop-shop of the tech world, the full stack developer bears the responsibility of dealing with all flying arrows. As Jamie Zawinski, a prominent programmer of the early Netscape era, aptly put it,

“Software is like entropy. It is difficult to grasp, weighs nothing, and obeys the Second Law of Thermodynamics; i.e., it always increases.”

Intricacies of the modern technology stack enhancing the complexities push the traditional boundaries of full stack development into a new realm that demands not just versatility, but the ability to handle significant depth within every layer of the application tech stack.

Let’s discuss several modern techniques and tools, which full stack developers often leverage.

  1. JavaScript: The Lingua Franca of the Web World Repeatedly earning the title of the most popular programming language, JavaScript, its frameworks and libraries, remain the go-to choice for client-side web development.

Back-end development has also benefitted from the rise of Node.js, allowing developers to enjoy a uniform language throughout the application. Express.js, a fast, unopinionated, minimalist web framework for Node.js, simplifies the process of building robust APIs.

A simple Express.js server would look something like this:

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

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

app.listen(port, () => {
  console.log(`Example app listening at http://localhost:${port}`);
});
  1. Introduction to Docker and Containerization Modern full-stack development encapsulates more than just code. It deals with development environments, build processes, and deployments. Docker, a potent tool for containerization, simplifies these stages, providing an isolated environment for applications.

Docker allows you to build an application’s dependencies and environment variables into a Dockerfile.

A simple Dockerfile for a Node.js application might look like this:

FROM node:14
WORKDIR /usr/src/app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm install
COPY . .
EXPOSE 8080
CMD [ "node", "app.js" ]

  1. Fluidity in Database Technologies Gone are the days when relational databases ruled the roost. Modern full stack development now explores an expansive variety of databases. From NoSQL databases like MongoDB to real-time databases like Firebase - diversification in this layer of the stack is more prevalent than ever before.

  2. GraphQL: The New Standard for APIs The emergence of GraphQL as a strong challenger to REST has been a significant evolution in the era of APIs. Offering flexibility and efficiency over traditional RESTful services, GraphQL allows clients to request the exact data they need, reducing superfluous network requests and enhancing performance.

A simple GraphQL server setup will look like this:

const { ApolloServer, gql } = require('apollo-server');

const typeDefs = gql`
  type Query {
    hello: String
  }
`;

const resolvers = {
  Query: {
    hello: () => 'Hello, world!',
  },
};

const server = new ApolloServer({ typeDefs, resolvers });

server.listen().then(({ url }) => {
  console.log(`Server now running at ${url}`);
});

Beyond these modern technologies, pitfalls in the realm of full-stack development are ubiquitous, be it maintaining code quality, ensuring architectural integrity, or effectively orchestrating containers. However, they contribute to the developer’s growth, sharpening his acumen and ensuring that he is better equipped to create robust and scalable applications in the long run.

One must remember that becoming an elite full stack developer is a journey, not a destination. So, stay curious, keep learning, and embrace the challenges of this exciting journey!

In the end, being a full stack developer is about embodying the ethos in the words of John Tukey, the renowned American mathematician, “[Best] is not possible; the question is what balance to strike.”