What is the best way to implement the application?

Question

JavaScript

I decided to write a web application with simple functionality, but working properly. What is the essence:
An image will be taken, a description + a .pdf file for downloading, then uploaded to the site. For these purposes, a simple administrative panel is required.
I know js (angular, jquery), php (laravel). Naturally, I can also write on pure js, with php it's a little worse. So I’m thinking, is it worth it to shove php into the application at all, or will it work fine without it?
There is a lot of work to be done with the database, in fact it will be a library, where there will be the following structure:
1) Title
2) Image
3) Author
4) Short description
5) pdf file
There is experience in development, but little in such applications. Is it possible to do without the use of databases?

Answer 1

Create two tables: users and images (I don't know how else to call it). The images table has the following fields:
title - VARCHAR
image - VARCHAR
author_id - INT
description - TEXT
attachment - VARCHAR
where image, attachment are file paths. You save the image and the document in the FS.
Can be implemented in NodeJS.
It is possible, but why?

Answer 2

You can do everything in the form of a list of folders in the FS and put all the necessary information inside: description file, images, parameter table (author or something else), PDF.
The structure of categories (if necessary) is made into a separate file, where information about the names of categories, their relationships and "sheet" objects (books) is stored.
Pros: the ability to easily update the database with books (an FTP client is enough).
Cons: if you need to search by books / authors, etc., then you will need to place INDEXED information from folders in the database (mysql or create your own database file in the FS) and automatically update the data from the FS folders in this database.

Answer 3

There is an option to take a node, raise a mongo on the server. Mongo has file storage. Store files in it, and information about the user in the database itself.
The backend is written on anything. If you know js - take a node.
Then there are a couple of options:
1) write the entire application in expressjs (or analogues), make the UI in the form of templates with a minimum of logic on the client
2) write an api service on the node, take angular / react / ember on the frontend.
3) write everything isomorphically on a meteor (or react, there are examples of isomorphic applications on it).
Personally, I would make an api-service (though in java / python, because I love them more) with mongo as a database, and on the client I would take angular (maybe even the second one).