I’ve been asked often about the tech stack i often use to build my projects. I’ve iterated them for many years but found a consistent workflow that i’m confident i can work with for a long while.
This is an subjective article of the stuff i use, it isn’t recommended so feel free to pick up what you think works for you.
Frontend
I really like using React since i picked it in 2019 transitioning from Android development. It offered the simplest,quickest way i could build frontend applications. I used Brad Traversy’s course on Udemy to learn it all. Since then its been a default frontend framework i use.
Other than its simplicity at the time it had higher job postings and made it easy to hire since i found most of my peers picked it up better.
Over time i’ve grown to stick with Next.js for all my apps which is an elegant React framework with a strong focus on structure, developer experience,performance and SSR.
I’ve chosen to go with TailwindCSS which is a brilliant utility-first CSS framework. I’ve adopted it easily since its made writing CSS easier. I use shadcn.com and headlessui.com as a component based libraries that work with Tailwind. It makes it easy to scaffold components and just build your UI.
In rare but growing circumstances. I’ve used v0 to generate React components using text !! 🤯
Backend
For my backend server , I choose Nest.js
I optimize my productivity by writing the same language(TypeScript) for both my frontend and backend code. I feel this choice is heavily powerful and simple at the same time !
For saving data i use PostgreSQL which is a powerful database solution.
Google Cloud
I heavily use Google Services for storing files,hosting and cloud functions. I’ve on occasion used Google Vision for some hacky projects but quite confident i can use GCP as a long-term cloud solution.
Deployment
I use Vercel to host all my hacky side projects. Its really made deployment of frontend platforms simpler. They ship very often , have an awesome UI.
For my Nest.js server i occasionally spin up VM’s droplets on DigitalOcean. In rare cases i do perform my backend logic on Vercel Serverless Functions.
Other Services
There are a couple of things i prefer not building from scratch e.g Payments,emails etc . So here is a list of bundled services and what i use them for.
Paystack for handling recurring card payments. Ideal for African countries
LemonSqueezy for handling one-time purchases like digital products
Resend for transactional mails.
Screen Studio for recording product promos.
Cleanshot X as a screenshot and screen recording tool for app
A few things to consider before choosing
Personally, I tend to favor a tech stacks that prioritize shipping new products and features as fast as possible. Taking an idea live and getting user feedback quickly is crucial for validating product direction.
Speed also improves motivation, you get to see your work in action rather than get bogged down. Bugs and other performance issues are often better revealed through real-world usage rather than prolonged internal testing. Of course, that doesn't mean technical debt and quality should be ignored. But overall, a stack that empowers rapid experimentation and iteration is extremely useful.