Tech Stack
What positions does every tech stack need to fill?
Every stack is a team sheet — positions that need filling. The job is the same across companies. The candidates change. Use the Tech Decisions process to evaluate each position.
Positions to Fill
| Position | Question | Our Choice | Candidates | Decision Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Language | Which language for which layer? | TypeScript (primary) | TS, Python, Rust, Go, Solidity, Move | Languages |
| Frontend | Which framework renders the UI? | Next.js 15 (App Router, RSC) | Next.js, Remix, Nuxt, SvelteKit | |
| Styling | How do you style components? | TailwindCSS v4 | Tailwind, CSS Modules, Styled Components | |
| Components | Which component library? | Shadcn + Radix UI | Shadcn, MUI, Chakra, Ant Design | |
| State | How do you manage client state? | Zustand | Zustand, Redux, Jotai, Signals | |
| Forms + Tables | How do you handle complex UI data? | TanStack Form + Table | TanStack, React Hook Form, AG Grid | |
| Database | Where does data live? | PostgreSQL (Supabase) | Supabase, PlanetScale, Neon, Turso | |
| ORM | How do you talk to the database? | Drizzle | Drizzle, Prisma, Kysely | ORMs |
| Real-time | How do you sync live data? | Convex | Convex, Supabase Realtime, Pusher | |
| Auth | How do you verify identity? | Clerk + Privy + Worldcoin | Clerk, Auth0, Lucia, NextAuth | Identity |
| Hosting | Where does it run? | Vercel (Web2) + Fleek (Web3) | Vercel, Cloudflare, AWS, Fly.io | |
| Monorepo | How do you organize code? | Nx | Nx, Turborepo, pnpm workspaces | |
| Testing | How do you verify quality? | Playwright + Vitest | Playwright, Cypress, Jest | |
| Analytics | How do you measure usage? | PostHog | PostHog, Amplitude, Mixpanel | |
| AI / LLM | Which model for which job? | Claude (primary) | Claude, GPT, Gemini | LLM Selection |
| AI SDK | How do you call models? | Vercel AI SDK | Vercel AI SDK, LangChain, direct API | |
| Agent Framework | How do you orchestrate agents? | Custom + MCP | ElizaOS, CrewAI, ARC RIG | |
| Blockchain | Which chain for which job? | Multi-chain (ETH L2, Solana, SUI) | Ethereum, Solana, SUI, Aptos | Which Chain |
| Payment | How do you collect money? | Stripe + Crypto | Stripe, Lemon Squeezy, crypto-native | |
| Algorithms | Where does business logic live? | Agency lib (client-safe) | Custom, third-party, hybrid | Algorithms |
Common Requirements
What jobs do most SaaS products recruit software to do?
- AI Integration
- User Authentication and Authorization
- Data Analytics and Reporting
- Integration Capabilities (APIs)
- Subscription Management
- Customer Relationship Management
- E-commerce and Micropayments
- Booking and Scheduling
- Project Management
- Dashboard Charts
- Email Out
First Principles
Apply First Principles Thinking — Make it Work, Make it Right, Make it Fast.
- AI Coding — Maximize time in flow state
- Architecture — Scalable performant patterns
- Decision Making — Documenting stack choices
- Dev Ops — Security first
- Platform Engineering — Solve development problems
- Product Engineering — Solve customer problems
Context
- Platform — why platform matters (ABCD thesis)
- Tech Decisions — the process for evaluating each position
- Hexagonal Architecture — the layer pattern that maps positions to boundaries
- Stackmates — the venture that implements this stack
- SaaS Products — common jobs the stack must support