The tech decisions that actually matter for your startup, and the ones that don't matter at all. An opinionated guide from someone who's built a lot of products.
Hey, my name is Anthony. I started Product In Your Pocket to help people build software that works. I hope you enjoy this read. Reach out to me on LinkedIn or contact us if you have any questions.
Here's a secret: for 90% of startups, the specific tech stack doesn't matter. What matters is picking something proven and moving fast. I've seen founders spend weeks debating React vs Vue when they haven't talked to a single customer yet.
That said, some decisions do matter. Here's my opinionated guide to the ones worth thinking about and the ones you should just default on.
This is the most important technical decision you'll make early on. Your database is the hardest thing to change later.
My recommendation: Supabase
Why: It gives you a PostgreSQL database, authentication, real-time subscriptions, and storage in one package. No DevOps required. Generous free tier. Scales when you need it.
When to choose something else:
When it doesn't matter: If you're building an MVP with under 1,000 users, any of these will work fine. Pick one and move on.
Authentication is boring but critical. Get it wrong and you have security vulnerabilities. Build it yourself and you'll spend weeks on password reset flows instead of your actual product.
My recommendation: Use your database provider's auth
Supabase Auth, Firebase Auth, or Clerk. Don't build auth from scratch. Ever. The time you'd spend building login, signup, password reset, email verification, and session management is time you should spend on the thing that makes your product unique.
When to choose something else:
If your product charges money, this decision matters on day one.
My recommendation: Stripe
It's the standard for a reason. Great documentation, handles subscriptions and one-time payments, works in New Zealand, and the AI coding tools know it well (which matters if you're iterating fast).
When to choose something else:
Use Tailwind CSS. Move on. Yes, there are other options. No, they won't make or break your product. Tailwind is fast to write, produces small bundles, and every AI tool in 2026 writes excellent Tailwind.
Don't add Redux, Zustand, or MobX on day one. React's built-in useState and useContext handle most MVPs. Add a state management library when you actually have state management problems, not before.
You have one app. Use one repo. This decision becomes relevant when you have 5 engineers and 3 services. You have neither.
Jest or Vitest. They're basically the same. Pick the one your framework recommends. Write tests for the critical path and move on.
Vercel handles deployment. GitHub handles version control. Push to main, it deploys. That's your CI/CD pipeline for the first 6 months.
Here's what I reach for on every new project:
| Layer | Tool | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Framework | Next.js | Full-stack in one framework. Server rendering, API routes, static generation. |
| Database | Supabase | PostgreSQL + auth + real-time + storage. One dashboard. |
| Styling | Tailwind CSS | Fast to write. AI writes it well. Small bundles. |
| UI Components | shadcn/ui | Beautiful, accessible, copy-paste components. No dependency bloat. |
| Hosting | Vercel | Push to deploy. CDN. Serverless. Zero config. |
| Payments | Stripe | The standard. Great docs. Works in NZ. |
| Resend | Clean API. Good deliverability. Built for developers. | |
| AI | Claude / OpenAI | Depends on the use case. Claude for reasoning, GPT for general tasks. |
| Automation | Inngest / n8n | Background jobs and workflow automation without the infrastructure headache. |
This stack is boring on purpose. Every tool here is well-documented, widely used, and plays nicely with the others. That means fewer surprises, faster development, and easier debugging.
The default stack above, plus:
The default stack, plus:
The default stack, plus:
Swap the framework layer:
The biggest tech stack mistake isn't choosing the wrong framework. It's spending so long choosing that you never build anything.
Pick a stack. Build the thing. Talk to users. Iterate. The tech stack that ships beats the perfect tech stack that doesn't.
Book a free consultation if you want help choosing the right stack for your specific product.
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