Choosing a tech stack for your start up
Tags: startup, node, react, entrepreneurship
Published: 2022-11-23 03:45:23

## Why it's important to choose the right tech stack for your startup

When starting a startup, it's important to choose the right technology stack. A good tech stack will help you save time and money in the long run while also being scalable and efficient. It's worth taking the time to research and select the right technologies for your needs, consulting with experts before making any decisions, and ultimately finding a technology stack that meets your specific goals. There are many options out there, so make sure that you do your research before making any decisions.

If you choose the wrong technology, it can be very difficult and expensive to switch to a more appropriate solution later on.

It's important to choose a tech stack that will scale well as your startup grows. The right tech stack can help your startup scale more quickly. Choosing the right technologies will allow you to focus on what matters most: creating innovative products or services that people will love.

The right tech stack can help your startup attract and retain talent. Choosing the best platform for your company’s needs means that you can attract top talent by making use of modern recruiting tools and social media platforms (like LinkedIn). Not only will this help you fill key positions quickly, but it will also keep your team motivated and engaged throughout their tenure with the company!

## What to consider when choosing the right tech stack for your startup

When starting a business or side project, it's important to choose the right stack for your needs. There are a few factors to consider when making this decision, including the nature of your business, your budget, and your technical expertise, such as what languages you are familiar with and/or feel comfortable with, who your target audience is, if it will be a user facing application or an API for other apps to consume. If you're not sure where to start, there are plenty of resources available to help you research and compare different options. Ultimately, the best tech stack for your startup will be the one that meets all of your specific needs and requirements. With so many options available, it's important to take the time to find the perfect fit for your company. 

Most likely things you will need are a front-end framework, a database, a way for your client to write and consume that data, and probably authenticate users.

I love Node & Typescript, so I will write from this point of view, but this applies to any language. Unless you want to learn something new, the fastest way to get going is to choose a stack in the language you most feel comfortable. Or as I say, your "get shit done" language.

## The benefits of using Reactjs in the frontend

Reactjs is a popular frontend javascript framework that helps developers create user interfaces and single-page applications. Because Reactjs is declarative, it makes code more predictable and easier to debug. 

Additionally, Reactjs uses a virtual DOM, which updates in real-time as changes are made, making updates faster and less expensive.

Components written in Reactjs are reusable, meaning you can use them repeatedly without having to rewrite the code. This makes development faster and more efficient.

ReactJS has an expansive open-source ecosystem with plenty of libraries for just about anything you might need. From single functions like date formatting to component libraries for any application requirement!

One of the biggest benefits of using ReactJS is that it has a vast community of developers who can help you with any questions or problems you may encounter when developing the framework. 

It's backed by a big tech company known for technical excellence. To some people, this might be positive, and for others, a negative. For me, this is positive because it has a team supporting it. It is also more likely that it will have a long-term support.

My favorite react framework is Nextjs by Vercel. In my opinion, the developer experience is unrivaled. It is packed with well-built features such as Server Side Rendering, File-based Routing, and many more that abstract the complexity of writing unnecessary boilerplate and allow you to go from idea to working MVP quickly.

## The benefits of using an API built on Node

Node APIs are a fast, efficient way to build web applications. It is easy to use and learn, making it a great choice for start-ups. Node APIs are scalable and can handle large amounts of traffic. They are compatible with many different programming languages and frameworks. Node is open source and has a large community of developers who can help you with your project.

For the API, I stick to the battle-tested option, Express. You cannot go wrong here. Like React, it has one of the largest open-source communities with loads of support and documentation. It also only takes a few lines to start an API which is nuts.

For the company we just cofounded, I started using NestJS. This framework has grown in popularity in recent years and offers so much. 

If you want to build quicker or just to test an idea and don't want to go through the trouble of building a stand-alone API. NextJS by vercel provides you with the ability to build an API within it as a mono repo. You can build a rest API out of the box, add an ORM such as Prisma, and you are ready to go.

In terms of ORM (Object-Relational Mapping), there are amazing Node options out there. My favorite two are TypeORM and Prisma. TypeORM is my go-to. With TypeORM, database modeling is class-based. This allows you to use OOP principles such as inheritance.

## The benefits of using a Rest API

A Rest API can help you save time and money by simplifying your start-up's tech stack. By using a Rest API, you can reduce the number of codebase changes that need to be made when integrating new software or services into your start-up. Additionally, using a Rest API can make it easier to integrate with other software and services.

A Rest API can make it easier to scale your start-up's technology infrastructure. As your start-up grows, having a reliable and scalable technology platform will ensure continued success. Using a Rest API can allow you to easily add new servers or scale existing ones without making any codebase changes.

A Rest API can provide a more consistent user experience across different devices and platforms. By providing an interface that is accessible from both desktop and mobile devices, your users will have a consistent experience irrespective of which device they are using.

A RestAPI can help you take advantage of the latest technology trends and standards.

## The benefits of using a relational database

A relational database can help you organize your data in a way that makes sense for your business. This can be helpful because it allows you to easily access and manage your data from different applications.

A relational database can make it easier to query and manipulate your data. This means you can easily find the information you are looking for quickly and efficiently.

My personal choice is always PostgreSQL.

## Authentication

Authentication is critical to your system, especially if you store user data and PII (personally identifiable information). If you plan to do this, I will almost always recommend using a battle-tested option such as Auth0.

Building an authentication system has many complexities, and it takes a lot of time to implement. At a startup, time is key, and you want to spend that time building features. Most people underestimate this. Options like Auth0 provide you with everything you need out of the box with very little code required.

## Hosting
For me the best hosting is AWS. In recent years AWS has done a great job of building managed services such as App Runner, Elastic Beanstalk, Amplify which help you scale quickly!

Ultimately I end up moving into more robust services such as Elastic container service but this requires more devops knowledge.

If you don't want to deal with AWS, [Render](https://render.com/) is a great option. If you were familiar with Heroku, render is pretty much an alternative to it but better in my opinion. With render it's a plug and play, you can just connect your github, set a branch and let render take care of the rest, you don't even need docker.

## Extras
Additionally, I highly recommend the following tools for increased collaboration:
- Figma for brainstorming, wireframes, designs
- Slack for team communications
- Notion for all documentation and much more
- Linear for project management
- Retool to build internal tools

## Conclusion

You will need a UI for your clients to engage with your application, a database to store information, and a way for your UI to read and write data to your database, an API. There are many options out there for this, but you should always choose the stack in which you feel the most comfortable.

At the moment my personal recommendation is:
- Front-end: [NextJS](https://nextjs.org/) (could be your backend as well)
- Back-end: [NestJS](https://nestjs.com/)
- Database: PostgreSQL
- ORM: [TypeORM](https://typeorm.io/)
- Styling library: [Chakra UI](https://chakra-ui.com/)
- Authentication: [Auth0](https://auth0.com/)