My Tech Stack I've Used To Build 10+ Apps Over 2+ Years

Summary

In this video, the app developer shares insights into his tech stack, focusing on Next.js for frontend development, Vercel for hosting, Planetscale for databases, and Clerk for authentication. He also discusses alternatives like Superbase and recommends PostHog for analytics, highlighting the importance of choosing the right tools for app development.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker is an app developer with over 2.5 years of experience building web applications, occasionally dabbling in mobile development.
• 🛠️ The speaker primarily uses React for the frontend of their apps and Next.js as the go-to framework, with a preference for the App Router since version 13.
• 🌐 They host their applications on Vercel, a platform created by the creators of Next.js, appreciating its seamless hosting and deployment process.
• 💾 For backend needs, the speaker uses PlanetScale as their SQL database provider, running everything on a serverless architecture to avoid managing servers manually.
• 🚀 They mention Render as an alternative for hosting, which has been recommended by other developers and could be used for non-serverless applications.
• 🙅‍♂️ The speaker expresses a dislike for dealing with AWS and GCP, preferring services that handle infrastructure and deployment for them.
• 🔒 For authentication, Clerk is the chosen provider, valued for its out-of-the-box functionality and helpful UI components for user authentication flows.
• 📈 Analytics are crucial for understanding user interaction, and the speaker uses PostHog, an open-source product analytics provider, for this purpose.
• 🆓 The speaker acknowledges the importance of a generous free tier for new developers, noting that PlanetScale's recent removal of their free plan makes it less recommendable for new projects.
• 🔄 They suggest Superbase as an alternative for new developers due to its open-source nature, comprehensive features, and continued generous free tier.
• 📱 If starting from scratch or focusing on mobile apps, the speaker would consider React Native with Expo, despite having prior experience with Flutter and Swift.
• 🔄 The preference for React Native is attributed to the speaker's familiarity with React, although they acknowledge that mobile app development is not their primary expertise.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of the video?

The video focuses on discussing the technology stack and tools used by the speaker to build web and potentially mobile applications.

How long has the speaker been developing apps?

The speaker has been developing apps for about two and a half to three years.

What front-end framework does the speaker use for web development?

The speaker uses Next.js as the go-to front-end framework for web development.

Why did the speaker choose Next.js over other frameworks?

The speaker chose Next.js because of its familiarity with React, ease of picking up Next.js, and having enough knowledge to reuse template code across apps.

What hosting platform does the speaker recommend for applications built with Next.js?

The speaker recommends Vercel, a hosting platform created by the creators of Next.js, for its seamless hosting and deployment process.

What are the downsides mentioned about hosting applications on Vercel?

The downside is that Vercel can get expensive once you exceed the free tier, particularly due to high charges for bandwidth.

What is the speaker's choice for an SQL database provider?

The speaker uses PlanetScale as the SQL database provider of choice.

Why did the speaker initially choose PlanetScale?

The speaker initially chose PlanetScale due to its incredibly generous free tier that offered a billion row reads for free every month.

What has changed recently with PlanetScale's pricing that might affect new developers?

PlanetScale has removed their free hobby plan, and the cheapest option now starts at $140 a month, which is quite expensive for new developers.

What alternative does the speaker recommend for new developers looking for a free tier?

The speaker recommends Superbase, an open-source Firebase alternative, for its generous free tier and comprehensive features.

What is the speaker's preferred tool for user authentication in applications?

The speaker prefers Clerk as the authentication provider for its out-of-the-box functionality and helpful UI components.

What analytics provider does the speaker use and why is it recommended?

The speaker uses PostHog, an open-source product analytics provider, for its comprehensive features including surveys, analytics tracking, funnel step-throughs, event tracking, and A/B testing.

What is the speaker's stance on using React Native for mobile app development?

The speaker would consider using React Native for mobile app development due to their comfort with React code, despite not being an expert in mobile app development.

What are the speaker's thoughts on Flutter compared to React Native?

The speaker prefers React Native over Flutter because they are more comfortable with React code, but they acknowledge that this preference might not apply to everyone.