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60 Comments

Which stack do you use to build your side projects?

Hi !

I want to learn a multi-proposal stack to build MVPs of some ideas that I have in my mind... Are web apps with a SaaS model with a backend, frontend and (maybe) app in Flutter.

I know a little of Rails but I'm not sure if I should to improve my knowledge on it or start a new adventure in Python... or another thing xd

Thank you !

P.S: I'm not working as programmer (I'm UX/UI developer) buy I enjoy learning programming languages xd

P.S 2: Sorry for my English

  1. 6

    Love to hear what problems you are interested in solving!! Exciting stuff.

    For me:

    • Ruby on Rails

    • On the front end - Vanilla JS within Stimulus framework and .erb has led to clean organized front end code and rapid development
      (I still work on and maintain RoR projects with React front-end and I've fully converted to Stimulus and vanilla JS for new projects/features)

    • Sidekiq for asynchronous jobs

    • Heroku for hosting (the jelly to the peanutbutter (RoR))

    This stack makes makes things super simple to get off the ground.

    I'll recommend this tutorial for putting together a good starter app!

    https://evilmartians.com/chronicles/evil-front-part-1

    A few things are outdated and I've gone through and picked them out in my own notes!!

    1. 1

      Interested in this tech stack. About how long does it take you to set something like this up?

      1. 1

        It'd take an hour or so, depending on how much time you want to read up on the different steps and pieces.

        But, getting to a point where you can start building wouldn't take long at all.

  2. 6

    Rails API
    Svelte Frontend
    Flutter Mobile

  3. 5

    Django + React! :-)

    I'm working on tutorial how to build your own SaaS from scratch with Django and React: https://saasitive.com

    1. 1

      @pplonski do you still actively update the Saasitive tutorial?

      1. 1

        Yes, I created a paid tutorial for SaaSitive. I have a plan to add there multi-tenants, organization and social logins soon.

    2. 1

      Building a SaaS is nowhere near passive income. You should consider stopping lying to people.

      1. 1

        It depends on your SaaS. For sure there are SaaS examples that once build, it can just run and you will get the money on monthly basis. Of course, from time to time maybe you will need to do something (for example upgrade the DB) but it is very similar to flat renting. So it depends on your goal and on your SaaS. Take a look at this SaaS https://www.bingocardcreator.com/ for example.

  4. 4

    Firebase + React (with Tailwind for styling) working out well for me to throw things together quickly!

    1. 2

      I might have to try this. Where do you host and about how long does your setup take to get up and running?

      1. 1

        You can host on Firebase (as well as using it for the DB and authentication) which makes it really great for quick apps. It's very quick to do.

        If you are fine building as a single page application, you can get something basic running in about 30 mins once you know what you're doing using Create React App (https://github.com/facebook/create-react-app) and creating a new Firebase instance.

        I like this approach because everything is JS (no SQL or even CSS). Not being a 'proper' developer it allows me to focus on doing one thing right.

    2. 2

      Fastest stack for me too

      1. 1

        Yep! I'm really impressed with Firebase to be honest

  5. 4

    FastAPI on the a mostly-RESTful backend, React on the frontend. I try to keep the frontend as close to a "view" layer as possible with almost all heavy logic on the backend.

    1. 1

      I'm very similar for my python spaced repetition learning tool @deliberatepy

      FastAPI backend, PostgreSQL DB, React + Tailwind for frontend

  6. 3

    Usually start with:

    · jekyll
    · tailwind
    · alpine

    simple, fast, large ecosystem for each

  7. 3

    no-code tools!

    ycode, webflow, bubble, adalo, etc

    1. 2

      I only know webflow xd I'll check the others :)

      And with that kind of tools could I do a CRUD for example ? Are CMSs like Wordpress?

      Thank you !

  8. 2

    Node/Express (with Prisma and Nexus) + Next.js

  9. 2

    Node, mysql (backend)
    Vue, bootstrap (frontend)

  10. 2
    • Node typescript
    • Postgresql
    • React
    • Firebase if i want to test something really fast
      But sometimes if i want to learn something new i'll challenge myself to build it using that new technology for example i learned react native or flask that way
  11. 2

    I use ReactJS for the front-end and PHP for the backend.

  12. 2

    Rails with Turbolinks and Stimulus.js (minimal JavaScript).

    I am thinking a lot if I should switch to Elixir/Phoenix which I now use at work (I believe Rails is a tiny bit productive for some worse choices and performance, but maybe still better for indie hacking).

    Unless you plan to do something specific in Python land, there is no reason to switch to Flask/Django. I compared Django from time to time and I think Rails is better.

    For deployment I went from Heroku to OpenShift v2 to just spinning up VPS with circa 200 lines of Bash. Reason? Costs mainly and the fact it can be just 200 lines of bash of so without compromising anything like SELinux (as showned in the book I write).

  13. 2

    i use firebase + nuxt + tailwindui. Its quick to just prove the concept. Once I prove I'll move to a more solid + secure backend

  14. 2

    As you can see from the other comments, there are multiple options.
    In my opinion, there are 4 backend languages you can use for rapid prototyping, which can also be used in production too, without performance issues.
    If you want to move fast, you can use a framework, which gives you more speed but there will also be a learning curve.

    • PHP (Laravel, Symfony, Yii)
    • Python (Django, Flask)
    • NodeJS (Express, Sails, Hapi)
    • Ruby (Rails)

    For the front end, you can stick with vanilla JS, CSS and HTML and Bootstrap or Tailwind. If you need to build a more complex UI, you can add VueJS or ReactJS. My option is VueJS, but you can test them both and see which one fits you better. The advantage of React is you can learn later React Native and build a mobile app too. Vue is easier to grasp and more elegant to work with.

    You will also need a database for your app. There are a lot of fanboys of NoSQL databases, but there are many cases when an SQL database does the job much better than a NoSQL, and other cases where the smart choice is NoSQL. That depends on the app you are building.

    My suggestion for you would be to stick with what you know best, which is Ruby, and improve your skills. You should learn some Rails, SQL (PostgreSQL) and frontend.

    My stack of choice is Laravel (PHP), VueJS and PostgreSQL.

    https://gorails.com/
    https://jumpstartrails.com/

  15. 2

    Nextjs, most of my applications are serverless.

  16. 2

    Just Laravel with Jetstream and Vue.js for the frontend which is integrated

  17. 2

    I've been a JavaScript developer for many years so my go to stack was always React and Node. With my latest start up I decided to try something a bit different and went with Django just because I was curious to see what it was like trying something new. My productivity has been through the roof since using it, everything just seems to work and I would not have made anywhere near the amount of progress I have made so far on my startup if I would have stuck with a JavaScript stack.

    1. 1

      Nice - yea I love Django. Such a boost in productivity. how do you handle authentication between Django and your front-end?

      1. 1

        I'm using templates and the built in user authentication at the moment to get to MVP.

    2. 1

      Sounds great ! Can I see your product built with Django ? :)

      1. 1

        It's a still a WIP but drop me a message on twitter.com/wezpyke and I'll send over a link.

  18. 1

    I just launched my first SaaS product named PostMage. PostMage help blog to generate social sharing image automatically.

    Here is the stack I've used:

    • NextJS with React
    • Tailwind CSS
    • TypeScript
    • AWS
    • Serverless framework
    • Stripe Subscription

    You can check the details at Nextless NextJS SaaS Boilerplate.

  19. 1

    I'm always struggling to find a stack to build thinsg with...
    usually I use flask, postgresql, jquery/bootstrap

  20. 1

    I used to use Nodejs+Mongodb+Bootstrap primarily before....now I use Nextjs+firebase...

    P.S
    If your looking to get hired through your side projects checkout wannahireme.com

  21. 1

    We build all our projects with Python (Django) and for the frontend we use angular, for the mobile applications we use native scripts and for the desktop application electron. There we have a lot of code that we can share without programming everything from scratch.

    We have developed Carrot Seed SaaS Kit with this technology stack. The goal of Carrot Seed SaaS Kit is that new projects can be started within minutes and that an MVP can be created quickly. You can check it out at https://www.cnc.io/en/seed when you are interested. If you try it out, I would be very happy about your feedback!

  22. 1

    Laravel or another PHP MVC framework. Blade and VueJS for front end.

  23. 1

    Nextjs, strapi+postgresql

  24. 1

    Depends on what I need.

    For my last side project, Adem's Freelance Journey, I've used Carrd and MailChimp.

    1. 1

      What was your experience with Carrd in 2020? Did you pay for "pro"

      Did Carrd work for you, or against you?

      1. 2

        Paid for Pro (which is very,very cheap).

        This is my first time of building something with nocode.

        I love the experience. I just licked out a template, written my copy and connect form with mailchimp.

        Super, super easy for my needs.

  25. 1

    I'm currently using Django and React. Hosting on Heroku and using RDS as the database. In the next months, I hope to start building mobile apps and my plan is to use React Native.

  26. 1

    I have a Firebase tech stack with React, Node, and Flutter for the app. It is great for MVP and has good Flutter integration.

    Here is an article detailing what we're using: https://www.ayrshare.com/our-firebase-tech-stack/

  27. 1

    Pues yo utilizo solo Tailwind y Alpine JS.
    Antes utilizaba Bulma y Vue que sería Buefy.

    Hechos con Bulma.io

    Hechos con Tailwind y Alpine.

  28. 1

    Currently using React, Express, and Postgres. Interested in swapping express for fastify or another node framework.

  29. 1

    i've been using and really enjoy Go+Mongo deployed to heroku on the backend, Vue on the front deployed to Netlify.

  30. 1

    I go for what I know, usually Symfony and Tailwind, but if you're looking at doing APIs, API Platform can get you something up-and-running really quickly. EasyAdmin too, if the project requires it.

    I think it depends mostly on what you know and the specifics of any given project.

  31. 1

    For Telltrail I am using nodejs with serverless.js and react + mongodb.
    https://stackshare.io/telltrail/telltrail

  32. 1

    Django and vue.js for the frontend.

  33. 1

    Ruby on Rails, Bootstrap, Postgresql, AWS ❤️

  34. 1

    Flask for backend, Vanilla JS with Tailwind/Bootstrap on the front and MySQL for database.

  35. 1

    Front built in React because that's the library I'm the most productive with.
    Back in NodeJS.

    If it's a landing page and I want to collect emails, I just plug Airtable. No need for a real database. Otherwise, I always go for MongoDB.

  36. 1

    Depends on the project.

    Frontend I use Express + EJS + Turbolinks + Web components. I've found this to be the most productive way to get a speedy web app up and running. No need to deal with complicated frontend frameworks, Turbolinks will make your app a SPA with server side rendering. EJS is just templating and Express is super easy to use as well.

    Backend depends. Sometimes all you need is a headless instance of Wordpress and some custom API endpoints. It's insanely easy to make your own API in Wordpress. Sometimes you need something more complicated, and frameworks like Laravel or Django work great. You can also use Strapi for a CMS if you like Node.

    Again it depends on your app. If it's a pretty simple app I'd seriously consider just learning some PHP and making a Wordpress API with a simple front end. It's advised that you don't rely on plugins since that can lead to glut and what developers like to call "Plugin hell." If you need something a bit more complex, Laravel is a great choice and makes backend a lot easier.

    1. 1

      Out of interest how are you finding web components? Are you using polymer?

      1. 1

        Web components are pretty good, they work nicely as a controller for my elements. I don't usually use the shadow DOM as I need server side rendering most of the time. I'm using vanilla web components, as they're pretty intuitive in vanilla JS. I also don't really care about IE users ;)

  37. 1

    Mostly React, Gatsby.js, Metalsmith, Bootstrap and Material-UI.

  38. 0

    I'm actually building Nodewood, a boilerplate/web app starter kit because I'm so opinionated on my stack:

    • All-Javascript, because you have to at least use it for the browser, and using it for the back-end means you can share model/validation/library logic between the two and reduce code writing and maintenance.
    • Express for the back-end. It's simple and fast and popular.
    • Vue for the front-end. It's generally simpler than React, even if it's less common, and Vue 3 (that I am converting to soon) is generally faster as well.
    • PostgreSQL for the DB. It's safer that MySQL by default and offers a lot of great features out of the box (JSONB columns are great for when you need occasional user data), and great add-ons (time series add-ons for analytics are crazy useful) plus MassiveJS for the data mapping.
    • Docker for development. One command for bringing up the whole stack is crazy convenient.
    • On top of all that, I've build user authentication/management, subscription management, an application framework, a CLI for making adding pages/modals/controllers simple, etc. All of these tools have been a joy to work with while building the extra stuff that will make building my follow-on apps much, much simpler.
  39. 1

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  40. 1

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