My Tech Stack for Building Production-Ready Web Apps in 2025

The tools and frameworks I use to build and ship production-grade software as a solo developer.

After years of building products for clients across different industries, I've settled on a tech stack that maximizes productivity, reliability, and developer experience. Here's what I reach for in 2025 — and why.

Frontend: Next.js + TypeScript

Next.js remains my go-to framework for web applications. Server-side rendering, API routes, image optimization, and the App Router make it incredibly versatile. Paired with TypeScript, I catch bugs at compile time instead of in production. For styling, I use Tailwind CSS — it keeps my CSS maintainable and my designs consistent without fighting specificity wars.

Backend: Payload CMS + PostgreSQL

For content-driven applications, Payload CMS is a game-changer. It's a TypeScript-first, headless CMS that runs alongside your Next.js app — no separate backend needed. Combined with PostgreSQL for data storage and Redis for caching, this stack handles everything from simple blogs to complex SaaS platforms.

Photo by Andrew Kliatskyi on Unsplash.

Mobile: React Native

When clients need a mobile app, React Native lets me share code between iOS and Android while still delivering a native experience. With Expo's managed workflow, I can go from zero to App Store submission faster than ever. The ability to share TypeScript types between the web and mobile codebases is a massive productivity win.

DevOps: Vercel + Docker + GitHub Actions

Vercel handles most of my web deployments — the preview deployments on each PR alone save hours of QA time. For more complex setups, I containerize with Docker and deploy to DigitalOcean or AWS. GitHub Actions handles CI/CD: running tests, linting, and deploying on every push. The goal is always the same — push to main, and it's live.