Choosing the Right Tech Stack for Your Project
A practical guide to selecting technologies that match your needs and budget.
One of the most important decisions when building a website or web application is choosing the right technology stack. The wrong choice can lead to maintenance headaches, performance issues, and unnecessary costs. The right choice sets you up for long-term success.
What is a Tech Stack?
A tech stack is the combination of technologies used to build your digital product. It typically includes:
- Frontend — What users see and interact with (HTML, CSS, JavaScript frameworks)
- Backend — Server-side logic and data processing
- Database — Where your data lives
- Infrastructure — Hosting, CDN, and deployment
Key Factors to Consider
1. Project Requirements
Start by understanding what you’re actually building:
| Project Type | Recommended Stack | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Blog / Portfolio | Hugo, Astro | Fast, simple, cheap hosting |
| Business Website | Hugo + CMS | Easy updates, great SEO |
| Web Application | Next.js, SvelteKit | Dynamic features, user auth |
| E-commerce | Shopify, Medusa | Built-in cart, payments |
| Mobile App | React Native, Flutter | Cross-platform efficiency |
2. Maintenance and Updates
Consider the long-term:
- Who will maintain the site?
- How often will content change?
- What’s your technical expertise level?
For clients without technical teams, we often recommend static sites with headless CMS — simple to maintain, no security patches to worry about.
3. Performance Needs
Different approaches have different performance profiles:
| Approach | Initial Load | Interactivity | SEO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Static HTML | Excellent | Limited | Excellent |
| SSR (Server-side) | Good | Good | Excellent |
| SPA (Client-side) | Slower | Excellent | Needs work |
4. Budget Constraints
More complex stacks cost more to:
- Develop initially
- Host and maintain
- Debug when things go wrong
- Migrate away from
Start with the simplest solution that meets your needs.
Our Recommended Approaches
For Content-Heavy Sites
Hugo + Decap CMS + Cloudflare Pages
- Lightning fast performance
- No server to maintain
- Easy content editing
- Free or very low hosting costs
This is what we use for most client websites, including this one.
For Dynamic Applications
Next.js + PostgreSQL + Vercel
- Great developer experience
- Excellent performance with smart caching
- Scales automatically
- Reasonable hosting costs
For E-commerce
Shopify (hosted) or Medusa (headless)
- Shopify: Simple, all-in-one, higher transaction fees
- Medusa: More control, requires more setup
Red Flags to Watch For
🚩 Over-engineering — Building for scale you don’t have
🚩 Trendy tech — Choosing what’s popular, not what fits
🚩 Vendor lock-in — Can’t easily migrate away
🚩 No local expertise — Can’t find developers to maintain it
Questions to Ask
Before committing to a stack, ask:
- Can we hire developers for this technology?
- What happens if the framework is abandoned?
- How much will hosting cost at scale?
- Is there vendor lock-in?
- Does it match our team’s expertise?
Get Help Choosing
Not sure what’s right for your project? We offer free consultations to help you make the right choice.
- Take our quiz for personalized recommendations
- Use our calculator to estimate costs
- Contact us to discuss your project