Clients sometimes ask why we keep reaching for the same stack. The honest answer: a default stack is a decision-elimination machine. Every hour not spent re-litigating infrastructure is an hour spent on the product.
Our default: Next.js with TypeScript for the application, PostgreSQL for data, Prisma for the data layer, Zod at every boundary, Tailwind for styling, Docker for deployment.
The reasoning, component by component
TypeScript pays for itself the first time a refactor touches forty files. PostgreSQL is boring in the way infrastructure should be — decades of reliability and an answer for every data shape we've met. Zod means bad data is rejected at the edge instead of discovered in production.
Next.js earns its place by collapsing frontend, API, SEO, and rendering strategy into one framework with one deployment story. Fewer moving parts, fewer 2 a.m. surprises.
When we deviate
Defaults are starting points, not dogma. Heavy real-time needs, unusual data shapes, or an existing team's expertise can all justify different choices — and we make them openly, with the trade-offs written down.
The stack is never the goal. A product your team can ship, maintain, and grow is the goal. The stack is just the least interesting decision on the way there.