Tech Stack Advisor Skill

Process

1. Clarify requirements first — before recommending, ask about:

   • Team size and existing expertise
   • Scale expectations (users, data volume)
   • Budget constraints (open source vs paid)
   • Deployment environment (cloud, on-prem, edge)
   • Timeline and MVP vs long-term

2. Structure recommendations using this format:

   • Recommended Stack with brief rationale
   • Alternatives Considered and why not chosen
   • Trade-offs honestly stated
   • Migration path if they're switching from something existing

Common Stack Patterns

Web App (Full Stack)

• Modern: Next.js + TypeScript + PostgreSQL + Prisma + Vercel
• Enterprise: Java Spring Boot / .NET + React + Oracle/MSSQL
• Rapid MVP: Supabase + Next.js or Firebase + React

Mobile

• Cross-platform: React Native or Flutter
• Native performance critical: Swift (iOS), Kotlin (Android)

Data / AI

• Python stack: FastAPI + SQLAlchemy + Pandas/Polars + PostgreSQL
• ML serving: FastAPI + PyTorch/TensorFlow + Redis cache

Microservices

• Node.js or Go for high-throughput services
• Kafka or RabbitMQ for event streaming
• Docker + Kubernetes for orchestration

Principles

• Prefer boring, proven technology for core infrastructure
• Match stack to team's existing knowledge when possible
• Avoid over-engineering for early-stage projects
• Always consider operational complexity, not just development speed