When the Mensa networking app landed in my lap, the first thing I had to do was pick the stack. And honestly, none of this came from hype or “developer influencers.” It came from experience, battle scars, and a healthy desire to not spend the next few months wanting to yeet my laptop across the nearby avenue and watch the bus drive over it like it was… nothing.
Why TypeScript?
This one is basically a freebie.
My native language is C++.
I cut my teeth on strong typing.
TypeScript isn’t intimidating — it’s practically a warm blanket.
Plus, let’s be real: in 2025, if you’re building React without TypeScript, you’re basically showing up to a job interview with IE6 open. Everyone uses TypeScript now, and for good reason — especially when multiple people are touching the same codebase.
Why Vite?
Because create-react-app (CRA) finally reached the “do not resuscitate” stage.
My last big project built with CRA turned into a compatibility circus.
Random breakages.
Legacy configs possessed by ancient spirits.
Packages arguing with each other like an old married couple.
I wasn’t going through that again. Ever.
Vite, on the other hand, just works:
- instant startup
- modern build chain
- clean defaults
- doesn’t explode when you install one (1) dependency
So yeah — Vite wasn’t chosen because “everyone loves Vite.”
It was chosen because CRA made me question my life choices.
Why Python/Django?
This one was almost too easy.
If you look at what actual companies use — not tiny startups firing prototypes into the void — Django is everywhere. Banks, insurance, state governments, logistics, internal enterprise tools… the whole corporate buffet.
Plus:
- I already knew Django
- It plays ridiculously well with AI and ML integrations
- Python is still the king of AI tooling
- Django’s structure keeps you from reinventing the wheel for the 57th time
Could I have done Node?
Sure.
Would I have enjoyed it?
Absolutely not.
Why did they want me on the team?
Because they needed full-stack support — someone who could connect all the moving pieces.
We had teammates who were great at UI and visual design. They could take a blank screen and make it look polished and professional. We had someone who could build out interface interactions and make them feel natural to use.
Where I fit into that mix was the glue layer:
- making the backend
- designing the API
- wiring the front end to the backend
- establishing the project structure so everyone could build confidently
Nobody was “not good” at anything — we just each had different lanes. Theirs was design and front-end flow. Mine was architecture, integration, and the deeper logic behind the scenes. And together, those strengths covered the full stack.
Why this project mattered
This wasn’t a hobby project, and it wasn’t just something for my portfolio. This was:
- my first unpaid project for an organization
- my first collaborative project outside of work
- my first time making foundational decisions other people would build on
It pushed me in exactly the right ways. I had to be thoughtful, intentional, and clear — not just for myself, but for the rest of the team. And starting with a stack that fit the project, the team, and my own strengths made everything else that followed smoother.