1 min read
The quiet stack
Why I keep choosing boring tools for new projects, and the short list I default to in 2026.
When I start something new I default to the quietest stack I can get away with. Not the smallest, not the cheapest, but the one I can hear myself think over.
The list
For a 2026 consumer product, the stack is usually:
- SwiftUI on iOS, because Apple's docs are good enough and the runtime is fast enough that I do not have to think about either.
- Firebase for auth, Firestore, and Functions, because the local emulator is a credible production simulator and the Console is a credible ops dashboard.
- TypeScript everywhere I write server code, with a small Zod schema at every boundary and very little else.
- Next.js for any web surface, App Router only, with the smallest config I can write.
Nothing on this list is exciting. That is the point.
What gets loud
Loud stacks have a tell. You spend more time configuring than building. You read changelogs. You read more changelogs. You write blog posts about the changelogs. You try the new bundler and your build breaks on the second commit.
A quiet stack lets me forget about it for two weeks at a time, which is where the actual product progress lives.