//The stack
Software we use, technology we love, and other things we recommend.
We're an engineering firm, and our tools are chosen on purpose. Here's the stack we reach for when we start a new build — and why.
// Workstation
14" MacBook Pro M4 Pro, Apple Silicon, 24GB RAM (2024)
We've been an Apple-based agency from day one. The M4 Pro delivers incredible performance for development, design, and deployment workflows. With 24GB of unified memory, we can run multiple Docker containers, dev servers, and design tools simultaneously without breaking a sweat.
// Development
PHP Storm
Our primary IDE for PHP development. PhpStorm's intelligent code completion, deep Laravel integration, and powerful refactoring tools make it indispensable for building robust server-side applications.
Laravel Herd
Local development has never been easier. Herd provides a native macOS environment with Nginx, PHP, MySQL, Redis, and more—all configured and ready to go in seconds. No Docker overhead, just pure speed.
Postman
Our go-to tool for API development and testing. From building request collections to automating tests and generating documentation, Postman streamlines our entire API workflow.
TablePlus
A beautifully designed database management tool that supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, Redis, and more. Fast, native, and intuitive—it has replaced every other database GUI we've tried.
Tinkerwell
The ultimate PHP REPL and debugging companion. Run code directly in your application's context, test functions on the fly, and inspect data without writing throwaway test scripts.
// Design
Tailwind CSS
The utility-first CSS framework that revolutionized our design workflow. Build modern, responsive interfaces faster than ever with its intuitive class-based approach—no context switching between files required.
Heroicons
Beautiful, hand-crafted SVG icons designed by the makers of Tailwind CSS. Available in outline, solid, and mini variants, they integrate seamlessly into any design system and scale perfectly at any size.
Lucide
An extensive open-source icon library with over 1,400 consistently designed icons. Community-driven and actively maintained, Lucide provides clean, customizable SVG icons that work beautifully with React, Vue, and beyond.
Shadcn UI
Not a component library—it's better. Shadcn provides beautifully designed, accessible components built with Radix UI and Tailwind CSS that you copy directly into your project. Full ownership, zero dependencies, complete control.
// Stacks
Laravel
The PHP framework that powers our most ambitious projects. With an elegant syntax, robust ecosystem, and world-class ORM, Laravel lets us ship features fast while maintaining clean, maintainable code that scales effortlessly.
Tailwind / Alpine.js / Livewire (TALL)
The perfect stack for reactive, modern UIs without the JavaScript framework overhead. Livewire brings the power of component-based architecture to the server side, while Alpine adds just the right amount of client-side interactivity.
Inertia.js / Vue.js / React (VILT/RILT)
When projects demand a full-featured frontend framework, Inertia bridges Laravel and React/Vue seamlessly. Build SPAs with familiar routing, validation, and middleware on the backend—no API layer required.
// Databases
PostgreSQL
Our default relational database for new builds. Postgres pairs rock-solid reliability with advanced features—JSONB, full-text search, and powerful indexing—that scale gracefully from prototype to production.
MySQL
The world's most popular open-source database. We reach for MySQL when a project calls for a battle-tested, widely-supported datastore—powering everything from content platforms to high-traffic SaaS applications.
// Deployment
Laravel Cloud / Forge / Vapor
Laravel's deployment ecosystem transformed infrastructure management from a headache into a pleasure. Cloud for a hands-off solution, Forge for traditional servers, and Vapor for serverless—all with the same elegant DX we expect from Laravel.
AWS
Our foundational cloud infrastructure provider. From EC2 and RDS to Lambda and SES, AWS gives us the reliability, scalability, and comprehensive service catalog we need for mission-critical applications.
Railway
Deploy from Git in seconds with zero DevOps overhead. Railway's exceptional developer experience and instant preview environments make it perfect for rapid prototyping and production deployments alike.
Vercel
The deployment platform built for the modern web. When building with Next.js or React, Vercel's edge network, instant rollbacks, and automatic preview deployments provide an unmatched developer experience.
Kubernetes
When an application needs to scale horizontally and self-heal, we deploy to Kubernetes. Container orchestration gives us rolling releases, autoscaling, and resilience for the most demanding production workloads.
Helm
The package manager for Kubernetes. We template and version our cluster deployments with Helm charts, making complex, multi-service releases repeatable, reviewable, and easy to roll back.
Google Cloud Platform
A powerful complement to AWS. We tap GCP for its best-in-class data tooling, global networking, and managed Kubernetes (GKE) when a project's requirements call for it.