The 2011 version of this article was a different world: shared LAMP hosting, jQuery as your front-end framework, MySQL as the only sensible database, FTP as the deployment method. By 2026 the stack has changed top to bottom.
Front-end frameworks
- Astro — for content-led sites with islands of interactivity.
- Next.js (React) — for full-stack web applications. Mature ecosystem, broad hireable developer pool.
- SvelteKit — lighter alternative to Next.js. Excellent developer experience.
- Remix — full-stack React framework focused on web standards.
- Vue / Nuxt — still strong, particularly for teams that prefer Vue's mental model over React's.
Backend frameworks
- Laravel — PHP, mature, broad Irish developer pool, well-suited to typical SMB applications.
- Django — Python, batteries-included, particularly strong for data-heavy applications.
- Ruby on Rails — still excellent for back-office-heavy apps.
- Hono / Elysia / Fastify — modern Node.js options for API-first builds.
- FastAPI — Python, async, growing fast, particularly for ML-adjacent applications.
Databases
- PostgreSQL — the default. Open-source, full-featured, available everywhere.
- SQLite — for embedded use, small applications, and increasingly for production via Litestream/Turso replication.
- Redis / KeyDB — caching and session storage.
- Managed Postgres providers — Neon, Supabase, Fly.io Postgres, RDS.
Hosting and deployment
- Vercel — frictionless deployment for Next.js / front-end applications.
- Netlify — similar; particularly good for static-site builds.
- Cloudflare Pages / Workers — edge-first, generous free tier.
- Fly.io — for traditional applications that need long-running servers and proper databases.
- Hetzner / DigitalOcean — for VPS-backed deployments. Cheaper at scale; requires Linux administration.
- cPanel hosting (Blacknight, WebWorld) — still the right choice for many small Irish business sites.
Version control and CI/CD
- Git + GitHub / GitLab — non-negotiable for any serious project.
- GitHub Actions — adequate CI/CD for most projects.
Monitoring and error tracking
- Sentry — error tracking. Mandatory once a project is in production.
- UptimeRobot / Better Uptime — uptime monitoring.
- Plausible / Matomo / Fathom — privacy-respecting analytics.
- Logflare / Axiom — application logs you can search.
Security and ops basics
- Let's Encrypt for free auto-renewing SSL.
- Cloudflare for DNS, CDN, basic WAF.
- 1Password / Bitwarden for team password management.
- 2FA on every account. Hardware keys for admin accounts.
The AI-augmented additions
- Claude / ChatGPT for pair programming, debugging help, and explanation of unfamiliar libraries.
- GitHub Copilot / Cursor for in-IDE code completion and refactoring.
- Bolt / v0 / Lovable for rapid prototyping.
One caveat: AI tools produce code that looks right and is occasionally wrong in subtle ways. Code review still matters — possibly more than ever.
What 2011 had that's now obsolete
- jQuery as a default front-end framework.
- FTP as a deployment method (replaced by Git-based deploys).
- Shared LAMP hosting as the default for new applications.
- MySQL as the obvious database choice (Postgres took over).
- Adobe ColdFusion, Microsoft Silverlight, Adobe Flex (all dead or deprecated).