Your Tech Stack Will Make—or Break—Your SaaS
Choosing the right tools isn’t about what’s trending on Hacker News. It’s about:
- Shipping fast without compromise
- Scaling without tech debt
- Attracting developers without recruiting nightmares
At HoundDogDev, we’ve architected SaaS platforms in healthcare, finance, eCommerce, and edtech. Here’s what’s working right now.
1. The 2025 SaaS Stack — Our Go-To Setup
Layer | Recommended Stack (2025) |
---|---|
Frontend | Next.js, Vue 3 (Vite) |
Backend | Laravel, Node.js (Express/Nest), or Go |
Database | PostgreSQL, Supabase, or Firebase |
Auth | Clerk, Supabase Auth, or Auth0 |
Infra | Vercel, Railway, Fly.io |
CI/CD | GitHub Actions, Vercel CI |
Monitoring | Sentry, LogRocket, PostHog |
Want flexibility and maturity? Laravel + Vue.
Want speed and edge deploys? Next.js + Supabase.
Want scale-first APIs? NestJS or Go.
2. Questions Every Founder Should Ask
Before you commit to a stack:
- Is this scalable and maintainable?
- Can my future dev hires work in it?
- How fast can I ship v1?
- Is there a strong community (docs, plugins, support)?
- Can I go serverless if needed?
Remember: “popular” doesn’t mean practical.
3. Common Pitfalls (and How to Dodge Them)
❌ Overengineering: You don’t need Kubernetes for your MVP.
✅ Start with PaaS (like Render or Railway), then upgrade.
❌ Database lock-in: Avoid no-SQL unless your model demands it.
✅ Use SQL + an ORM (like Prisma or Eloquent) for flexibility.
❌ Poor DevOps planning: CI/CD saves time.
✅ Automate tests, builds, and rollbacks from day 1.
4. When to Go Custom, and When to Use Tools
Feature | Go Custom? | Use Tool? | Recommended Tool |
---|---|---|---|
Auth | ❌ | ✅ | Clerk, Supabase, Auth0 |
Email Notifications | ❌ | ✅ | Postmark, Resend |
Billing | ❌ | ✅ | Stripe, Paddle |
Onboarding Flows | ✅ | If budgeted | Custom = Better UX |
Admin Panel | ✅ | Maybe | Laravel Nova, Retool |
5. Want Expert Help Designing Your Stack?
We’ve built dozens of successful SaaS stacks—from concept to exit.
If you want your platform to be scalable, clean, and dev-loved, we’ve got you.
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