Freely accessible
Tool recommendations from the book
The key tools used throughout the book. You'll find a detailed comparison per category in Appendix C — exclusive to the members' area.
AI Coding
Claude Code
Claude in your terminal. It reads your project, writes code, and commits to Git. The central tool of the book.
Your default choice. Pro plan or API.
claude.com →Hosting
Vercel
Host for Next.js. Connects to GitHub, deploys on every push, HTTPS automatically.
The Hobby plan is enough for an MVP, Pro once you have live traffic.
vercel.com →Hosting (EU)
Hetzner
A classic EU host with servers in Germany and Finland. GDPR-friendly and affordable.
When EU data residency is mandatory or Vercel gets too expensive.
hetzner.com →Database
PostgreSQL
Open-source relational database. The industry standard, robust, and the right choice for 95% of all projects.
First choice. Hosted via Neon, Supabase, or Railway.
postgresql.org →Backend / Auth / DB
Supabase
Postgres + Auth + Storage + Realtime in one. EU region available, powerful row-level security.
Top pick when you want to start fast with auth and a database.
supabase.com →Auth
Clerk
Auth-as-a-service with ready-made UI components, OAuth, magic links, MFA, and org management.
The best choice for B2B with SSO/SAML needs.
clerk.com →Payments
Stripe
Payment provider with an outstanding developer experience. Not a merchant of record — you handle VAT yourself.
The default choice in the book. For MoR, see Paddle/Lemon Squeezy.
stripe.com →Resend
Transactional email (magic links, invoices, notifications). Clean API, EU region.
First choice for developer-friendly email delivery.
resend.com →ORM
Prisma
TypeScript ORM for Postgres. Type-safe, protects against SQL injection, with solid migrations.
The default choice in the book.
prisma.io →Styling
Tailwind CSS
Utility-first CSS framework. Classes right in your HTML for fast iteration.
Used throughout the book.
tailwindcss.com →Testing
Playwright
Browser automation for end-to-end tests. Via MCP, Claude Code drives it on its own.
First choice for E2E.
playwright.dev →Code Hosting
GitHub
The industry standard for Git repositories. Free for small projects, excellent CI/CD.
Your default choice. Alternatives: GitLab, Bitbucket.
github.com →The full tool comparison in the members' area
Appendix C in the book and in the members' area contains detailed comparison tables per category — hosting, databases, AI models, auth providers, email, payments — with a clear recommendation for your use case.