As a founder, your most valuable resource is time. Your tech stack shouldn't be a science experiment; it should be a productivity multiplier. Here’s how to think about choosing the right stack for your micro-SaaS.
1. Prioritize Speed of Development
For a micro-SaaS, the ability to ship features and iterate quickly is paramount. This is why full-stack frameworks are often a great choice. Frameworks like Laravel with Livewire, Ruby on Rails, or Next.js allow a single developer to build and manage both the frontend and backend without context switching.
2. Monoliths are Your Friend
Don't fall into the microservices trap. A well-structured monolith is far easier to develop, deploy, and manage for a small team. The goal is to build a product, not to manage a complex distributed system. You can always refactor into services later if you reach massive scale—which is a good problem to have!
3. Choose a Mainstream Database
Stick with the tried-and-true: PostgreSQL or MySQL. They are reliable, well-documented, and have a massive community. PostgreSQL is often favored for its advanced features like JSONB support and robust indexing. Avoid niche or experimental databases unless your product has a very specific need that only they can solve.
4. The Power of a Good UI Component Library
Don't build every button and dropdown from scratch. Leverage a UI library like Tailwind CSS with pre-built components (like Tailwind UI or DaisyUI) or Bootstrap. This ensures a consistent, professional look and saves you hundreds of hours.
5. Our Recommended Stack for Productivity
For many indie hackers, a fantastic, modern, and productive stack in 2025 is:
- Framework: Laravel 12
- Frontend: Livewire 3 / Blade
- Styling: Tailwind CSS
- Database: PostgreSQL
- Server: A simple VPS from DigitalOcean or a PaaS like Render.
This stack, which we use here at BuildVoyage, provides an incredible developer experience and allows you to build robust, full-featured applications incredibly fast.
Conclusion:
Choose the tools that let you build the fastest. Your customers don't care about your tech stack; they care about whether your product solves their problem. Optimize for speed and simplicity.