What I'd build today if I were starting from scratchā¦ and what I'd do six months later.
Hey folks! š
If you've ever started a web app from zeroāor you're about toāyouāve probably asked yourself:
Should I use Next.js? Do I need a backend now? What about tests, CI, Redis, all that stuff?
Relax.
You donāt need everything all at once. In fact, overbuilding too early can be just as dangerous as underbuilding.
In this post, Iāll walk you through how a modern web app evolves over timeāphase by phaseāusing a JavaScript-based tech stack.
Whether you're flying solo or scaling a small team, this roadmap should help you make smarter tech decisions without burning out or blowing your budget.
š¢ Phase 1: MVP ā Just Ship It šāāļø
This is your āI just want it liveā phase.
š§ Stack:
Frontend: Next.js (App Router, easy routing, SEO out of the box)
Styling: Tailwind CSS (utility-first, fast, looks decent by default)
Backend: Supabase (Postgres, Auth, Storage in 5 clicks)
Deployment: Vercel (perfect for Next.js)
āØ Use it when:
- You're validating an idea
- You're building alone or in a tiny team
- You need auth + database + CRUD fast
š Pro Tips:
Use react-hook-form + zod for smooth forms + validation
Skip Redux, skip tests (for now), skip premature architecture
Screenshot early, because itāll get messy š
š” Phase 2: Scaling ā The "Clean It Up" Era š§¹
Youāve got users.
Youāre pushing features.
Now the codeās gettingā¦ spicy. š¶ļø
Time to refactor into sanity.
š§° Upgrades:
TypeScript: Trust me, future-you will be grateful
React Query or SWR: For server sync & caching
Zustand or Redux Toolkit: Global state, without chaos
Folder Structure: Break into features/, components/, hooks/, etc
CI + Linting: GitHub Actions + Biome
š Use it when:
- Youāve got 1K+ users or multiple devs
- Features start overlapping
- Youāre deploying weekly (or daily)
š§ Bonus Ideas:
Add Storybook or shadcn/ui for reusable components
Start writing integration tests (not just unit tests)
š Phase 3: Production Ready ā Going Pro š¼
This is where serious engineering kicks in.
Youāre thinking about:
- Performance (LCP, CLS, TTFB)
- Security (auth guards, rate limiting)
- Reliability (queues, retries, logging)
š§° Upgrades:
NestJS or tRPC: Build structured APIs with DI, decorators, and guards
Redis: For caching, queues, or even storing tokens
Job Queues: BullMQ, Temporal, or background functions
Monitoring: Sentry, LogRocket, PostHog
Testing: Cypress, Playwright for E2E
š§ Best Practices:
Use zod to validate both frontend and backend data
Add RBAC if your app has roles (admin, user, etc.)
Track Core Web Vitals and set budget thresholds
šµ Phase 4: Enterprise ā Modular or Die ā ļø
This is when youāre working with multiple teams or scaling fast. Think āSlack,ā āNotion,ā or YC-batch-style velocity.
š§° Stack Additions:
Monorepo: Nx or TurboRepo to manage shared libs
Design System: Tailwind + tokens + Storybook
Microservices or Functions: Split backend into clear domains
DevOps: Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform (infra-as-code)
Access Control: ABAC, audit trails, compliance (GDPR, SOC2)
š” Use it when:
- Your team hits 10+ devs
- Your app needs feature flags, beta access, custom workflows
- Youāre working with clients, not just users
š§ Final Thoughts
You donāt need to start with Phase 4.
You shouldnāt start with Phase 3.
But you do need a map for where youāre headed.
Think of this as a scaffold, not a rulebook. Adapt it. Remix it. Use what fits your stage, your team, your vision.
š¬ I'd love to hear:
Which phase are you in right now? What tool or pattern saved you the most time recently?
Drop a comment if you're building something coolāI always love to nerd out.
š§āš» Thanks for reading, and happy shipping!
Top comments (3)
pretty cool seeing someone spell out the phases like this - makes me kinda wanna step back and see if iām adding too much too early with my stuff tbh. you think staying simple at first really pays off down the line or is it just wishful thinking?
These phases scare me as a developer.
I call phase 1 a prototype, not an MVP.
How are you not going to introduce architecture, Next has an architecture.
No tests is bad advise. This is the core of your application, there should be tests. You don't need an elaborate test suite, but cover at least the critical functionality.
Phase 2 is MVP.
This is the time to add security, compliance and logging, because the application is going public.
Phases 3 and 4 are just production. Not every application is going to need scaling.
So according to your own timeline you are going to spend at least a year with Next before you move to Nest? That is a lot of code to refactor.
Totally valid pointsāand I appreciate you challenging the framing here š
You're right: the lines between "prototype", "MVP", and "production" can blur a lot depending on the context, audience, and stakes. What I tried to do here was simplify an evolution path that reflects how many solo devs and small teams naturally scale over timeānot a strict definition of software lifecycle stages.
On architecture: absolutely, Next.js comes with structure, but in early builds I've seen folks (myself included) skip modularity, shared UI libs, or folder structure conventions because speed is the top priority. You're right thoughāthinking intentionally about structure early saves time later.
As for tests, I agree more than it may seem. No tests at all is never ideal. But in early phases (especially for solo founders or several devs team), minimal viable coverageālike smoke tests, validation logic, and auth flow checksācan be a more realistic target than full integration suites.
And you're spot on that some apps may never go beyond āMVP.ā Not everything needs to scale to Phase 4. The goal of this framework is to give devs a north star to grow if and when their product demands it.