I've recently been working on a few projects and thought I would share my thoughts on some of the tools available for quickly building modern web applications. I’ve been excited to dive into Next.js/Vercel, Expo, Supabase, Strapi, Railway.app, and Refine.dev, and I’m impressed by how these platforms simplify and speed up the creation of professional, scalable web applications. Hopefully some of this might help you in your next project.
Next.js/Vercel: Zero-hassle webpack configuration, server-side rendering, routing, and deployment. Plus, everyone is using it so there's tons of support.
Expo: React Native has significantly improved in recent years, especially regarding integrating native code. While there are still some fiddly bits (I'm looking at you gradle builds and pod installs), Expo simplifies the setup process and offers a vast library of components and utilities, making cross-platform mobile application development much easier.
Supabase: A Firebase alternative, and in my opinion, much better. Postgres database as a service, easy implementation of row-level security, user authentication, file storage, edge functions, and excellent local development support. I'm a big fan.
Strapi: This is my favorite out-of-the-box CMS among the few I've tried recently. It's open-source and self-hostable, which is a big plus. It's easy to use, customize, and most importantly, explain to clients. While I'm unsure of its scalability to an enterprise level, it's great for small to medium/large size projects. Strapi is a full database solution, if you want to add a dashboard to an existing database, or have complete control over your database, check out:
Refine: This tool makes building customizable admin panels and internal tools straightforward. Refine.dev handles all CRUD operations, form building, and user permissions for you, which, let's be honest, is about 90% of a programmer's job.
Railway: Typically, I'm not a fan of visually focused approaches to viewing codebases or infrastructure, but so far, I've loved everything I've tried on Railway.app. The visual interface makes it easy to view databases, web servers, frontends, and other instances. I was able to set up and deploy a basic DB + API + React in like 10 minutes.
These tools have made my development process much more efficient and enjoyable, and I highly recommend giving them a try if you're starting a new project or application.
#webdevelopment #mobileapplications
