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Tech Stack
This document records the technologies used by the project and the reasoning behind each choice. Keep it up to date whenever the stack changes. A well-maintained tech-stack document saves new team members hours of guesswork and makes future architecture reviews significantly easier.
How to Use This Template
Each category below contains a short description of what kind of information to fill in, followed by a table. Replace the placeholder text with real values for your project. Remove categories that do not apply, and add new ones as needed.
Backend
The server-side language, runtime, and primary web framework.
| Item | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Language | e.g. PHP 8.3, Python 3.12, Node.js 22 | |
| Framework | e.g. Laravel 12, Django 5, Express | |
| Key libraries / packages | List the most important ones and why they are used. |
Frontend
The client-side technologies and build tooling.
| Item | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Framework / library | e.g. React 19, Vue 3, or server-rendered templates | |
| CSS approach | e.g. Tailwind CSS, Bootstrap, plain CSS modules | |
| Build tool | e.g. Vite, Webpack, esbuild | |
| Key packages | List any significant UI libraries or utilities. |
Database
The data storage layer, including any caching or search stores.
| Item | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Primary database | e.g. PostgreSQL 16, MySQL 8, SQLite | |
| Cache layer | e.g. Redis, Memcached, or none | |
| Search engine | e.g. Elasticsearch, Typesense, or database full-text search | |
| ORM / query builder | e.g. Eloquent, SQLAlchemy, Prisma |
Hosting and Infrastructure
Where the application runs and how the infrastructure is managed.
| Item | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud provider | e.g. AWS, GCP, Azure, or a VPS provider | |
| Hosting model | e.g. containers, serverless, managed PaaS | |
| Domain / DNS | e.g. Cloudflare, Route 53 | |
| SSL / TLS | e.g. Let's Encrypt via Cloudflare, or managed by the host |
CI/CD
How code moves from a developer's machine to production.
| Item | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CI/CD platform | e.g. GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, CircleCI | |
| Deployment trigger | e.g. push to main, tagged release | |
| Containerisation | e.g. Docker, or none |
Monitoring and Observability
How the team knows whether the application is healthy.
| Item | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Error tracking | e.g. Sentry, Bugsnag | |
| Logging | e.g. application logs to stdout, shipped to Datadog | |
| Uptime monitoring | e.g. Better Uptime, Pingdom, or a custom health check |
AI and Machine Learning
Include this section only if the project uses AI or ML services.
| Item | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| AI provider / model | e.g. OpenAI GPT-4o, Anthropic Claude, or a self-hosted model | |
| Integration method | e.g. REST API, SDK, or a wrapper library | |
| Use case | Briefly describe what the AI is used for in this project. |
Decision Log
For any technology choice that was non-obvious or debated, add a short entry here explaining the reasoning. Link to an ADR if one exists.
- [Technology] -- [Why it was chosen over alternatives.]
- [Technology] -- [Why it was chosen over alternatives.]