
Ask HN: If you were to build a boring web application from scratch today - dustinmoris
If you, as an Indy Dev, were to build a boring web application from scratch today (think accounting&#x2F;invoicing software, a dating website, etc.), which tech would you be using and why? How would you host it? Containers, FaaS, monolith on VM? What programming language are the most suitable to do full stack web dev for such a job today?
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philipkiely
I would write it in Django, perhaps with a front end framework like react, but
with just vanilla JS/jquery if I could, PostgreSQL DB. Deploy it on AWS and
you’re good to go!

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rossdavidh
Agreed on Django, and if you want it "boring" (i.e. function over appearance,
not doing anything fancy), avoid front-end frameworks.

I prefer Linode to AWS, but you can use AWS if you are required to by employer
or something. I find that AWS is no longer simpler than POL (plain old Linux).

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philipkiely
I agree that running the server on something like Linode can be simpler, I
personally have a lot of experience with AWS and I like Elastic Beanstalk, so
it would be my default choice.

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jermaustin1
Digital Ocean VM, ASP.Net Core (that's what I use... so what), PostgreSQL, and
probably Twitter bootstrap.

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Rannath
I'd probably just try for the best UX/maintainability balance. So probably
mithril.js.

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Juliate
Would totally depend on the team I would assemble and their preferences.

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dustinmoris
What if you have no team and it is just you and you want to build something
that you're passionate about? Or would you always start an Indy project by
hiring a team first and then look at their skillset rather than deciding on
the tech first and then hire accordingly?

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Juliate
In that case, for starters, * either Python (Flask or Django), Ruby & PHP for
basic stuff if I want to err on the side of what I master; * either Elixir, Go
& Rust if I want to spend some time to learn along with it; * simple HTML
templates & vanilla JS for frontend; * Vagrant; maybe Docker for quick
deployment online;

I'm 40.

The thing is, for starting a project (so at small scale, for a small testable
thing, with fast iteration and the capacity to throw away and start again),
nothing in the past few years innovations beats the efficiency of a single
Linux box & approchable/crude languages/frameworks.

Whatever works actually.

Docker is nice; as well as k8s; but that's complexity that's good to throw in
when you do need to scale up. Not before.

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rossdavidh
"nothing in the past few years innovations beats the efficiency of a single
Linux box & approchable/crude languages/frameworks..."

Yes. Most of the past few years' innovation (that we hear a lot about in the
web space, anyway) is aimed at the problems of FAANG or people who wish to
work at (or become) FAANG. Using them for "a boring web application" is like
getting excited about SpaceX and deciding to buy a Falcon Heavy rocket for
your next car.

