What Is a Tech Stack?

A tech stack is the collection of technologies, programming languages, frameworks, databases, and infrastructure services, used to build and operate a software product. Every digital product has a tech stack, whether it was chosen deliberately or arrived at by default.

A typical web application stack includes a frontend framework (what users see and interact with), a backend framework (server-side logic and APIs), a database (where data is stored), and a hosting platform (where the application runs). Common modern stacks include combinations like Next.js + NestJS + PostgreSQL, or React + Node.js + MongoDB.

Choosing the right tech stack matters more than most founders realise. The wrong stack can create limitations that are expensive to work around, poor performance at scale, difficulty finding developers, or frameworks that are not well-suited to your product's requirements. A well-chosen stack, on the other hand, makes the product faster to build, easier to maintain, and more capable of growing with the business.

At Toggle, our default stack for MVPs is Next.js (frontend), NestJS (backend), PostgreSQL with Prisma (database), and Shadcn UI with Tailwind CSS (components and styling). We have chosen this combination because it is production-grade, developer-friendly, and well-supported, giving every product we build a solid foundation from day one.