# Tech stack

Concept · [Technical basics](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/technical)

Also called: stack, technology stack, framework, programming language, library

The set of programming languages and tools a product is built with.

**For example:** A [developer](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/software-engineer) says, 'Our stack is one language for the [front end](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/front-end), another for the [back end](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/back-end) and a standard [database](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/database).' She is listing the building blocks.

## Connects to (30)

- [Front end](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/front-end): The part of an app or website that people see and tap, running in their browser or on their phone.
- [Back end](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/back-end): The part of an app that runs out of sight on a server.
- [Database](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/database): Organized storage for your app's information, such as users, orders and messages, so it can be saved and looked up later.
- [Web app vs mobile app](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/web-app-mobile-app): A web app runs in a browser at a web address, on any device.
- [Open source](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/open-source): Software whose code is published for anyone to read, use and build on, under a license that sets the rules for doing so.
- [Vendor lock-in](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/vendor-lock-in): Depending on one vendor so heavily that switching to another would cost a lot of time or money.
- [DX](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/dx): Developer experience: how easy and pleasant a tool, codebase or service is for the people who build with it, such as clear documentation…
- [SDK](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/sdk): Software development kit.
- [Technical requirements document](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/technical-requirements-document): A document that explains how a feature will be built: the systems, data and technical choices.
- [JavaScript](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/javascript): The programming language that runs in every web browser, and also on servers.
- [TypeScript](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/typescript): JavaScript with types added.
- [Python](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/python): A programming language known for being easy to read.
- [PHP](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/php): A programming language for building websites on the server.
- [Rust](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/rust): A programming language for fast, reliable software that prevents many memory bugs before the program runs.
- [C#](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/csharp): A programming language made by Microsoft and used with .NET for business software, Windows apps, web services and games made with Unity.
- [.NET](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/dotnet): A free, open-source platform from Microsoft for building apps for the web, Windows, phones and the cloud, mostly in C#.
- [Scratch](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/scratch): A free block-based coding language and online community for young people, made at MIT.
- [React](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/react): A JavaScript library for building user interfaces out of reusable pieces called components.
- [Next.js](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/next-js): A framework built on React for making full websites and web apps, including pages rendered on the server.
- [Redux](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/redux): A JavaScript library for keeping an app's shared data, called state, in one place, so every screen shows the same information.
- [Tailwind CSS](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/tailwind-css): A styling framework for websites.
- [shadcn/ui](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/shadcn-ui): A free set of interface components, such as buttons, dialogs, forms and tables, that become part of an app's own code.
- [React Flow](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/react-flow): An open-source React library for building node-based diagrams and editors, where people drag boxes onto a canvas and connect them with…
- [Mermaid](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/mermaid): An open-source tool that draws diagrams, such as flowcharts and system maps, from short text descriptions.
- [React Native](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/react-native): A framework from Meta for building iPhone and Android apps with React and JavaScript, sharing most of the code between the two.
- [Expo](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/expo): A set of tools and services for building, testing and publishing React Native apps, including cloud builds and app store submission.
- [Capacitor](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/capacitor): An open-source tool that wraps a web app so it can be published as an iPhone or Android app with access to phone features.
- [Windows Forms](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/windows-forms): A Microsoft framework for building desktop apps for Windows with .NET.
- [Windows Presentation Foundation](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/wpf): A Microsoft framework for building Windows desktop apps with .NET, with richer layouts and graphics than Windows Forms.
- [WinUI](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/winui): Microsoft's current framework for the look and controls of modern Windows apps.

Map view: https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/tech-stack