starting-a-projectlisted

# starting-a-project Two questions when someone wants to build something new: **what to build it with**, and **how to get it online**. Answer the first from *what they're building*, not from a favourite framework — then pick the simplest option that fits. They can always grow into something bigger later. ## Pick a stack — what are you building? | What you're building | Start with | |----------------------|-----------| | A content website (blog, portfolio, docs, landing page) | **Astro** | | An interactive app (dashboard, editor, tool) | **React + Vite** — Next.js if it needs a server | | A database-backed web app (sign up, log in, CRUD your stuff) | **Rails** (or **Django**) | | An API / backend service | **FastAPI** | | A script, tool, or automation | **Python + uv** (or whatever's lightest) | | A phone app | **Expo** (React Native) | | A data app or dashboard | **Streamlit** | | A desktop app, game, browser extension, or chat bot | see the catch-all in the full guide | The full guide — scaffold command for each, plus styling (**Tailwind**, **shadcn/ui**), databases (start with **SQLite**), auth, and every option's deploy target — is in [`references/starter-stacks.md`](references/starter-stacks.md). Read it before recommending one; don't reconstruct it from memory. ## Ship it — how to put it online Once it works locally and they ask "how do people actually put this on the internet?", use [`references/deploy.md`](references/deploy.md): a decision guide from static sites