▍ Tech stack
The platforms and tools I work with.
A focused toolkit, refined over many years. I prefer to go deep on a small set of technologies rather than chase every shiny release.
Category 01
Languages & Frameworks
The core craft — what I write most days.
PHP
Daily driver since 1997. PHP 8.4 and modern type-safe patterns.
Laravel
Primary framework. Deep familiarity with the ecosystem and packages.
Livewire
Reactive UI in PHP — no separate JS framework required.
Alpine.js
Lightweight client-side behaviour where it adds value.
Tailwind CSS
Utility-first CSS — design systems that ship fast.
Bootstrap
Component-first CSS framework — battle-tested for rapid UI scaffolding.
Filament
Admin panels and internal tools at staff-engineer speed.
React
Component-based UI for richer client-side experiences.
Vue.js
Progressive JavaScript framework for building reactive interfaces.
jQuery
Long-serving DOM library — still in play across legacy and admin surfaces.
Node.js
Server-side JavaScript for APIs, tooling and real-time services.
Python
Data processing, scripting and AI/ML integration work.
Category 02
Hosting & Infrastructure
Where applications actually run.
Laravel Cloud
First-party Laravel hosting — zero-config production deploys.
Laravel Vapor
Serverless Laravel on AWS Lambda — infinite scale, zero server management.
Laravel Forge
Provisioning and deployment for VPS-based Laravel apps.
Envoyer
Zero-downtime PHP deployment with health checks and rollbacks.
AWS
S3, SES, CloudFront and the rest, where the workload justifies it.
Redis
In-memory data store for caching, queues and real-time pub/sub.
Linode
Reliable VPS with great support — long-standing favourite.
Vultr
Cost-effective VPS hosting for production workloads.
Category 03
Observability & Analytics
Knowing what is happening, before users do.
Bugsnag
Error monitoring with the best signal-to-noise ratio I have used.
Nightwatch
Laravel-native application monitoring.
New Relic
Full-stack APM for deeper traces, transactions and infrastructure metrics.
Datadog
APM, logs and infrastructure observability for larger production estates.
Fathom Analytics
Privacy-first, cookie-free web analytics.
Google Analytics
When stakeholders need the standard reporting view.
Papertrail
Hosted log management — searchable, real-time tailing across all servers.
PostHog
Open-source product analytics — events, funnels, session replay and feature flags.
Category 04
Security & Compliance
Application security, PII protection and the frameworks that prove it.
Aikido
Unified AppSec — SAST, DAST, SCA, secrets and IaC scanning in one place.
OWASP ZAP
Open-source DAST proxy for active and passive web-app scanning.
Burp Suite Pro
Manual penetration testing and authenticated vulnerability discovery.
Category 05
AI & Tooling
The day-to-day environment — and where AI now lives in the workflow.
Claude
Anthropic's models — primary pair-programming companion.
OpenAI
GPT models for product features and internal automation.
Polyscope
AI-powered code review built on top of Laravel.
Air.dev
AI agent platform for product and engineering workflows.
PHPStorm
IDE of choice. Refactoring tools that pay rent every day.
Postman
API design, testing and documentation.
GitHub
Source control, issues, CI, and code review.
Bitbucket
Git hosting for client repositories that require Atlassian toolchains.
Jira
Issue tracking and project management for engineering teams.
TablePlus
Native database GUI — MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite and more in one place.
DBngin
One-click local database servers — no Docker required for dev databases.
Tinkerwell
REPL for Laravel — run code against local and remote apps instantly.
SourceTree
Visual Git client for Bitbucket-heavy client workflows.
Miro
Collaborative whiteboard for architecture diagrams, planning and workshops.
Freeform
Apple-native whiteboarding for quick sketches and async design feedback.
Blisk
Developer browser with built-in device emulation and auto-refresh.
Slack
Team and client communication — where async work happens.
Algolia
Hosted search when the built-in options are not enough.
Meilisearch
Fast, self-hosted search engine — great Laravel Scout driver for privacy-first projects.
Category 06
Hardware & Environment
The physical setup — built for focus and long sessions.
Mac Mini
Primary workstation — M-series Mac Mini driving the full monitor array.
MacBook Air
Portable workhorse for client visits, travel and off-desk sessions.
6 Monitor Array
Six-screen setup — code, docs, comms and dashboards all visible at once.
eGPU
External GPU enclosure powering the full 6-monitor array from the Mac Mini.
iPad
Reference, reading and sketching — keeps the main screens clean.
Parallels
Windows virtualisation on macOS — IE/Edge testing and Windows-only tooling.
Docker
Containerised local environments and reproducible build pipelines.
Laravel Herd
Native macOS Laravel development environment — zero config, instant sites.
Category 07
Payments
Taking money — the part that has to just work.
Stripe
Payments, subscriptions, invoicing and connect platforms.