# Discussing tech stack choices

**Language:** English  
**CEFR Level:** B1  

> Listen in as Jackson and Ella talk about choosing the right tech stack for software projects in real, everyday English. By the end of this course their conversation will feel easy to follow, and you'll be ready to join in.

**Setting:** A quiet co-working space in downtown Austin, Texas, where two software developers are planning their new startup project. Jackson and Ella are former tech bootcamp classmates who have reconnected to build a new web platform together.

## Lessons

### 1. Setting a meeting agenda

Jackson and Ella grab a quiet corner table at a cafe and agree to make key technical decisions during their meeting.

### 2. Agreeing on a database choice

Jackson proposes Postgres as their database, and Ella reveals her past team's bad experience with MongoDB.

### 3. Sharing past work experience

Ella describes how her previous team struggled with application joins, leading Jackson to officially agree on Postgres.

### 4. Debating programming language options

Ella questions Jackson's midnight links about Rust, challenging whether it makes sense for their upcoming startup build.

### 5. Comparing development timelines

Jackson and Ella contrast building a login flow in Rust versus Node, ultimately deciding on Node and Express to save time.

### 6. Introducing a new requirement

With the core backend decided, Ella surprises Jackson with a new requirement from Priya to include live messaging.

### 7. Assessing technical scalability

Jackson and Ella analyze the challenges of real-time messaging connections and acknowledge their lack of Elixir experience.

### 8. Proposing an architecture strategy

Ella proposes keeping the messaging service separate from the main app so that any crashes will not affect main user features.

### 9. Choosing a frontend framework

Jackson and Ella choose React for their frontend, emphasizing hiring ease and available solutions over newer trends.

### 10. Summarizing the chosen technology stack

Ella dismisses chasing web trends, and Jackson summarizes their complete technical choices for the product.

### 11. Planning hosting and server management

Jackson and Ella agree to use managed servers to avoid maintenance headaches before deciding how to split the initial workload.

### 12. Setting project deadlines

Ella sets a Thursday deadline for Jackson to complete the database schema before Jackson stops her for one last question.

### 13. Negotiating a future project compromise

Jackson asks to build the chat service in Rust, and Ella agrees to let him rewrite it in three months if Node proves stable.

### 14. Ending a business meeting

Ella offers to bring self-roasted espresso when Jackson reaches his three-month goal before rushing off to her next commitment.