Building Homtree: Our Tech Stack and Architecture Decisions

When we started building Homtree, we knew we wanted to create something that would scale with our users while remaining maintainable and performant. Here's a deep dive into the technology choices that power our platform.

The Frontend: Next.js 15 with App Router

We chose Next.js 15 with the App Router for our frontend framework. This decision was driven by several factors:

**Server-Side Rendering (SSR)**: Critical for SEO, especially important for realtor profiles that need to be discoverable

**Static Site Generation (SSG)**: Perfect for marketing pages that don't change frequently

**Edge Runtime**: Provides excellent performance globally

**TypeScript Support**: Built-in TypeScript support keeps our codebase maintainable

The App Router has been a game-changer for organizing our codebase. The file-based routing system makes it intuitive to understand the application structure.

Database & Backend: Supabase

Supabase has been our backend of choice, and it's exceeded our expectations:

Why Supabase?

**PostgreSQL**: A robust, proven database that can handle complex relationships

**Row Level Security (RLS)**: Built-in security that scales with our data

**Real-time subscriptions**: Perfect for live updates on profile changes

**Auth system**: Comprehensive authentication with social providers

**Edge Functions**: Serverless functions for custom logic

Database Design

Our database schema is designed around these core entities:

`realtor_profiles`: The heart of our application

`realtor_social_links`: Flexible social media integration

`realtor_contact_links`: Customizable contact methods

`realtor_listings`: Property showcase capabilities

Styling: Tailwind CSS + Shadcn/ui

For styling, we've embraced the utility-first approach with Tailwind CSS, combined with Shadcn/ui components:

**Tailwind CSS**: Rapid development with consistent design tokens

**Shadcn/ui**: High-quality, accessible components that we can customize

**Custom design system**: Built on top of Tailwind for brand consistency

Development Experience

TypeScript Everywhere

We use TypeScript across the entire stack:

Frontend components with proper typing

API routes with validated inputs

Database types generated from Supabase

Code Quality Tools

**ESLint & Prettier**: Code formatting and linting

**Husky**: Pre-commit hooks for quality gates

**Zod**: Runtime type validation for forms and API inputs

Deployment & Infrastructure

Vercel for Frontend

**Zero-config deployments**: Push to main, and it's live

**Edge Network**: Global performance out of the box

**Preview deployments**: Every PR gets its own URL

Supabase for Backend

**Managed PostgreSQL**: No database maintenance overhead

**Global edge network**: Fast API responses worldwide

**Automatic backups**: Peace of mind for our data

Lessons Learned

What Worked Well

1. Supabase RLS: Security by default has prevented many potential issues

2. Next.js App Router: The new patterns feel natural and performant

3. Tailwind + Shadcn: Rapid UI development without sacrificing quality

Challenges We Faced

1. Server vs Client Components: The mental model shift took time

2. RLS Debugging: Understanding policy interactions required learning

3. TypeScript Complexity: Balancing type safety with development speed

Looking Forward

As we scale, we're considering:

**Micro-frontends**: For team independence as we grow

**Advanced caching**: Redis for frequently accessed data

**Analytics platform**: Better insights into user behavior

**Mobile app**: React Native using our existing API

Conclusion

Our tech stack has served us well in building a product that our users love. The combination of Next.js, Supabase, and Tailwind has given us the perfect balance of developer experience and user performance.

The most important lesson? Start simple, optimize later. We focused on shipping features our users needed rather than over-engineering from day one.

---

Have questions about our tech stack? [Reach out to us](/feedback) - we'd love to discuss our architecture choices!

Building Homtree: Our Tech Stack and Architecture Decisions

Building Homtree: Our Tech Stack and Architecture Decisions

The Frontend: Next.js 15 with App Router

Database & Backend: Supabase

Why Supabase?

Database Design

Styling: Tailwind CSS + Shadcn/ui

Development Experience

TypeScript Everywhere

Code Quality Tools

Deployment & Infrastructure

Vercel for Frontend

Supabase for Backend

Lessons Learned

What Worked Well

Challenges We Faced

Looking Forward

Conclusion

About Engineering Team

Ready to transform your real estate business?