I'm building an event web app that allows event registration and features a community aspect with heavy client interactivity and multi-search capabilities. I'm on the fence about using Next.js, Astro, or the newer Tanstack starter. I want to maintain full ownership of my code, so I won't be using any site builders. I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences with these three options!
4 Answers
Have you considered just going with PHP and MySQL? It’s simple and straightforward for many projects.
Directus is a solid option too. It allows you to self-host, comes packed with features, and makes it easy to migrate your data whenever you need to.
If your project isn't too complex, you might not need a heavy stack. Have you thought about using something like WordPress or Google Sites with Google Forms? They can simplify a lot of things without overcomplicating your setup.
I appreciate the input, but I'm really looking to code everything myself. Site builders aren’t really my style.
If you're already familiar with Next.js, I recommend checking out Payload CMS. It's headless, built on Next.js, and uses the Drizzle ORM, which is fully typed. They also offer plugins for site search, so it's pretty robust for what you're looking to build. Give it a look!
Thanks for the suggestion! I'm curious, does Payload consider Next's caching behaviors? That's one of the reasons I'm hesitant about using Next.
I need client-side state for some advanced features that wouldn't work well with PHP. To be honest, PHP isn’t my favorite, although I’ve enjoyed using Laravel. By the way, Astro offers islands that let you mix static and dynamic content, which is a real plus for SEO and user experience.