AIBlueprint Tools & Libraries Reference
This document lists all recommended tools and libraries for development with the AIBlueprint stack. Use this as a reference when making architecture decisions.
Quick Reference Table
| Name |
Description |
Tags |
| Next.js |
Main React framework with App Router |
framework, frontend, backend |
| TanStack Query |
Data fetching & caching for API routes |
frontend, library |
| Zustand |
Client-side state management |
frontend, library |
| nuqs |
URL state management |
frontend, library |
| shadcn/ui |
Customizable React components |
frontend, library |
| Convex |
Realtime database & backend |
backend, database, realtime |
| Liveblocks |
Multiplayer collaboration features |
frontend, backend, realtime |
| Neon |
Serverless PostgreSQL |
backend, database, sql |
| Supabase |
PostgreSQL + Backend as a Service |
backend, database, sql |
| Prisma |
Type-safe ORM (recommended for teams) |
backend, database, orm |
| Drizzle ORM |
Lightweight type-safe ORM |
backend, database, orm |
| Better Auth |
Complete authentication solution |
backend, library |
| Inngest |
Background jobs & workflows |
backend, service |
| Next Safe Action |
Secure Server Actions |
backend, library |
| next-zod-route |
Secure API Routes |
backend, library |
| Zod |
Runtime validation (v4) |
library, validation |
| AI SDK |
LLM integration wrapper |
backend, frontend, library |
| up-fetch |
Modern fetch wrapper |
backend, frontend, library |
| Vitest |
Fast unit testing |
testing, library |
| Playwright |
E2E testing |
testing, library |
| Sentry |
Error tracking & monitoring |
monitoring, service |
| Resend |
Developer email service |
email, service |
| React Email |
Email templates in React |
email, library |
| AWS SES |
High-volume email |
email, service |
| Stripe |
Complete payment solution |
payment, service |
| Lemon Squeezy |
Payments with tax handling |
payment, service |
| PostHog |
Product analytics |
analytics, service |
| Plausible |
Simple web analytics |
analytics, service |
| React Hook Form |
Form management (recommended) |
frontend, library, forms |
| TanStack Form |
Headless form management |
frontend, library, forms |
| Uploadthing |
Simple file uploads |
upload, images, service |
| Cloudflare R2 |
S3-compatible storage |
backend, images, storage |
| AWS S3 |
Object storage standard |
storage, images, infra |
Categories
Framework & Frontend
- Next.js - Main framework
- TanStack Query - Data fetching & cache
- Zustand - Client state management
- nuqs - URL state
- shadcn/ui - UI components
Backend & API
- Next Safe Action - Secure Server Actions
- next-zod-route - Secure API Routes
- Better Auth - Authentication
- AI SDK - LLM integration
- up-fetch - HTTP client
Database & ORM
- Neon - Serverless PostgreSQL (recommended)
- Supabase - PostgreSQL + BaaS
- Prisma - Type-safe ORM (recommended for teams)
- Drizzle ORM - Lightweight ORM (recommended for performance)
Realtime & Collaboration
- Convex - Realtime database + backend (recommended for realtime apps)
- Liveblocks - Multiplayer collaboration (cursors, presence, comments)
Validation & Forms
- Zod - Data validation (v4)
- React Hook Form - Form management (recommended)
- TanStack Form - Modern alternative
Testing
- Vitest - Unit tests
- Playwright - E2E tests
Monitoring & Analytics
- Sentry - Error tracking & performance
- PostHog - Product analytics (recommended)
- Plausible - Simple web analytics
Payments
- Stripe - Complete solution (recommended for flexibility)
- Lemon Squeezy - Simple + handles taxes (recommended for solopreneurs)
Email
- Resend - Transactional emails (recommended)
- React Email - Email templates in React
- AWS SES - High volume
Images & Upload
- Uploadthing - Simple Next.js uploads (recommended)
- Cloudflare R2 - Cheap object storage
- AWS S3 - Standard object storage
Services & Infrastructure
- Inngest - Async jobs & workflows
- Cloudflare Browser Rendering - Serverless scraping
Recommended Stack
Frontend
- Next.js + TanStack Query + Zustand + shadcn/ui
- React Hook Form + Zod
Backend
- Neon (DB) + Prisma or Drizzle (ORM)
- Next Safe Action + Better Auth
- Resend + React Email
Services
- Stripe (payments)
- Uploadthing (upload)
- Cloudflare R2 (storage)
- PostHog (analytics)
- Sentry (monitoring)
Testing
Decision Guide
| Decision |
Recommendation |
| Database |
Neon + Prisma to start, Drizzle for performance |
| Realtime |
Convex for full realtime, Liveblocks for collaboration only |
| Email |
Resend to start, AWS SES for >100k/month |
| Payments |
Stripe for flexibility, Lemon Squeezy for tax simplicity |
| Analytics |
PostHog for product analytics, Plausible for simple web analytics |
| Forms |
React Hook Form (standard), TanStack Form (more control) |
| ORM |
Prisma (better DX), Drizzle (better perf, 2-3x faster) |
| Upload |
Uploadthing (simple), R2/S3 (more control) |
| Testing |
Vitest (unit), Playwright (E2E, more reliable than Cypress) |
Important Notes
- Zod: Now v4, specify version to AI
- Supabase Auth: Prefer Better-Auth for flexibility
- Convex vs Neon+Liveblocks: Convex if entire app is realtime, Neon+Liveblocks if only some features need collaboration
- AWS S3: Watch egress costs, prefer R2 for serving assets
- Stripe Tax: Enable for automatic tax handling
- Sentry: Configure source maps for real stack traces
- Prisma vs Drizzle: Prisma = better DX, Drizzle = better perf
