Open-Source Libraries We Actually Use in Production (2026 Edition)
The libraries we depend on in production, the ones we dropped this year, and the ones we are watching. JavaScript, .NET, databases, CSS, and tools.
Read article →Plain-English guides and studio notes on the open web.
The libraries we depend on in production, the ones we dropped this year, and the ones we are watching. JavaScript, .NET, databases, CSS, and tools.
Read article →Lessons from 40 projects. Scope is everything, sprint length matters, design before code, yes is more dangerous than no, and nine other hard-won truths.
Read article →The opinionated toolchain for our two-person studio. ASP.NET Core, Vue, Vite, PostgreSQL, Tailwind, and GitHub — plus the supporting tools that make everything work.
Read article →Why we refuse to quote from email, what the first call is for, how our pricing actually works, and how to talk to us if you are price-sensitive.
Read article →The opinionated, internal-style explanation of why Vue is our default, including the trade-offs we accepted and the few cases where we would still reach for something else.
Read article →Field labels, help text, inline validation, error messages, submit buttons, smart defaults, multi-step forms, and the patterns that lift completion rates.
Read article →Practical checklist for accessible colour. Colour-blind-safe palettes, contrast, not-colour-only patterns, and the tools that catch the most common mistakes.
Read article →CSS transitions, keyframes, the Web Animations API, FLIP, and the discipline that separates helpful motion from gratuitous decoration.
Read article →CSS variables from first principles. Theming, dark mode, calc(), @property animation, and the patterns that make stylesheets maintainable.
Read article →The modern responsive toolkit. clamp(), container queries, subgrid, dvh units, and the patterns that work for every device in 2026.
Read article →Modern password hashing in plain English. bcrypt, Argon2, salts, work factors, migration from legacy hashes, and the mistakes that get databases breached.
Read article →The protocol behind every third-party login button. Authorisation code flow, scopes, PKCE, and the small set of rules that make OAuth finally click.
Read article →Migrations from first principles to production deploys. Expand-contract pattern, team workflows, and the discipline that prevents database downtime.
Read article →JSON Web Tokens from first principles to a working ASP.NET Core 8 implementation. Includes refresh tokens, storage, and the security trade-offs.
Read article →Modern, safe PHP with MySQL. The PDO extension, prepared statements, password hashing, and the patterns every PHP project should follow.
Read article →Resources, verbs, status codes, pagination, versioning, idempotency, and the patterns that will keep your API maintainable for years.
Read article →The WebGL API, the Three.js library, and a real interactive 3D scene you can build in a single sitting. Includes orbit controls and lighting.
Read article →Document databases, JSON-shaped data, indexes, embedding vs referencing, and the aggregation pipeline that does everything SQL can do.
Read article →The simplest way to use Microsoft modern web framework. Page models, forms, EF Core, layouts, and a complete CRUD app by the end of the article.
Read article →The framework we use for almost every front-end build. Templates, reactivity, props, emits, and the patterns that scale from prototype to production.
Read article →A plain-English introduction to the version control tool every developer uses every day. Save work, undo mistakes, branch off ideas, merge them back.
Read article →What WCAG actually requires, what ARIA is for, and the small set of habits that will make every page you build dramatically more inclusive.
Read article →ES modules, CommonJS, dynamic imports, tree-shaking, and the small set of rules that make the modern JavaScript ecosystem finally make sense.
Read article →Two-dimensional layouts made simple. Learn the grid model, named areas, the auto-fit minmax trick, and the patterns every modern interface relies on.
Read article →Forms are how websites collect information from real human beings. Learn the inputs, labels, validation patterns, and JavaScript submission that every modern app needs.
Read article →You have learned the basics. Now it is time to talk to the network, write code that does not block, and split your work across files like a grown-up.
Read article →If HTML is the nouns and CSS is the adjectives, JavaScript is the verbs. We start from zero and end with a small click-counter project you can show your friends.
Read article →CSS is the paint, the wallpaper, and the furniture of your webpage. This guide walks you through selectors, the box model, and your first real stylesheet.
Read article →A patient, plain-English intro to HTML. By the end you will know what every tag does, why you use them, and how to build a real webpage from scratch.
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