Abie Maxey
Dev stack ~ laptop with code on screen
Dev ToolsJune 5, 20263 min read

The Dev Stack you need

6 tools. No fluff. Ship real products from your laptop.

People keep asking what tools I use to build. Here's the honest answer: 6 tools. That's it. No 47-tab Notion workspace. No “ultimate productivity system.” Just the stack that ships.

I run three businesses from one laptop. Every product, every feature, every deployment goes through these tools. If you're building something real ~ this is where to start.

00The Reel

01

Claude Code

Coding agent

My AI pair programmer. It writes code, debugs, refactors, and deploys ~ all from the terminal. I describe what I want, it builds it. This is not autocomplete. It's a full agent that understands my codebase, runs commands, and ships features end to end. If you're not using this yet, you're working too hard.

Get Claude Code
02

InsForge

Backend + full-stack apps

When I need a full working app ~ frontend, backend, database, hosted ~ I describe it in one sentence. InsForge builds the whole stack in minutes. I've replaced tools that cost hundreds per month with apps I built in one afternoon. You own the code. No subscriptions. No lock-in.

Try InsForge
03

Vercel

Deployments

Push to GitHub, it's live. That's it. Vercel handles builds, previews, domains, and edge caching. Every PR gets its own preview URL. Every merge to main auto-deploys to production. Zero config. I've never once SSH'd into a server.

Deploy on Vercel
04

GitHub

Version control

Every feature gets a branch. Every branch gets a PR. Every PR gets reviewed before it touches production. If something breaks, I roll back in seconds. If you're building with AI and not using Git, you're playing without a save button.

Start with GitHub
05

Higgsfield

AI video + image generation

When I need a video ad, a product demo, or visual content for socials ~ Higgsfield generates it from a prompt. AI-generated videos and images that actually look professional. No shooting, no editing software, no hiring a videographer. Describe what you want, get it back in minutes.

Try Higgsfield
06

Stripe

Payments

Subscriptions, one-time payments, invoices, webhooks ~ Stripe handles it all. My playbooks, consulting packages, and UGC payments all run through Stripe. The API is clean. The dashboard is clear. Revenue just works.

Set up Stripe

07The Whole Stack

That's it. No bloat.

Claude Code writes the code.

InsForge builds full apps from one sentence.

GitHub tracks every change.

Vercel deploys in seconds.

Higgsfield makes it move.

Stripe gets you paid.

No complexity. Just tools that ship.

Playbooks

Want the full system?

I wrote step-by-step playbooks that teach you how to set up this entire stack, build your first product, and ship it live. From zero to production.

Browse Playbooks
Abie Maxey

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