The tools I actually use

Short list:

• VS Code with a tiny set of extensions
• A notebook for the stuff that doesn't fit in a ticket

That is it. Frontend is very complex nowadays, with different "Stack" emerging every other week. Coding with AI seems faster than ever. But that means it is also negotiable.

Don't just say "NEXTJS" for everything. That is like saying we need a cannon to catch a fly, Always.

Often times you don't have a choice because the tools are pre-set or pre-chosen for you, but when you can, be sure to think about trade-offs, get into details as to WHY you are picking a certain tool. Does it really help you get the job done faster? Does it make your job easier in any way? Does the client actually need it? What are you giving up if you go with the tool. There are always trade-offs.

You don't have to use the latest and greatest, and based on what's been happening in the frontend world, or rather, the JS world, with supply chain attacks, famous libraries compromised, you sometimes rather stick with what is tried and true, and sometimes that means just plain old JS/TS.

Everything else is negotiable.