---
title: Philosophy
description: Guiding principles for the development of next-forge.
---

### Fast

Your project should be **fast**. This doesn't just mean fast to build, run and deploy. It also means it should be fast to validate ideas, iterate and scale. This is critical for front-loading the important parts of starting a startup: finding product-market fit, iterating on the core concept and scaling to customers.

### Cheap

Your project should be **cheap** and preferably free to start. You shouldn't be spending money on tools and infrastructure if you don't have customers yet. It should avoid a flat cost, or have a generous free tier. You should aim to make your project self-sustaining, with the goal of avoiding any recurring costs upfront and finding services that scale with you.

### Opinionated

Your project should be **opinionated**. This means that the tooling should be designed to work together, and the project should be designed to work with the tooling. This is important for reducing friction and increasing productivity.

### Modern

Your project should be **modern**. This means that the tooling should be actively maintained, and the project should be designed to take advantage of the latest features. This is important for reducing technical debt and increasing longevity. This doesn't mean you should use bleeding edge or experimental tooling, but instead should use the latest stable versions of modern tools with healthy communities and long-term support.

### Safe

Your project should be **safe**. Practically, this means end-to-end type safety, securely handling secrets and using platforms that offer robust security posture.
