Software I use, gadgets I love, and other things I recommend.
I get asked a lot about the things I use to build software, stay productive, or buy to fool myself into thinking I’m being productive when I’m really just procrastinating. Here’s a big list of all of my favorite stuff.
Development tools
IntelliJ IDEA
A powerful, feature-rich IDE for Java and other JVM languages, with excellent code completion and refactoring tools. It’s a bit heavy but indispensable for serious development.
DBeaver
A free, open-source database tool with support for multiple DBMS like MySQL, PostgreSQL, and more. It’s feature-packed and great for developers who work with different databases.
Postman
An essential tool for API development and testing, with a clean interface for sending requests and inspecting responses. Saves tons of time when debugging REST APIs.
Cursor
A modern, AI-powered code editor built for pair programming and collaboration. Feels like VS Code but with deep Git integration and smart AI assistance.
Docker
The go-to platform for containerizing applications, making deployment and scaling seamless. It abstracts away environment inconsistencies so your apps run anywhere.
MongoDB Compass
The official GUI for MongoDB, offering a visual way to explore, query, and analyze your data. Perfect for both beginners and experts working with NoSQL databases.
Kubernetes
The de facto standard for container orchestration—scales and manages your Docker containers like a boss.
Productivity
Jira
The quintessential agile project management tool that teams love to complain about—packed with features for sprint planning, bug tracking, and workflow automation
Languages & Frameworks
Java EE
A robust enterprise platform for building scalable, distributed applications with Java. Packed with APIs for everything from web services to transaction management—but can feel heavyweight for modern microservices.
Spring Boot
The opinionated, batteries-included framework that makes Java development painless. Handles configuration magic so you can focus on writing business logic without XML hell.
SQL
The timeless language for managing relational databases—precise, powerful, and still essential 50 years later.
JavaScript
The lingua franca of the web, for better or worse. Lets you build anything from simple scripts to full-stack apps.
React
The library that conquered the frontend world. Component-driven, flexible, and backed by Meta—but leaves you to figure out routing, state, and tooling yourself.
Next.js
The React framework that does the hard parts for you: SSR, static sites, APIs, and routing. Feels like cheating at web dev (in the best way).
Angular
Google’s full-fledged MVC framework: batteries included, TypeScript-first, and ideal for large teams.