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.
Workstation
MacBook Pro 16" M
The machine that gets out of the way. Silent, fast, and reliable under heavy loads — containers, builds, everything at once without breaking a sweat.
Keychron K3 Max
Compact mechanical keyboard — wireless, low-profile, works across all my devices. The right balance between a proper typing experience and not taking up half the desk.
Logitech MX Master S
The best mouse I've used. Ergonomic, precise, and the horizontal scroll wheel is genuinely useful once you get used to it. Switches between machines seamlessly.
Development tools
Vim
Terminal-first. Vim is how I edit — configs, quick scripts, SSH sessions, everything. The muscle memory took time to build. Now I can't work without it.
JetBrains IDEs
Unmatched for deep refactoring, static analysis, and navigating large codebases. I still reach for them when the project demands it. I just wish they were lighter — the bloat is real and it slows everything down. Vim for the win most of the time.
VS Code
Good editor, genuinely good. Great extension ecosystem, fast enough, works well for most things. A solid middle ground between Vim and a full IDE when the situation calls for it.
Claude Code
AI coding assistant that actually understands context. Not just autocomplete — it reasons, refactors, and handles complex tasks end-to-end. Changed how I approach the parts of the work that used to just eat time.
iTerm2
My terminal of choice on macOS. Split panes, profiles, and good defaults. Most of my work happens here.
Docker & Kubernetes
Everything runs in containers. Local development with Docker Compose, production on Kubernetes. Consistent environments from laptop to cloud — no more "works on my machine" surprises.
Languages & Frameworks
PHP / Laravel
My go-to for web applications. Laravel's ecosystem is mature, well-documented, and incredibly productive for building real products fast.
Python
For scripting, automation, data processing, and AI/ML work. The language that gets out of your way and lets you think about the actual problem.
PostgreSQL
The database I reach for first. Rock-solid reliability, excellent JSON support, and powerful extensions. Pairs perfectly with everything else in the stack.
Elasticsearch
Fast, distributed, and scales well under pressure. Not just for search — it's become central to how we handle log analysis, threat intelligence, and real-time querying at scale.
Redis
People think of Redis as a cache. It's much more than that — pub/sub, queues, rate limiting, leaderboards, session storage, distributed locks. If you need something fast and ephemeral (or not), Redis probably has a data structure for it.
Security & Privacy
Little Snitch
Network monitor that shows you exactly what your Mac is talking to and lets you allow or block it connection by connection. Every developer should run this — you'd be surprised what your tools phone home about. Great software.
1Password
Password manager, SSH key agent, secret storage. The single most impactful security tool most people aren't using properly. No excuses for weak or reused passwords in 2026.
Design
Tailwind CSS
My go-to for UI styling. Utility-first, fast to iterate, and produces consistent results without fighting a design system. The only CSS framework I've never wanted to rip out mid-project.
Productivity
Alfred
It's not the newest kid on the block but it's still the fastest. The Sublime Text of the application launcher world.
Obsidian
Plain markdown files for notes, synced across devices. No vendor lock-in. The graph view helps connect ideas across projects and domains — my second brain.