Uses
The hardware, editor, terminal, and apps I reach for every day. Updated as the loadout actually changes — not for the sake of it.
Hardware
- MacBook Pro (Apple Silicon)
Daily driver. The M-series perf-per-watt is hard to beat for full-stack dev — Docker, multiple Node processes, and a video call all stay cool and fanless.
- External monitor
Second screen for docs / Slack / logs while the laptop screen holds the editor. Vertical orientation works well for long log tails.
- Mechanical keyboard + low-profile mouse
Tactile keyboard for typing comfort over long sessions; a quiet mouse so I don't drive myself or the room nuts during pair-programming.
Editor + Terminal
- Vim
Primary editor for quick edits, server work, and anything I want to keep my hands on the home row for. Modal editing pays off the longer the session runs.
- VS Code
When I want a richer feature set — extension ecosystem, debugger, multi-root monorepo support. Pairs with Vim keybindings so muscle memory carries over.
- Claude Code
Agentic CLI for the boring or repetitive parts of changes — refactors, type fixes, scaffolding new files. Stays in the terminal so it composes with my normal git workflow.
- iTerm2
Tabs, split panes, and tmux-friendly behaviour. Faster than the default Terminal and has the customisations I expect.
- zsh + Oh My Zsh
Sensible defaults out of the box. Plugins for git, kubectl, and node-version tooling; minimal prompt so it doesn't fight the terminal for screen real estate.
Browser + Dev Tools
- Chrome
Primary dev browser — DevTools is still the most polished. Cross-test in Safari and Firefox before shipping.
- React DevTools
Component tree, profiling, and hook inspection. Pinned in the toolbar.
- Lighthouse
Quick perf / a11y / SEO sanity check before pushing anything user-facing. Mobile preset by default — desktop scores hide too much.
Apps
- Notion
Personal docs, project planning, and the occasional shared brief with collaborators.
- Slack
Day job comms. The Huddle feature pulls double-duty for quick pair-programming.
- Cal.com
Booking link for the Contact section on this site. Self-hosted-friendly and saves a back-and-forth on availability.
- Bitwarden
Vault for credentials and dev secrets. Open-source, cross-platform, and the free tier comfortably covers personal + side-project use.
Services
- Vercel
Default deploy target for any Next.js side project. Preview URLs per PR, free analytics, no infra to babysit.
- GitHub
Source of truth for everything — code, issues, Actions for CI, and Releases for any tool I publish.
- AWS
When the workload outgrows a single Vercel function. Mostly Lambda + S3 + RDS for the day-job microservices.