What is the T3 tech stack all about?

Are you curious about the T3 tech stack and how it can streamline modern web development? In this post, we’ll break down what the T3 tech stack is, why it’s gaining popularity, and how it integrates cutting-edge tools to create efficient, scalable applications. Whether you’re a developer looking to explore new technologies or someone interested in understanding the latest trends in web development, you’ll find valuable insights here. Let’s dive into the world of T3!

What is this?

The T3 tech stack is a modern web development framework designed to facilitate the creation of full-stack applications with a strong emphasis on type safety and modularity. Developed by Theo, it primarily utilizes Next.js and incorporates several other technologies to enhance developer efficiency and application performance.

Core Components of the T3 Stack

1. Next.js: A powerful React framework that enables server-side rendering and static site generation, making it suitable for building high-performance web applications.
2. TypeScript: An extension of JavaScript that introduces static typing, which helps in reducing runtime errors and improving code quality through better tooling support.
3. tRPC: A library that simplifies remote procedure calls between the client and server, allowing for type-safe API interactions without the boilerplate typically associated with REST or GraphQL.
4. Prisma: An ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) tool that streamlines database access, providing a strongly-typed API for querying databases while minimizing boilerplate code.
5. Tailwind CSS: A utility-first CSS framework that allows developers to create custom designs quickly without leaving their HTML.
6. NextAuth.js: A library for adding authentication to Next.js applications, supporting various authentication providers and methods.

It should be noted that this web development stack is made by Theo↗  and focuses on simplicity, modularity, and full-stack typesafety.

Key Features

• Full-stack Type Safety: The T3 stack ensures that types are preserved across the entire application, from the database to the frontend, reducing bugs during development.
• Modularity and Customization: Developers can choose to include only the components they need, allowing for a tailored setup that fits specific project requirements.
• Enhanced Developer Experience: By bundling these technologies together through tools like create-t3-app, the stack automates setup processes, enabling developers to focus on building features rather than configuration.

Use Cases

The T3 stack is particularly well-suited for projects that require rapid development cycles, such as:

• E-commerce platforms
• Data visualization tools
• Content management systems

In summary, the T3 tech stack combines cutting-edge technologies to provide a robust framework for building modern web applications efficiently while maintaining high standards of code quality and performance.

How does the T3 stack compare to other tech stacks like T4

The T3 and T4 tech stacks are both designed to streamline web development, but they cater to different needs and philosophies.

The T3 and T4 tech stacks both aim to streamline web development, but they approach it in distinct ways. The T3 stack emphasizes modularity and type safety, heavily leveraging technologies such as TypeScript, Next.js, tRPC, Prisma, and Tailwind CSS. Its design focuses on solving specific development challenges while maintaining a balance between cutting-edge features and stability. By ensuring that every component serves a clear purpose, the T3 stack promotes efficient bug detection, aided by its robust typing system. On the other hand, the T4 stack is performance-first and incorporates technologies like tRPC, Tanstack Query, and Drizzle. It is built for flexibility in project setup and provides a wide range of libraries compatible with various platforms, including Windows, Linux, and Mac, making it highly versatile for different application types.

Both stacks offer high customization options. The T3 stack allows developers to include only the necessary components, resulting in minimal templates tailored to specific project needs. Similarly, the T4 stack also offers project flexibility but places a stronger emphasis on integrating performance-optimized libraries. When it comes to the learning curve, the T3 stack may be more challenging for beginners due to its reliance on TypeScript and the integration of multiple technologies. In contrast, the T4 stack is noted for its relatively smaller learning curve, making it easier for newcomers to adopt.

In terms of performance and optimization, both stacks prioritize speed and efficiency. The T3 stack, for example, utilizes Upstash to enhance Redis performance in serverless environments, while the T4 stack benefits from tools like Tuborepo to enable high-performance TypeScript builds, underscoring its performance-oriented approach.

Ultimately, both stacks aim to improve web development by reducing development time and enhancing application performance, but they cater to different needs. The T3 stack, with its strong focus on type safety and modularity, is more mature, while the T4 stack provides greater flexibility with a broader range of libraries for various platforms. The choice between the two largely depends on project requirements and the developer’s familiarity with the respective technologies.

How tRPC integrates with the T3 stack

tRPC integrates seamlessly with the T3 stack, enhancing the development experience by providing a type-safe API communication layer between the frontend and backend. Here’s how it fits into the overall architecture:

Integration of tRPC in the T3 Stack

Role of tRPC

• Type-Safe APIs: tRPC allows developers to create end-to-end type-safe APIs without the need for code generation or additional runtime overhead. This means that both the client and server share type definitions, reducing errors and improving code quality during development15.
• Simplified Communication: It replaces traditional REST API routes with a more efficient RPC (Remote Procedure Call) approach, enabling direct function calls from the frontend to backend endpoints. This leads to a more straightforward and intuitive way to handle data fetching and manipulation3.

How It Works

Router Setup: In a T3 application, you define your API routes using tRPC routers. Each router can handle specific functionalities, such as user management or post operations. These routers are then merged into a single appRouter, which serves as the main entry point for API calls.

const appRouter = createTRPCRouter({
    users: userRouter,
    posts: postRouter,
});
export type AppRouter = typeof appRouter;

API Handler: The T3 stack automatically sets up an API handler for tRPC in Next.js, typically located at pages/api/trpc/[trpc].ts. This handler connects incoming requests to the appropriate router methods, allowing you to manage API calls easily.

Client-Side Usage: On the frontend, tRPC provides hooks that allow you to call these APIs directly with full type safety. This integration leverages TypeScript’s inference capabilities, so when you call an API method, it knows the expected input and output types, improving developer experience and reducing runtime errors.

Benefits of Using tRPC in T3

• Accelerated Development: By eliminating boilerplate code associated with traditional REST APIs and enabling type inference, tRPC significantly speeds up the development process. Teams have reported reduced time-to-market for applications built using this stack.
• Enhanced Code Quality: The type-safe nature of tRPC helps catch errors at compile time rather than at runtime, leading to more reliable applications.

Integrating tRPC within the T3 stack creates a powerful framework for building modern web applications that prioritize efficiency and maintainability. By leveraging TypeScript’s strengths alongside Next.js and Prisma, developers can create robust applications with streamlined communication between frontend and backend components.

How to create your first T3 App?

Creating your first T3 app is a great way to dive into modern web development using cutting-edge technologies. The T3 stack is designed to be modular, developer-friendly, and type-safe, leveraging tools like TypeScript, Next.js, tRPC, Prisma, and Tailwind CSS. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started:

Step 1: Set Up Your Development Environment

Before you begin, make sure you have the necessary tools installed:

1. Node.js: T3 apps are built with JavaScript/TypeScript, so you’ll need Node.js installed on your machine. You can download it from here.
2. Git: Version control is essential, so ensure Git is installed. You can get it from here.
3. Code Editor: A good code editor, such as Visual Studio Code, will make the development process easier.

Step 2: Create a New T3 App

The T3 stack provides a CLI tool that makes setting up a new app straightforward. You can use the following steps to create your app:

1. Open your terminal and run the following command to create a new T3 app:

npx create-t3-app@latest

2. You’ll be prompted to choose a template. For your first app, you can select the default template, which includes Next.js, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, and other essential tools.
3. After selecting your template, the setup will automatically install dependencies and configure your project.

Step 3: Navigate Into Your Project Folder

Once the installation is complete, navigate into your newly created project folder:

cd your-app-name

Step 4: Install Dependencies

Although the CLI tool installs the initial dependencies, you may want to install or update any other packages you need. You can do so by running:

npm install

Step 5: Set Up Prisma for Database Management

Prisma is an ORM that allows you to interact with your database in a type-safe manner. Here’s how to set it up:

1. Initialize Prisma:

npx prisma init

2. Configure your database connection in the .env file that’s generated (this could be a local SQLite database or any other database of your choice).
3. Create your Prisma schema (prisma/schema.prisma) and define the models you want to use.
4. After setting up your schema, run the following command to create your database tables:

npx prisma migrate dev

Step 6: Set Up tRPC for Type-Safe API Endpoints

The T3 stack uses tRPC to build type-safe API endpoints. To add tRPC to your app:

1. Install the necessary dependencies:

npm install @trpc/server @trpc/client

2. Create a new API router file, such as src/server/routers/appRouter.ts, and define your routes. For example:

import { createRouter } from '@trpc/server';

export const appRouter = createRouter()
  .query('getUser', {
    resolve() {
      return { name: 'John Doe' };
    },
  });

3. Set up the createContext function and configure your API handler in pages/api/trpc/[trpc].ts:

import { initTRPC } from '@trpc/server';
import { appRouter } from '../../../server/routers/appRouter';

const t = initTRPC.create();

export const appRouter = t.router({
  getUser: t.procedure.query(() => {
    return { name: 'John Doe' };
  }),
});

export type AppRouter = typeof appRouter;

Step 7: Set Up Tailwind CSS

4. Tailwind CSS is already included in the default template, but if you’re starting from scratch, you can install it using:

npm install -D tailwindcss postcss autoprefixer
npx tailwindcss init

Then, configure the tailwind.config.js file to include the paths for your app:

module.exports = {
  content: [
    "./pages/**/*.{js,ts,jsx,tsx}",
    "./components/**/*.{js,ts,jsx,tsx}",
  ],
  theme: {
    extend: {},
  },
  plugins: [],
}

Finally, add Tailwind’s CSS directives to your global styles in styles/globals.css:

@tailwind base;
@tailwind components;
@tailwind utilities;

Step 8: Run Your App

To start your development server and view your app in the browser, run:

npm run dev

Your app will now be live at http://localhost:3000.

Step 9: Customize and Build Features

At this point, you’ve set up the basic structure for your T3 app. You can now start adding custom pages, components, and API routes. Explore the power of type safety, modularity, and the integration between Next.js, tRPC, Prisma, and Tailwind CSS to build your app efficiently.

Step 10: Deploy Your T3 App

Once you’re happy with your app, consider deploying it using a service like Vercel (which is optimized for Next.js apps) or Netlify. Follow the deployment guides for the respective platforms to push your app live.

Note that the above are just the basic steps for creating a T3 App. You can read the official documentation for more details here.