How we build

The technology behind your product — and why we choose it.

There's no single best tool. Every layer of a product has a few strong options, each better at a different job. Here's what we default to, and when we reach for something else instead.

How we choose

  • Right tool per job

    We match each layer's strengths to your product's real needs — team, budget, and how it's actually used.

  • One TypeScript spine

    Where we can, one language runs from screen to database, so mistakes are caught before they ship.

  • Ship, then scale

    Start lean and reach real users; adopt the heavier, enterprise-grade pieces only when scale demands them.

  • You own your data

    We favour open, portable foundations over lock-in that gets expensive later.

Mobile apps

Android & iOS, from one codebase

Building for both app stores without doubling the work — and picking the framework that fits your product, not the trend of the month.

Choosing the framework

This decides your codebase, your talent pool, and your performance ceiling. In 2026 the capability gaps have narrowed — for most apps it's a fit-to-team decision, not a raw-power one.

  • React Native + Expo

    TypeScript Avian pick

    Native apps written in React & TypeScript — one codebase, both stores.

    • Largest talent pool; shares code with our web work
    • Builds iOS in the cloud — no Mac required
    consumer & content appsweb + mobile teams

  • Flutter

    Dart

    Google's toolkit draws every pixel itself for identical UI everywhere.

    • Pixel-perfect custom UI, 120fps animation
    • Strong in fintech & design-led products
    design-driven appsnew language

  • Kotlin Multiplatform

    native

    Share business logic as genuinely native binaries on each platform.

    • Fully native performance & device access
    • Reuses an existing Android codebase
    strong Android teamsperformance-critical

  • Native — Swift + Kotlin

    2 codebases

    Each platform in its own language — maximum control and platform feel.

    • Deepest hardware use — AR, camera, health
    • Day-one access to new OS features
    flagship apps2× cost

  • Capacitor / Ionic

    web → app

    Wrap an existing web app or PWA in a native container.

    • Reuse a web app instantly — fastest to the stores
    • Native features available through plugins
    ship an existing PWAweb-view feel

Why we pickFor a brand-new app we default to React Native / Expo — the huge talent pool, code-sharing with our web work, and Mac-free cloud builds fit how we work and keep you flexible. We reach for Flutter when the product lives or dies on pixel-exact UI, native or Kotlin Multiplatform when hardware depth dominates, and Capacitor to get an existing web app into the store fast.

Inside the app

The building blocks that make the app fast and consistent: how it looks, how it remembers things, and how it talks to your server without lag.

  • NativeWind

    UI Avian pick — styling

    A utility-based design system — the same language as web Tailwind.

    consistent design fast

  • Zustand

    state Avian pick — state

    A tiny, no-boilerplate store for what's on screen. (Redux when a big team needs the structure.)

    simple & fast

  • TanStack Query

    server data Avian pick — data

    Handles fetching, caching and refresh so the app feels instant and stays in sync.

    snappy, always fresh

Getting it to the stores

How the app is built, released, and updated after launch — including the trick that lets us build iOS apps without ever owning a Mac.

  • Expo EAS

    build & ship Avian pick

    Cloud builds for both stores, plus over-the-air updates for quick fixes.

    • Builds iOS & Android in the cloud — no Mac
    • Ship small fixes in minutes, skipping store review
    every app we build

  • Store accounts

    one-time

    The unavoidable publishing costs, so there are no surprises.

    • Google Play — $25 once
    • Apple Developer — $99 / year
    budget upfront

Web development

Websites & web apps that perform

From a fast marketing site to a full product dashboard — built to load quickly, rank well, and stay easy to change.

Choosing the foundation

This decides how fast the site loads, how well it ranks, and how easily it changes later. We match the foundation to what the site actually is — a brochure, a product, or a store.

  • Next.js + React

    TypeScript Avian pick — web apps

    The framework for real web applications — logins, dashboards, live data.

    • Fast, SEO-friendly server rendering
    • Shares its language with our mobile stack
    dashboards & portalsstores with accounts

  • Astro / static

    HTML-first Avian pick — content sites

    Ships almost no JavaScript, so marketing & content sites load instantly.

    • Top performance & SEO out of the box
    • Cheap or free to host
    marketing sitesblogs & docs

  • Hand-built HTML/CSS

    zero-build

    For small, fast, low-maintenance sites — like this very website.

    • Nothing to break, nothing to update
    • Loads in a blink, hosts anywhere
    one-page siteslanding pages

  • Headless CMS

    self-edit

    A friendly editor so your team updates content without calling us.

    • Non-technical editing, still a fast site
    • Sanity, Payload or WordPress as the source
    content teamsfrequent updates

Why we pickIf the site is really an application — logins, data, dashboards — we use Next.js, so web and mobile share one language and one backend. If it's content — marketing, blog, docs — we use Astro or hand-built HTML for the fastest possible load and near-zero hosting cost. A headless CMS goes on top whenever your team needs to edit it themselves.

Styling & polish

How the site is designed and built to feel considered on every screen — laptop, tablet and phone — and usable by everyone.

  • Tailwind CSS

    design system Avian pick

    A utility toolkit that keeps spacing, colour and type consistent everywhere.

    consistent & responsive

  • shadcn / Radix

    components Avian pick

    Accessible, well-behaved components — menus, dialogs, forms — done right.

    accessible by default

  • Performance & SEO

    built in

    Fast loads, clean metadata, and dark mode — treated as part of the build, not an add-on.

    ranks & loads well

Hosting & delivery

Where the site runs and how it reaches your visitors quickly and reliably, matched to the type of site.

  • Vercel

    Next.js Avian pick — apps

    Push code, it deploys itself — with a global network and automatic scaling.

    web apps

  • Cloudflare / GitHub Pages

    free tier Avian pick — static

    Free, fast, global hosting for content and marketing sites — this site included.

    content siteslow cost

Databases & data

Where your data lives, safely

Choosing the right store for the shape of your data, then keeping it fast, backed up, and secure as you grow.

Choosing the database

The rule that matters: the shape of your data decides more than any benchmark — pick the store that fits, and everything downstream gets easier.

  • PostgreSQL

    relational Avian pick

    The dependable all-rounder — tables and relationships, plus JSON, search and maps.

    • Handles both structured and flexible data
    • A widely-adopted choice for new projects in 2026
    almost everythingstores, SaaS, reporting

  • MySQL

    relational

    The classic, with a huge ecosystem around WordPress and PHP.

    • Fast on simple, read-heavy workloads
    CMS & PHP stacks

  • MongoDB

    document

    For data shaped like free-form documents that change often.

    • Flexible schema, high write volume
    unstructured dataevent logs

  • SQLite / Turso

    edge

    Tiny and cheap, easy to give every client their own private database.

    • Great for multi-tenant and edge apps
    per-client setupslow cost

Why we pickPostgreSQL is our default — it covers both relational and document-style needs, so you rarely outgrow it. We use Turso/SQLite for lightweight, per-client setups, and reach for MongoDB only when the data is genuinely free-form.

Talking to it safely

The layer between the code and the database — where we prevent whole categories of bugs and security holes, and where the data is actually hosted.

  • Prisma

    type-safe Avian pick

    Typed, safe database access with clean, tracked schema changes (migrations).

    • Catches data mistakes before they ship
    • Safe, reversible schema updates
    most projects

  • Drizzle

    lightweight

    A leaner, SQL-close alternative for edge and speed-sensitive apps.

    edge / serverless

  • Neon / Supabase

    managed Avian pick — hosting

    Fully-managed Postgres — no servers to run, with a region close to India.

    • Automatic scaling and backups
    managed hosting

Keeping it safe

Data is the part of a business you can't afford to lose or leak. We treat protection as standard, not an upsell.

  • Backups

    automatic

    Point-in-time recovery, so a bad day is never a lost day.

  • Migrations

    tracked

    Every schema change is versioned and reversible — no risky manual edits.

  • Security

    by default

    Encrypted connections, injection-safe queries, and least-privilege access.

Business systems

Inventory, commerce & dashboards

The systems that run a business day to day — stock and inventory, online storefronts with admin, invoicing, and the dashboards that tie them together.

  1. Inventory & stock

    Track stock across products, sizes and colours, with low-stock alerts and purchase orders — so you always know what you have and what to reorder.

    Never guess stock

  2. Online store + admin

    A branded storefront with a full back office — orders, catalogue, customers and dispatch, all in one place.

    Store + back office

  3. Invoicing & estimation

    Quotes and invoices with GST/tax handled, payment status tracking, and clean PDFs — the paperwork that keeps cash flowing, minus the manual work.

    Less paperwork

  4. Dashboards & reporting

    One clear view of the numbers that matter — live KPIs, revenue trends and searchable records. See it live in our work.

    See it live

  5. Booking & reminders

    Appointment scheduling with automatic WhatsApp and SMS reminders to reduce no-shows — the kind of tool that fits clinics, salons and local service businesses.

    Fewer no-shows

  6. Portals & integrations

    Client and staff portals, plus connections between the tools you already use — so data flows automatically instead of being re-typed.

    Everything connects

How we build themThese run on the same foundation as everything above — a Next.js app, a PostgreSQL database, secure logins and role-based access — so your business system is fast, safe, and yours to grow. Want proof you can click? Two of our live demos already run this way — see them in our work.

In short

Best for what, at a glance

Our default picks across every layer, and when we reach for something else instead.

The decisionAvian defaultWe reach for something else when…
Mobile frameworkExpo / React NativeFlutter for pixel-exact UI · native for deep hardware · Capacitor to ship an existing web app
Inside the appNativeWind · Zustand · TanStack QueryRedux when a large team needs the extra structure
Web foundationNext.js for apps · Astro for contentHand-built HTML for tiny sites · a CMS when you edit it yourself
Web hostingVercel · Cloudflare PagesMatched to whether it's an app or a static site
DatabasePostgreSQLTurso for per-client setups · MongoDB for free-form data
Data accessPrismaDrizzle for edge and speed-critical apps
Backend & loginSupabase or a Next.js APIFirebase for offline-first mobile · Auth0 when enterprise sign-on is required
Shipping mobileExpo EASCloud builds for both stores — no Mac needed

Start a conversation

Tell us what's slowing you down.

We'll tell you, honestly, if we can help — usually within one business day.

Start a conversation