AI / LLM stack
The stack has to track prompts, cost, latency, evals, security and LLM observability.
- Selection
- 10 3 optional
- Target budget
- $86 per month
- Profile
- Optimization business stage
Which tool does what?
FoundationCore
OpenAI API
Keep in this stack: clear role, recurring use, direct impact on delivery.Document from the first project to stay maintainable.FoundationCore
Claude
Keep in this stack: clear role, recurring use, direct impact on delivery.Document from the first project to stay maintainable.FoundationCore
Gemini
Keep in this stack: clear role, recurring use, direct impact on delivery.Document from the first project to stay maintainable.ProductionCore
LangChain
Keep in this stack: clear role, recurring use, direct impact on delivery.Document from the first project to stay maintainable.ProductionCore
LlamaIndex
Keep in this stack: clear role, recurring use, direct impact on delivery.Document from the first project to stay maintainable.ProductionCore
Vercel AI SDK
Keep in this stack: clear role, recurring use, direct impact on delivery.Document from the first project to stay maintainable.
BackendCoreSupabase
Keep in this stack: clear role, recurring use, direct impact on delivery.Document from the first project to stay maintainable.ControlIf needed
pgvector
Keep in this stack: clear role, recurring use, direct impact on delivery.Enable when volume, risk, or complexity justifies it.ControlIf needed
Pinecone
Keep in this stack: clear role, recurring use, direct impact on delivery.Enable when volume, risk, or complexity justifies it.ControlIf needed
Qdrant
Keep in this stack: clear role, recurring use, direct impact on delivery.Enable when volume, risk, or complexity justifies it.
Why these tools together?
The trap: a magical demo with no traces, evals or cost control. A serious LLM app is observed like a product. ToolTrim approach: one tool per role, one source of truth per topic, and guardrails before premium tooling.
A good fit if…
Apps built on LLM APIs, RAG, embeddings, agents and AI workflows.
Look elsewhere if…
You only want a generic tool list without delivery, monitoring, or maintenance logic.
Scope before coding
Brief, deliverables, limits, access, and acceptance criteria must be set before final tooling choices.
Deliver the full chain
Code, preview, tests, logs, documentation, and billing must be designed together.
Make handover possible
The client must understand what exists, where it is hosted, how to deploy, and what to monitor.
What should you budget?
Supabase$25Gemini$23
Claude$20
OpenAI APIUsage-based
LangChainFree
LlamaIndexFree
Vercel AI SDKFree
pgvectoroptionalFree
PineconeoptionalFree
QdrantoptionalFree
The target budget is the recommended starting envelope. The list price adds up each core tool's first paid plan, excluding 1 tool without a fixed price. Optional tools are not included.
What to watch out for
The trap: a magical demo with no traces, evals or cost control. A serious LLM app is observed like a product.
Overbuilt stack
A senior stack is not a huge stack. It removes as much as it adds.
No monitoring
Without errors, logs, and uptime, you discover issues through the client.
AI without guardrails
AI accelerates but does not replace tests, review, or technical judgment.
Several active clients
Standardize templates, checklists, conventions, and project onboarding.
Production risk
Add monitoring, alerts, backups, secrets, and tests before adding new frameworks.
Recurring maintenance
Move from one-shot delivery to a tracking system: changelog, tickets, light SLA, and monthly report.
Questions to ask yourself
Can the client see an up-to-date version without asking?
No → add preview, short changelog, and stable link in the project page.
Do you know what to monitor after production?
No → start with errors, uptime, useful logs, and the main business event.
Can the stack be explained to the client in five minutes?
No → it is probably too scattered or not documented enough.