Frontend Architecture Selection

Guides frontend technology stack selection and project scaffolding for new or empty projects.

Step 1: Clarify Requirements

Before recommending a stack, MUST ask (or infer from context):

Question	Options	Impact
Rendering mode	SPA / SSR / SSG / Hybrid	Determines framework
Content type	Dashboard / Landing / Docs / App	Determines UI library
SEO required?	Yes / No	SSR vs SPA decision
Backend API	REST / GraphQL / gRPC-Web	Data layer strategy
Team size	Solo / Small / Large	Monorepo strategy
Backend stack	Go / Node / Other	Type-safe client gen

Step 2: Recommended Default Stack

When requirements are general-purpose (no strong constraints), recommend this stack:

Framework:      Next.js 15 (App Router)     # SSR + SPA hybrid, SEO-friendly
Language:       TypeScript 5.x (strict)     # Non-negotiable
Build:          Turbopack (built-in Next.js) / Vite (standalone SPA)
Styling:        Tailwind CSS v4
UI Components:  Ant Design v5
Global State:   Zustand
Server State:   TanStack Query v5
Forms:          React Hook Form + Zod
Package Mgr:    pnpm (preferred)
Testing:        Vitest + Testing Library + Playwright (E2E)
Linting:        ESLint v9 (flat config) + Prettier

Step 3: Scenario-Based Selection

Use the decision tree below, then see stacks.md for full matrices.

New Frontend Project
        │
        ├─ SEO / SSR required? ──────▶ Next.js 15 (App Router)
        │
        ├─ Content / Docs / Blog? ───▶ Astro 5
        │
        ├─ Vue team? ────────────────▶ Nuxt 3 (mirrors Next.js)
        │
        └─ General SPA ──────────────▶ React 19 + Vite + Ant Design v5

Step 4: Confirm Stack & Update README.md

After the user confirms the tech stack, MUST update (or create) the project's README.md with a Tech Stack section.

Template to insert/append:

## Tech Stack

| Layer | Choice |
|-------|--------|
| Framework | <!-- e.g. Next.js 15 (App Router) --> |
| Language | TypeScript 5.x (strict) |
| Build | <!-- e.g. Turbopack / Vite --> |
| Styling | <!-- e.g. Tailwind CSS v4 --> |
| UI Components | <!-- e.g. Ant Design v5 --> |
| Global State | <!-- e.g. Zustand --> |
| Server State | <!-- e.g. TanStack Query v5 --> |
| Forms | <!-- e.g. React Hook Form + Zod --> |
| Package Manager | pnpm |
| Testing | Vitest + Testing Library + Playwright |
| Linting | ESLint v9 + Prettier |

Rules:

• If README.md already exists: append the Tech Stack section; do NOT overwrite existing content.
• If README.md does not exist: create it with project name as heading and the Tech Stack section.
• Fill in each row with the actual confirmed choices, removing placeholder comments.

Step 5: Go Backend Integration

When the backend is Go (common in this workspace):

• Type-safe API client: Use Orval or Hey API to auto-generate TypeScript client from OpenAPI/Swagger spec — eliminates manual type definitions
• Auth (JWT): Handle token refresh in TanStack Query's defaultOptions or axios interceptor
• CORS: Confirm Go handler sets correct headers for the frontend origin

Step 6: Scaffold the Project

After README.md is updated, run the appropriate init commands.
See templates/nextjs.md, templates/vite-spa.md, or templates/astro.md for exact commands.

Project Structure Convention

Follow Feature-Sliced Design (aligned with Go Clean Architecture on the backend):

src/
├── app/          # App-level setup: providers, router, global styles
├── pages/        # Route-level components (or Next.js app/ dir)
├── features/     # Feature modules: each has ui/, model/, api/
├── shared/       # Reusable: ui components, lib, types, hooks
└── entities/     # Domain models (aligned with backend domain layer)

Code Quality Checklist

• TypeScript strict: true enabled in tsconfig
• ESLint + Prettier configured with pre-commit hook (Husky + lint-staged)
• Path aliases (@/) configured in tsconfig and build tool
• Environment variables typed (e.g. env.d.ts or t3-env)
• Zod schemas colocated with forms / API boundaries
• TanStack Query keys in a central queryKeys.ts file
• Tests: unit (Vitest), component (Testing Library), E2E (Playwright)

Reference

• Full technology stack matrices → stacks.md
• Next.js scaffold commands → templates/nextjs.md
• Vite SPA scaffold commands → templates/vite-spa.md
• Astro scaffold commands → templates/astro.md