What are y'all's thoughts on what I can learn on my own through posts/YouTube videos, vs. what I might need to hire a senior dev to help me do?
I've had this idea for a while, with the thought that I'd make it when I'm a more experienced software engineer, but there's no time like the present and I just want to bite the bullet and get started, even if it means I'll be making more mistakes and learning on the job.
For reference, the stack I'm leaning toward is PostreSQL (I don't have experience with this), Java Spring Boot (I'm pretty experienced with this), Typescript with Angular (pretty experienced), and some python (some experience). There's more stuff, like Redis (no experience).
Anyway...any help/advice on how to do this properly would be really helpful. Part of the idea of this project is just to learn, even if it means I learn a couple of months in that I have to start everything over from scratch, lol.
Most senior devs can't make a complete app from scratch - and that's not a bad thing. Like most disciplines we specialize, and so a "full stack senior dev" ends up being very good at a small slice of the whole software production pipeline. Even with LLMs, it takes a lot of effort and iteration before even a small product can reasonably serve a broad group of people.
Don't worry too much about "architecture" - there's never a perfect architecture. I think what you're describing is judgement. Senior devs aren't born with good judgement, nor do they acquire it by solely consuming content (books, videos, posts). The most successful pattern I've seen is: try your best, consider how difficult it would be to change things later, and favour simple solutions in general.
Since you're using this project to learn, I would advise you to use Claude Code with intention. You should read code 10x more than you write code (it's okay if Claude does the writing). Try to avoid asking Claude to explain the code to you. It's nice if you need a quick verification, but generally just try to find things out for yourself.
You're on the right track. Good luck!
You will only find out if you try it.
PostgreSQL is a great database — I use it too, and I'd recommend it.
I wouldn't suggest Java though — it's too resource-heavy. If you have really good server resources, maybe consider it. But I'd recommend Rust instead. Don't be afraid — Claude will write most of the code for you. You just need to know how to debug.
As for Redis, you probably don't need it at the early stage. Only worry about it when your app has a lot of users — by then you'll naturally figure out how to use it.
One more thing: write detailed API documentation first. Everything should revolve around the docs. Don't rush into writing code. Trust me, documentation matters more than code.
Good luck, and go for it!
Admitting you can't design architecture shows real integrity that many wouldn't. But honestly, just go for it. Everyone learns from flaws.
PostgreSQL, Spring Boot, Angular, Python, and Redis are all popular choices, so Claude should be well enough versed to teach.
You don't have to go through books and documentation websites, and you'll lose the chance to learn if you try to one-shot it with Claude. It's good to start with a discussion, then build the spec, understand it, and go from there.
I think LLMs are never just vibing tools.
Even if you use Claude, as long as you know what you don't know, you can ask Claude to point you in the right direction.
You don't need a senior developer or permission to build.