igorder-dev/tech-research

Technology Research

When researching technology options, follow this approach:

Research Methodology

Step 1: Define evaluation criteria BEFORE searching

Do not search randomly. Establish what matters for THIS project:

• Performance requirements from the PRD/NFRs
• Team skills and hiring market
• Budget constraints
• Scale requirements
• Compliance needs

Step 2: Systematic search pattern

For each technology option:

1. Official documentation (via Context7 when available)
2. GitHub metrics: Stars, issues, PR velocity, last release date
3. Benchmarks: Performance comparisons (prefer independent benchmarks)
4. Production usage: Who uses this at scale? Any public post-mortems?
5. Community health: Stack Overflow activity, Discord/forum engagement

Step 3: Structured comparison

Always produce a comparison table with weighted scoring. Weight criteria based on project priorities, not generic importance.

Step 4: Total Cost of Ownership

Go beyond licensing:

• Learning curve (team ramp-up time)
• Operational cost (hosting, monitoring, maintenance)
• Migration cost (if switching later)
• Hiring cost (availability of experienced developers)

Context7 Usage

• Always resolve library ID first
• Query with specific use cases, not generic terms
• Use to verify: API availability, configuration options, integration patterns
• Cross-reference Context7 docs with web search for completeness

Output Standards

• Every claim must have a source
• Distinguish between facts and opinions
• Flag outdated information (>12 months old)
• Note when data is sparse or conflicting