Not a wall of logos: for every tool I say what it does, what I use it for and where to get it.
Almost everything here can be picked up today without paying. Links always point to the official site, never to a mirror or an affiliate link.
Free · Free tier (usable without paying) · Paid
What I write production code with. Typed backend, a frontend that ships HTML, and scripts that automate the repetitive parts.
dotnet.microsoft.com
Windows · macOS · Linux
What it is
Microsoft's platform for building backends: REST APIs, services and data access with Entity Framework Core. Cross-platform, strongly typed and among the fastest around.
How I use it
It has been my main environment for years. Everything I do on enterprise work —clean architecture, CQRS with MediatR, tests— rests on it.
astro.build
Windows · macOS · Linux
What it is
A web framework that generates static HTML and only ships JavaScript where it is genuinely needed. Built for content sites: fast by default, with no performance toll.
How I use it
This site runs on Astro, and so do the Web Despega sites. When a project is content plus a bit of interaction, it is my first pick.
python.org
Windows · macOS · Linux
What it is
A general-purpose language with the best ecosystem for data, automation and AI. It reads almost like pseudocode, so a script outlives what you expected.
How I use it
My Swiss army knife outside the backend: the PDF CV on this site is generated by a Python script, and I use it to explore models and process data.
typescriptlang.org
Windows · macOS · Linux
What it is
JavaScript with types. The compiler catches in your editor the errors that would otherwise show up in production, and autocomplete stops guessing.
How I use it
Every frontend I write is TypeScript in strict mode. Coming from C#, working without types in the browser feels uphill.
tailwindcss.com
Windows · macOS · Linux
What it is
Styles written as classes in the markup itself, on top of a constrained design system: spacing, type and colour come from a scale instead of being improvised.
How I use it
I use it with my own CSS variables for colour rather than the stock palette: the light and dark themes on this site are the same markup with different tokens.
The workbench. A heavyweight IDE when real debugging is needed, a nimble editor for everything else, and a decent terminal underneath.
visualstudio.microsoft.com
Windows
What it is
Microsoft's full IDE for .NET. A first-class debugger, memory and CPU profiling, and tooling for solutions with hundreds of projects.
How I use it
I open it when real debugging is needed: a bug that only reproduces with real data, or a memory leak you cannot see by reading the code.
The Community edition is free for personal use, learning and open-source projects.
Download visualstudio.microsoft.com Visual Studio 2022 — Opens on the official sitejetbrains.com
Windows · macOS · Linux
What it is
An alternative .NET IDE, cross-platform, with a refactoring and static-analysis engine well above average.
How I use it
My pick for serious refactoring: renaming across an entire solution or untangling dependencies without breaking anything.
Free for non-commercial use; commercial work needs a licence.
Download jetbrains.com JetBrains Rider — Opens on the official sitecode.visualstudio.com
Windows · macOS · Linux
What it is
A light, extensible, free editor. It starts in a second and, with extensions, covers almost any language without turning into a heavyweight IDE.
How I use it
Where I write frontend, Python scripts and the Markdown for this site. Anything that does not call for the Visual Studio debugger goes through here.
cursor.com
Windows · macOS · Linux
What it is
A VS Code fork with AI built into the editor itself: it understands the whole project context and edits several files at once.
How I use it
I use it for repetitive, well-bounded tasks —migrating a pattern across a module, writing tests for a settled service— always reviewing the diff.
aka.ms
Windows
What it is
The modern Windows terminal, with tabs and profiles, on top of WSL2: a real Linux inside Windows, with no virtual machine or dual boot.
How I use it
I work on Windows but run containers, scripts and command-line tools on Ubuntu. The best of both environments without switching machines.
WSL2 is installed separately, with `wsl --install` from an elevated PowerShell.
Download aka.ms Windows Terminal + WSL2 — Opens on the official siteWhat I use to delegate mechanical work without delegating judgement: reviewing diffs, drafting text, exploring a repo I do not know.
claude.com
Windows · macOS · Linux
What it is
A coding agent that runs in the terminal: it reads the repository, runs commands and proposes changes to the real code, not to a snippet pasted into a chat.
How I use it
I steer it with my own instruction files —the skills you can download on this site— so it follows my conventions rather than its own.
Requires a Claude subscription or an API key. My ready-to-use skills for it are on this site.
Download claude.com Claude Code — Opens on the official sitegithub.com
Windows · macOS · Linux
What it is
AI autocomplete inside the editor. It suggests the next line or block from what you have already written and the rest of the file.
How I use it
For predictable code: mappings, DTOs, test cases that are variations of the previous one. What needs thinking I still write myself.
opencode.ai
Windows · macOS · Linux
What it is
An open-source coding agent in the terminal, with no provider of its own: you pick the model behind it, paid or local.
How I use it
My control case when I want the same task solved by a different model, and the way to work with an agent without tying myself to one subscription.
The tool is free, but the model you connect to it may not be.
Download opencode.ai OpenCode — Opens on the official sitegrok.com
Web · iOS · Android
What it is
xAI's conversational assistant. Its distinguishing trait is real-time access to what gets posted on X, so it can answer about what happened today.
How I use it
I turn to it when the question depends on something recent —a version just released, an ongoing debate— and the training cutoff of another model falls short.
ollama.com
Windows · macOS · Linux
What it is
Runs open language models on your own machine, offline and without any text leaving the computer.
How I use it
For trying ideas with data that must stay local, and for finding out what a small model really delivers before leaning on a paid one.
eli5.cc
Web
What it is
An AI-powered answer and learning engine that breaks down any complex topic into clear explanations across four depth levels, with visual diagrams and verified sources.
How I use it
For conceptualising ideas and creating pedagogical analogies before diving into the technical implementation of architectures and algorithms.
Where what I build ends up living, and where the data it moves is stored.
azure.microsoft.com
Web
What it is
Microsoft's cloud: machines, App Services, managed databases and AI services. The natural fit when the backend is already .NET.
How I use it
Where I deploy the backend of enterprise projects, with Azure SQL behind it and the AI services when a project calls for them.
Pay-as-you-go, with a free tier to get started.
Download azure.microsoft.com Microsoft Azure — Opens on the official sitevercel.com
Web
What it is
Frontend hosting with Git-based deploys: every branch gets its own preview URL and the main branch ships to production on its own.
How I use it
This site is deployed here. Pushing to `main` and having it live a minute later takes all the infrastructure work out of the way.
dash.cloudflare.com
Web
What it is
A layer in front of the site: DNS, CDN, certificates and attack protection. Also hosting and edge functions.
How I use it
I manage domains and DNS here, and lean on its cache so a static site answers just as fast far from the server.
microsoft.com
Windows · Linux · Docker
What it is
The reference relational database in Microsoft environments. Transactional, with solid diagnostics and execution-plan tooling.
How I use it
It is the database behind almost everything I touch on client work. When a query is slow, the execution plan says more than any guess.
The Developer and Express editions are free; production needs a licence.
Download microsoft.com SQL Server — Opens on the official sitedocker.com
Windows · macOS · Linux
What it is
Packages an application with everything it needs to run. What works on your machine works the same on the server, with no version surprises.
How I use it
I spin up a project's databases and dependencies with one command, installing nothing on the system and leaving no trace when I am done.
Version control, work tracking, and the notes half the articles on this site come out of.
git-scm.com
Windows · macOS · Linux
What it is
Version control. It keeps the history of a project, lets you work in parallel on branches, and undo without fear.
How I use it
Small commits with a message that explains the why. A readable history is the best documentation a project has.
azure.microsoft.com
Web
What it is
Microsoft's suite for the software lifecycle: repositories, a work board (Boards), and build and release pipelines.
How I use it
It is where client work lives. I have built several of my skills on top of its CLI, to read a work item and prepare the branch without leaving the terminal.
github.com
Web
What it is
Git repository hosting with code review, issues and automation through Actions.
How I use it
My own projects and this very site. Every push triggers the deploy, so publishing is a consequence of working, not a separate step.
n8n.io
Web · Docker · Windows · macOS · Linux
What it is
Workflow automation with nodes wired together on a canvas: a trigger, a handful of steps and the integrations already solved. It can run on your own server.
How I use it
For repetitive work that does not deserve a service of its own: alerts, syncing between tools, and chaining a model call with whatever has to happen next.
Self-hosting is free under a fair-code licence; their cloud version is paid.
Download n8n.io n8n — Opens on the official siteobsidian.md
Windows · macOS · Linux · iOS · Android
What it is
Notes as Markdown files on your own disk, linked to each other. No proprietary database: the files are yours and readable without the app.
How I use it
My engineering notebook. Half the articles on this site come out of it, already born in the same format they get published in.
Free for personal use; the commercial licence and sync are paid separately.
Download obsidian.md Obsidian — Opens on the official sitepostman.com
Windows · macOS · Linux · Web
What it is
A client for testing APIs: it fires requests, keeps per-project collections and documents how each endpoint is called.
How I use it
One collection per API. It is the fastest way to show someone how an endpoint is consumed without writing a line of documentation.
A living list: it changes as technologies and the projects I take on evolve. Inspired by the uses.tech.