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The rest of the stack: hosting, data, domains, payments and visitors

⏱ 15 min4 steps

A first site needs a and somewhere to put it. As a project grows, it needs more pieces. Here's what each one does, so you know it when Claude suggests it. The rule: add a piece only when the project needs it, not because it might one day.

If the names blur together at first, that's fine. You'll meet them one at a time, when a project needs them.

domain Your website's name on the internet, like gethomebydark.com. You rent it by the year from a company called a registrar. All words

Before this, you'll want:

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  1. Learn what each piece does

    These are the pieces, in the order you'll usually need them:

    • a website (for example Cloudflare Pages): puts your site on the internet. Free tiers cover most small sites. This is where most projects start and stay for a long time.
    • A domain and its (for example Cloudflare, or the company you bought the domain from): your site's name, and the settings that point it at your hosting and email.
    • Servers and scheduled jobs (for example Render): for when your project has to run code on its own, like a nightly job that refreshes data, rather than only showing pages.
    • A and logins (for example Supabase): for when your project has to remember things about people, like sign-ups, saved lists or who bought what.
    • Payments (for example ): for when you take money on your own site. Stripe checks who you are and reviews your site before it pays you, so set it up well before launch day.
    • Visitor stats (for example PostHog or Google Analytics): did anyone come, and what did they do? Adding these means you need a .

    This site you're reading started as a static site on Cloudflare Pages, with videos on Cloudflare Stream. Sign-in with Supabase and payments with Stripe were planned in from the start, but only built once the course needed them.

    1. Read the list.
    2. Mark the pieces you think your project needs today.
    hosting A company's computers that keep your site or app running on the internet, so people can reach it. All wordsDNS The settings that tell the internet where your domain's website and email live. All wordsdatabase Organized storage for information your app keeps, like sign-ups, orders or saved lists. All wordsStripe A company that takes card payments for a website and sends the money to your bank, keeping a small fee from each sale. All wordsprivacy policy A page that tells visitors what information your site collects about them and what you do with it. All words
    That's not what I see
    I don't know which of these my project needs.
    That's what the next steps are for. Claude reads your PRD and tells you. For now, you only need to recognize the names when they come up.

  2. Start Claude Code in your my-idea folder

    1. Open (Cmd+SpaceWindows key, type Terminal, press Enter).

    2. Go to your my-idea . Type this and press Enter:

      cd ~/Backyard/my-idea

      cd ~\Backyard\my-idea

    3. Check the says my-idea.

    4. Start . Type this and press Enter:

      claude
    Terminal An app on your Mac where you type instructions instead of clicking on things. Claude Code works inside it. All wordsfolder A place on your computer that holds files and other folders, like a drawer in a filing cabinet. All wordsprompt line The line in Terminal that ends with a % sign. The word right before the % is the folder you're in. All wordsClaude Code Claude, working inside Terminal. It can make files and run things on your Mac, with a safety checker watching what it does. All words

    You should see:

    Claude Code's name and version at the top, a line starting with ❯ where you type, and ⏵⏵ on in the bar at the bottom.

    auto mode Claude works without asking, and a separate safety checker blocks anything risky. All words
    That's not what I see
    It says "cd: no such file or directoryCannot find path … because it does not exist".
    The my-idea folder isn't there. It comes from Check the idea first, so do that piece first, then come back.
    It says "zsh: command not found: claudeThe term 'claude' is not recognized".
    This Terminal window doesn't know about Claude Code. Close the window with Cmd+WCtrl+Shift+W, open a new one and try again. If it still says that, go back to Claude Code and .install Put a new program on your computer so you can use it. All wordssign in Tell Claude Code which Claude account is yours, so it knows you've paid for it. All words

  3. Ask Claude for the smallest stack your project needs

    This asks Claude to read your PRD and name the fewest services it needs now, with real prices, and what it can wait on.

    1. Copy the prompt below.
    Read PRD.md. Recommend the smallest set of services this project needs for its first version, using free tiers wherever they're enough. For each one, say what it does in plain words, why this project needs it now, and what it costs once it outgrows the free tier. Then list what it does NOT need yet, and what would change that. Check prices on each company's own website and say when you checked. Don't sign up for anything.
    1. Paste it into Claude Code with Cmd+VCtrl+V and press Enter.
    2. Compare its list with the pieces you marked.
    prompt What you type to Claude. A good one says what you want, how to work and what never to do. All words

    You should see:

    Lines with or Fetch while Claude checks prices. Then the smallest list of services, what each costs past the , and what you don't need yet.

    web search Claude looking things up on the internet during a chat. Its answer comes with links to the pages it used. All wordsfree tier The no-cost version of a service, with limits. Fine for most small projects at the start. All words
    That's not what I see
    Claude suggested a long list of services.
    Ask it: Which of these could we skip for the first version, and what would we lose? Most first versions need one or two.

  4. Sign up only when you need it, with one card and one email

    When the project does need a new piece:

    1. Use one card and one email for every tech service, so nothing hides.
    2. Turn on spending caps and billing alerts the day you sign up.
    3. Turn on right away.
    4. Do the sign-up yourself. Never let Claude sign up for anything on its own. Claude helps you set it up afterwards.
    two-step sign-in Signing in with your password plus a second thing, like a code on your phone, so a stolen password isn't enough. All words
    That's not what I see
    A service wants my card for the free tier.
    Many do. Turn on a spending cap or billing alert the same day, before you build anything on it. Like giving a teenager a prepaid card instead of your credit card.
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Your challenge

Write down the smallest stack your project needs today, and the one thing that would make you add the next piece. Don't sign up for anything until that thing happens.

Last checked 2026-10-20

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