| NestJS over Express | Modular architecture, built-in DI, TypeScript-first |
| PostgreSQL over MongoDB | Relational data, complex queries, ACID compliance |
| OpenSearch for search | Full-text search, vector similarity, aggregations |
| BullMQ over Agenda | Redis-backed, better performance, reliable job processing |
| Chakra UI v3 | Accessible, composable, good DX |
| Zustand over Redux | Simpler API, less boilerplate |
| Separate frontend apps | Independent deployments, role-specific UX |