# Dock30 blog

Straight answers on custom software: what things really cost, which stack to pick, and the checklists we run before every launch. Written by Roberto Lazar, founder of Dock30.

- [Monolith vs microservices for startups in 2026](https://dock30.com/blog/monolith-vs-microservices-startups): When a monolith beats microservices for a startup, where the modular monolith fits, and the operational cost teams underestimate before they scale.
- [REST vs GraphQL vs tRPC: which API style to choose in 2026](https://dock30.com/blog/rest-vs-graphql-vs-trpc): A practical guide to REST, GraphQL, and tRPC for founders and technical leads: what each style is, where each wins, and which one to pick in 2026.
- [Building a customer-facing analytics dashboard in 2026](https://dock30.com/blog/customer-facing-analytics-dashboard): How embedded, multi-tenant analytics you ship to your own customers differs from an internal dashboard, and how to handle isolation, embedding, speed, and cost.
- [The NFT and token launch checklist: what to get right before mint day](https://dock30.com/blog/nft-token-launch-checklist): A practical pre-launch checklist for an NFT or token mint: chain choice, contract, mint site, metadata, allowlist, audit, and rough 2026 launch costs.
- [How much does a smart contract cost to build and audit in 2026?](https://dock30.com/blog/smart-contract-cost): A 2026 buyer guide to smart contract pricing: build cost by complexity, audit tiers, deployment gas by chain, and where the money really goes.
- [How much does it cost to build a mobile app in 2026?](https://dock30.com/blog/mobile-app-cost-2026): Real 2026 price ranges for building a mobile app, by complexity, plus MVP cost, cross-platform vs native, what drives the bill, and yearly maintenance.
- [Is a design system worth it for your product?](https://dock30.com/blog/design-system-worth-it): When a design system earns its cost, when a component library like shadcn is enough, and what building and maintaining one actually takes for a product.
- [Do you need a designer before you build?](https://dock30.com/blog/do-you-need-a-designer): A founder's rule for when to hire a designer before development, when a component library is enough, and what building first quietly costs you later.
- [PWA vs native app: which should you build in 2026?](https://dock30.com/blog/pwa-vs-native-app): A 2026 decision guide to progressive web apps versus native: what a PWA can and cannot do on iOS and Android, the cost gap, and when native actually earns it.
- [How much does UI/UX design cost in 2026?](https://dock30.com/blog/ui-ux-design-cost): Real 2026 UI/UX design prices: freelance and agency hourly rates, and what a landing page, full website, app UI, or design system actually costs.
- [Headless commerce in 2026: when it is worth it (and when it is not)](https://dock30.com/blog/headless-commerce-worth-it): Most stores do not need headless commerce. When decoupling your storefront actually pays off, when it costs more than it returns, and how to decide.
- [What does an internal dashboard or admin panel cost to build?](https://dock30.com/blog/internal-dashboard-cost): Real 2026 price ranges for internal dashboards and admin panels, what actually drives the cost, and when a custom build beats a low-code tool.
- [Shopify vs custom ecommerce: when to build your own store](https://dock30.com/blog/shopify-vs-custom-ecommerce): When Shopify is the right call and when a custom or headless build pays off, with real 2026 plan prices, transaction fees, and a plain decision rule.
- [Internal tools: build custom or buy Retool? A 2026 decision guide](https://dock30.com/blog/internal-tools-build-vs-buy): Retool and its open-source rivals win for most simple internal tools. Custom pays off on complex UX, deep integrations, and cost at seat scale.
- [How much does a custom website cost in 2026?](https://dock30.com/blog/custom-website-cost-2026): Real 2026 price ranges for custom websites, from template builds to agency sites to full web apps, plus what drives the cost and realistic timelines.
- [How much does custom software cost in 2026?](https://dock30.com/blog/custom-software-cost-2026): Real 2026 price ranges for custom software by project size, hourly rates by region, fixed price versus time and materials, and what actually drives the number.
- [Real-time dashboard data aggregation: patterns that keep charts fast at scale](https://dock30.com/blog/realtime-dashboard-data-aggregation): Why dashboards slow down as data grows, and how rollup tables, materialized views, and continuous aggregates keep queries fast without a rewrite.
- [Shipping a full-stack app with Next.js, NestJS, and Postgres on Railway](https://dock30.com/blog/fullstack-nextjs-nestjs-postgres-railway): A working monorepo setup for a Next.js frontend, NestJS API, and PostgreSQL on Railway, with deploy steps and what hosting really costs in 2026.
- [React Native in 2026: when cross-platform mobile is the right call](https://dock30.com/blog/react-native-2026): A practical guide to choosing a mobile stack in 2026: where React Native 0.86 stands, what the New Architecture changed, and when to skip cross-platform.
- [How to build an AI chatbot for your website in 2026](https://dock30.com/blog/build-ai-chatbot-website): What it takes to build a RAG chatbot that answers from your own content: architecture, build steps, realistic 2026 costs, and how to keep it accurate.
- [How to add an AI feature to your existing app in 2026](https://dock30.com/blog/add-ai-to-your-app): Where the model call should live, how to stream tokens from a Next.js route handler, and the routing, caching, and batch discounts that cut the bill.
- [RAG vs fine-tuning in 2026: how to customize an LLM](https://dock30.com/blog/rag-vs-fine-tuning): When prompting, caching, RAG, or fine-tuning is the right way to adapt an LLM in 2026, with current pricing and what changed for hosted fine-tuning.
- [Smart contract security checklist before you launch (2026)](https://dock30.com/blog/smart-contract-security-checklist): A 12-point pre-launch security checklist for smart contracts, with the 2025 loss data, current tooling, and what an audit actually costs in 2026.
- [How to fix INP in Next.js and React (2026 playbook)](https://dock30.com/blog/fix-inp-nextjs-react): Client-hydrated React and Next.js sites fail INP at about three times the rate of static ones. The causes we see most in audits, and the fixes that work.
- [Custom AI agent vs Zapier, Make and n8n: when to build instead of buy](https://dock30.com/blog/custom-ai-agent-vs-zapier): When Zapier, Make, or n8n is enough, when a custom AI agent is worth building, and the hybrid setup we end up recommending to most teams in 2026.
- [What does a custom AI agent actually cost in 2026?](https://dock30.com/blog/custom-ai-agent-cost-2026): Real 2026 price ranges for custom AI agents, from prototypes to multi-agent systems, plus running costs, maintenance, and simple payback math.

## Contact

- Email: crew@dock30.com
- Book a call: https://dock30.com/contact