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Ensign builds TypeScript-first, self-hostable systems. The flagship is the **Commander** ecosystem (UK construction project management), split across three interconnected codebases:

| Layer | Stack |
| --- | --- |
| **Frontend** (project-commander) | Next.js 16 (App Router, Turbopack, React Compiler), React 19, TypeScript strict, Tailwind v4, shadcn/ui + Radix, Redux Toolkit + Redux Persist, TanStack Table, React Hook Form + Zod, openapi-fetch |
| **Backend** (commander-api) | NestJS, TypeORM, PostgreSQL (snake_case), Redis (cache + Bull queues), Swagger/OpenAPI |
| **Auth** (ensign-sso) | NestJS, TypeORM, PostgreSQL, JWT (Passport) |

Cross-cutting:

- **Type safety across the stack** — frontend types are generated from the API's OpenAPI schema (`generate:types`), so the contract is never hand-maintained.
- **Postgres + Redis + Docker** everywhere; standalone Docker builds for the Next.js app.
- **Multi-tenant** by `company_id` at every layer.

Newer standalone tools (e.g. internal single-purpose apps) lean even leaner: a single full-stack **Next.js + Postgres/Drizzle + pnpm** app, no separate API. Pick the lighter shape unless the work genuinely needs the full Commander backend.

Default principle: boring and maintainable over clever. Minimal dependencies; flag new ones before adding.

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