Comment by threethirtytwo
8 hours ago
Python is an anti pattern.
Nodejs + typescript is superior across almost every dimension other than data science and familiarity.
People think it’s apples and oranges but it’s not. Also don’t forget golang too.
If your app is Python in the beginning then you’re pretty much locked in. It’s doable, but you’re going to be dealing with a lot of Python specific warts.
Python is a perfectly fine choice for a tech stack. Just because you don't like something doesn't make it an anti-pattern. NodeJs + TypeScript have tons of warts of their own that you have to deal with as well. Every language does.
There are two types of programming languages: those people complain about, and those no one uses.
There’s a third type of language: Python. Actual poor choice for a startup, independent of complaints.
You’ll note my complaint here is actually remarkably unique. You will rarely hear a person who is an expert in both TS and Python say definitively TS is better.
Many people who know both stacks well always maintains some kind of apples and oranges opinion about it. It’s like agnosticism.
Nah but the warts are minor compared with other languages. Python is guaranteed to hold you back.
First it’s the worst performing language for the application stack (only among the most languages for that area). Second type checking on Python is raw garbage.
Third you’re going to have to use TS for the frontend anyway. You can’t escape ts. Choosing Python(or any other language) forces you to have redundant code in two languages. Ts is the overall best startup stack and a huge part of it is because the frontend requires ts anyway.
Also sqlalchemy is pretty garbage.
> Third you’re going to have to use TS for the frontend anyway. You can’t escape ts.
This is obviously wrong. Sure you have to use Javascript for the web frontend that has interactivity without round-tripping to the server. Typescript compiles to Javascript, but its hardly the only language that does.
If you're frontend is a mobile app only then you don't even have to use Javascript for it all.
Wow. I cannot believe in good ‘ol 2026 there are still people who believe a whole successful programming language could be the reason for a failed experiment (startup). If your startup is solving a real problem, choosing the “wrong” language could never be the reason it fails.
No, caring too much about the language and not the problem is the anti pattern
Thinking that the stack/language is not intrinsically tied to the problem and smart ass quotations define reality is the bigger problem.
Go use Python for your triple A next gen game rendering engine.
Go use Nodejs + typescript for it. Why pick on just Python?
Python is ok. People get used to it.
The biggest antipattern in my view is using different stacks for different services.
That's AI.
That's the most flattering thing I can think of to say about statements that are so confidently wrong.
A startup is not the code
>locked in
Every tech choice is a lock in.
This is true. I guess I’m saying if you locked yourself into Python you’re locking yourself into a lot of pain. Much more pain than other choices.
It’s like php. Facebook got locked into php and had to develop a whole new language around it.
Any stack has its own warts.
The Python stack is a huge wart. First performance is shit. Second type checking is shit.
The only benefit is familiarity and data science. That’s literally it. No one in this thread has stated any benefit Python brings to the table on top of other popular web application languages.
I guess ruby is a worse choice.
having built two enterprise data platforms in python, I can't disagree more. for a startup, development velocity matters more than code performance especially for a CRUD app even at medium scale. Frameworks like Django simply enable you to do so much and so quickly. and you can reach world scale, that's what Instagram did!