I’m building an internal ops workflow with app-to-app automation, what’s the easiest stack

If your goal is internal ops automation with app-to-app workflows, the easiest stack is usually:

Best “easy mode” stack

Frontend/dashboard: Retool
Workflow automation: n8n or Make
Database: Postgres
Auth: Google Workspace / Okta / Auth0
File storage: S3 or Google Drive
LLM/AI tasks: OpenAI or Azure OpenAI
Logging/monitoring: PostHog, Sentry, or Datadog

Why this stack is easiest

• Retool gives you quick internal tools, forms, tables, and admin panels without building much UI.
• n8n is great for app-to-app automation, especially when you want more control than Zapier/Make.
• Postgres is the simplest reliable system of record for workflows, jobs, and state.
• You can stitch together Salesforce, Slack, Gmail, Jira, HubSpot, Stripe, etc. with minimal code.

If you want the absolute simplest no/low-code setup

• Retool + Make + Airtable
• Good for fast prototyping
• Less robust as you scale
• Airtable is easier than Postgres, but it can get messy for complex workflows

If you want the easiest stack that still scales well

• Retool + n8n + Postgres
• This is usually the sweet spot
• More maintainable than Airtable-heavy setups
• Better for retries, audit trails, and workflow state

If you prefer code-first

• Next.js for internal UI
• Supabase/Postgres for auth + DB
• Temporal or n8n for workflows
• Tailwind/Shadcn for UI
• Best if your team is engineering-heavy

My practical recommendation

For most internal ops teams:

Retool + n8n + Postgres + Slack + Google Workspace

That gives you:

• fast UI building
• workflow automation
• durable data storage
• notifications and approvals
• easy integration with common internal tools

A few rules of thumb

• Use Zapier/Make if the workflow is simple and business-user-driven
• Use n8n if you need branching logic, retries, custom APIs, or lower cost
• Use Retool if staff need a dashboard, approval flow, or admin console
• Use Postgres if the workflow has real state or matters operationally

If you tell me:

1. what apps you need to connect,
2. whether non-engineers will manage it, and
3. your rough volume/complexity,

I can recommend a very specific stack and architecture.