Getting Started

Installation

Get the Next.js SaaS Starter running on your machine in under 2 minutes.

Prerequisites

Node.js 18+
pnpm (npm install -g pnpm)
A PostgreSQL database (Neon has a free tier)
A Stripe account (test mode works)
A MailKite account for auth (free)

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/mailkite/saas-startup
cd saas-startup

2. Install dependencies

pnpm install

3. Configure environment

cp .env.example .env

Open .env and fill in:

AUTH_SECRET — generate with openssl rand -base64 32
POSTGRES_URL — your PostgreSQL connection string
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY — from your Stripe dashboard (test mode)
STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET — from Stripe webhooks page

MailKite Auth

Auth is powered by MailKite — create a free account at mailkite.dev. The API URL defaults to https://api.mailkite.dev. No separate auth provider needed.

4. Run database migrations

cd apps/web
npx drizzle-kit migrate

5. Start the dev server

pnpm run dev

Visit http://localhost:3000

What's included

Your app now has:

Landing page with animated background, gradient cards, and theme toggle
Auth pages — sign-in, sign-up with email/password and OAuth
Pricing page with Stripe integration
Dashboard with team management and security settings
Dark/light mode with configurable theme colors

Ready to customize? Head to Configuration →