Starting a new Software as a Service (SaaS) project can be overwhelming, but leveraging a boilerplate can significantly simplify the process. A boilerplate serves as a foundation for your project, providing pre-built code, configurations, and best practices. However, not all boilerplates are created equal. To ensure success and streamline your development process, it’s essential to choose a boilerplate that includes key features tailored to SaaS applications. In this article, we’ll explore the top 10 must-have features in a SaaS boilerplate.
User authentication is fundamental for any SaaS application. A boilerplate should include robust authentication mechanisms, such as email/password login, social login options (e.g., OAuth), and role-based access control (RBAC) to manage user permissions effectively.
For SaaS businesses, managing subscriptions and billing is crucial. A boilerplate with built-in payment management features, including plan creation, subscription billing cycles, and payment gateway integrations (e.g., Stripe, PayPal), can save significant development time and effort.
Being able to deploy in the first hour or downloading a SaaS Boilerplate is an important part of the development cycle. If you can’t easily deploy your code and test it, is it really saving you any time? Support for Vercel, Supabase, Cloudflare, Netlify, etc. out the box is a must in modern boilerplates.
As your SaaS application grows, it’s essential to ensure scalability and optimal performance. Look for a boilerplate that incorporates scalability patterns, such as microservices architecture, caching mechanisms, and horizontal scaling capabilities, to handle increased load and traffic efficiently.
A well-designed API is the backbone of any SaaS platform, enabling seamless integration with third-party services and supporting client applications (e.g., web, mobile). A boilerplate with an API-first approach, including RESTful API endpoints, documentation generation, and versioning support, facilitates rapid development and integration.
In a global economy, reducing the time to market in other regions is critical. Most SaaS boilerplates don’t come with built in I18N support, and this can significantly slow down development time. Having a central store for all strings in your SaaS app is a best practice and should be included in your boilerplate.
While a boilerplate provides a foundation for your application, it’s essential to maintain flexibility and customization options for the user interface (UI). Look for a boilerplate with reusable UI components, theming support, and front-end frameworks (e.g., React, Vue.js) to create a polished and intuitive user experience.
Nearly every SaaS product will need a backend database (or multiple) to store customer data. Your SaaS Boilerplate should include at least one database integration by default that is ready to use. MongoDB and PostgreSQL are the most common databases for a Start-Up, so try to find a boilerplate with one of them built in.
Emails are a critical part of the SaaS customer pipeline. Communication about upcoming features, payments, or even delivery of goods are often required. There are a lot of great Email services abailable, so having support for more than one is best. A library like Nodemailer can handle this for you.
Finally, choose a boilerplate that comes with comprehensive documentation and active community support. Clear and up-to-date documentation makes it easier for developers to understand and extend the boilerplate, while a vibrant community provides assistance, shares best practices, and contributes to the project’s ongoing improvement.
In conclusion, a well-designed SaaS boilerplate should encompass a range of essential features to support the development and scalability of your application. By selecting a boilerplate that includes these must-have features, you can accelerate your development process, reduce overhead, and focus on delivering value to your users. Whether you’re building a new SaaS startup or expanding an existing platform, choosing the right boilerplate is a crucial step towards success.