Why I'm Building Launcho: A Next.js Boilerplate That Actually Saves Time

I've built two profitable SaaS products in the past year. Both times, I spent the first 100+ hours setting up the same boring infrastructure: authentication, payments, email, error tracking, analytics and all the other boring things.

That's 100 hours I could've spent building features customers actually pay for.

So I'm building Launcho, a Next.js boilerplate that handles all the infrastructure setup so founders can focus on their core product and launch their startup quickly.

The Problem with Most Boilerplates

Most "starter templates" give you:

• A folder structure
• Maybe some basic routing
• Perhaps a component library

Then they leave you to figure out:

• How to actually charge customers (Stripe webhooks are a nightmare)
• Secure authentication that won't get you hacked
• Email delivery that doesn't land in spam
• Error tracking when things break in production
• Analytics to understand user behavior

You're still spending weeks on infrastructure.

What Launcho Actually Includes

I'm building Launcho with everything I wish I had when starting:

1. Authentication That Just Works

import { auth } from "@/lib/auth";

export default async function Dashboard() {
  const session = await auth();
  
  if (!session) {
    redirect("/login");
  }
  
  return <DashboardContent user={session.user} />;
}

Better Auth configured with:

• Email/password, OAuth (Google, GitHub)
• Session management
• Protected routes
• Password reset flows

2. Stripe Subscriptions (The Hard Part)

import { createCheckoutSession } from "@/lib/stripe";

export async function POST(request: Request) {
  const session = await createCheckoutSession({
    priceId: "price_xxx",
    userId: user.id,
  });
  
  return Response.json({ url: session.url });
}

Pre-configured:

• Subscription plans
• Webhook handlers (the part that breaks everything)
• Customer portal
• Usage-based billing ready

3. AI Integration (Because It's 2024)

import { streamText } from "@/lib/ai";

export async function POST(request: Request) {
  const { prompt } = await request.json();
  
  const stream = await streamText({
    model: "gpt-4",
    prompt,
  });
  
  return stream.toDataStreamResponse();
}

Vercel AI SDK configured for:

• Streaming responses
• Multiple model support (OpenAI, Anthropic)
• Usage tracking
• Rate limiting

4. Everything Else You Need

• Email: Resend setup with transaction templates
• Database: Drizzle ORM with type-safe queries
• Monitoring: Sentry for error tracking
• Analytics: PostHog for user behavior
• Docs: Fumadocs for beautiful documentation
• Security: Cloudflare integration

Building in Public

I'm documenting the entire build process here on the blog. Every week, I'll share:

• Technical decisions and why I made them
• Code snippets and implementation details
• Lessons learned from my own SaaS products
• Performance optimizations and best practices

Follow along as I build:

• Week 1: Authentication system deep dive
• Week 2: Stripe webhook handler that never fails
• Week 3: AI streaming with rate limiting
• Week 4: Production deployment checklist

Why Next.js 16?

Next.js has become the standard for building modern React applications, and v16 brings:

• App Router stability: No more "experimental" warnings
• Server Actions: Simple data mutations without API routes
• Streaming: Better loading states and performance
• TypeScript-first: Catch errors before they reach production

Combined with:

• Drizzle ORM: Type-safe database queries
• Better Auth: Modern authentication without the complexity
• Vercel AI SDK: Easy AI integration
• Tailwind CSS: Rapid styling without CSS bloat

The Goal

By the time Launcho launches, you should be able to:

1. Clone the repo
2. Run setup script
3. Deploy to Vercel
4. Start collecting payments the same day

No more week-long setup. No more debugging Stripe webhooks at 2 AM. No more "why isn't my auth working in production?"

Just build the features that make your product unique.

Join the Journey

I'm building Launcho for founders like me who are tired of rebuilding the same infrastructure. If you want to:

• Follow the build process
• Get early access when it launches
• Influence what features get built first

Join the waitlist or follow me on Twitter/X where I'm sharing daily progress.

What's Next?

Next week, I'll publish a deep dive into the authentication system: how I chose Better Auth over NextAuth, the session management strategy, and how to handle OAuth providers without losing your mind.

P.S. Yeah, I used AI to make the thumbnail. Not sorry. If you're trying to ship fast, use every tool you've got.

Got thoughts? Email me at raman@launcho.dev or hit me up on LinkedIn.

Tell me what you're stuck on with your SaaS setup, or what you'd actually want in a boilerplate. I read everything.

Next week: I will be sharing the full authentication system breakdown. Stay tuned!