A Guide to Launch Startups Faster with Your own Boilerplate

Summary

The video script introduces the concept of a 'boilerplate' for rapid app development, highlighting the importance of focusing on core features like authentication, databases, payments, and email. It discusses the choice of technologies such as Next.js, MongoDB, Firebase, and Svelte, and emphasizes creating a personalized boilerplate for faster app development. The script also outlines steps to set up a project with a preferred tech stack, including folder structure, authentication, and payment integration, ultimately encouraging developers to build and launch their ideas efficiently.

Takeaways

• 🚀 Over 24 startups have launched using a boilerplate, generating significant revenue, highlighting the efficiency of using such templates for app development.
• 🛠 A boilerplate simplifies the initial setup of an app by including basic functionalities like database connection, authentication, payment handling, and styling, allowing developers to focus on their unique app ideas.
• 🔑 Four essential components for any app include authentication, a database, an email service for communication, and a payment provider to handle transactions.
• 💡 Depending on the project, additional features like AI models or search functionality may be integrated into the boilerplate for enhanced functionality.
• 🌐 The tech stack for a boilerplate includes a front-end UI library, a backend server, a database, and APIs to connect all components.
• 📚 Popular front-end choices are JavaScript frameworks like React, Angular, Svelte, or Vue, and full-stack options like Next.js for React or SvelteKit for Svelte.
• 📘 For styling, CSS frameworks like Tailwind can be combined with additional UI libraries to speed up component development.
• 🗃️ Database options include document-based databases like MongoDB or Firebase, and SQL databases like PostgreSQL or MySQL, with ORM tools like Prisma for easier data management.
• 🔒 Authentication solutions range from open-source options like Auth.js to built-in methods in Firebase or Supabase.
• 💳 Payment processing is commonly handled by Stripe, but alternatives like Lemon Squeezy are also available.
• 📬 Email services for communication with users include Mailgun, SendGrid, or Postmark.
• 📝 Setting up a Git repository for the boilerplate ensures easy access and updates, allowing developers to save time on repetitive setup tasks in future projects.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of a boilerplate in app development?

A boilerplate in app development serves as a foundational template that includes all the basic functionalities needed for an app, allowing developers to focus on building unique features and the core idea of the app rather than starting from scratch.

Why is it beneficial to use a boilerplate created by someone else like Mark's?

Using a pre-existing boilerplate can save time and effort as it already includes essential features like database connections, authentication, payment handling, and styling. This allows developers to quickly start on their unique app ideas without getting bogged down by the setup process.

What are the four essential components that should be included in a boilerplate for any app?

The four essential components are authentication for user sign-in, a database to store user information, an email system for sending payment confirmations or updates, and a payment provider to handle transactions for the product.

Why might a developer choose to build their own boilerplate instead of using someone else's?

A developer might choose to build their own boilerplate to tailor it to their preferred technologies and workflow, ensuring it fits their specific needs and preferences, which can lead to a more efficient development process.

What are some popular front-end frameworks that can be used for building a boilerplate?

Popular front-end frameworks include React, Angular, Svelte, Vue, and Solid JS. Developers can choose based on their familiarity and the specific requirements of their projects.

What is the role of a full-stack option like Next.js or SvelteKit in the context of a boilerplate?

Full-stack options like Next.js for React or SvelteKit for Svelte simplify the development process by allowing both front-end and back-end code to be written in the same framework, reducing the need for separate setup and configuration.

Why is it important to consider a CSS framework when building a boilerplate?

A CSS framework, such as Tailwind, helps in building the user interface quickly and efficiently by providing pre-defined classes and styles, which can significantly speed up the development process.

What are some popular database options mentioned in the script for a boilerplate?

The script mentions MongoDB and Firebase as popular document-based database options, and PostgreSQL or MySQL as SQL-based database options.

How does the script suggest organizing the project structure for a new app built on a boilerplate?

The script suggests organizing the project with a SRC folder for source code, a lib directory for reusable components, subdirectories for UI and auth components, a server folder for backend configurations, and an app directory for the main application logic.

What is the significance of setting up a Git repository for a custom boilerplate?

Setting up a Git repository allows developers to version control their boilerplate, making it easy to clone and reuse across different projects, and also to iterate and improve upon the boilerplate over time.

What is the recommended approach for deciding on the technology stack for a boilerplate?

The script recommends trying out different technologies by building small projects first to see which stack works best for the developer. Once a decision is made, it should be used consistently across future projects due to the difficulty of switching stacks later on.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Building a Custom Boilerplate for Rapid App Development

The video script discusses the importance of using boilerplates in app development to streamline the process and focus on core ideas. Mark, an entrepreneur, has gained success using a boilerplate that includes basic functionalities, allowing him to quickly launch startups. The speaker prefers using Svelte Kit and Firebase over Mark's choice of Next.js and MongoDB. The script suggests creating a personal boilerplate with essential components like authentication, database, email for communication, and payment processing. It also touches on additional features like AI models or search functionalities. The speaker guides viewers on choosing technologies for their front-end UI, backend server, and APIs, emphasizing the ease of setup with full-stack options and the importance of selecting the right tech stack for future projects.

05:03

📂 Organizing Project Structure and Configuring Tech Stack

This paragraph delves into the process of setting up a project structure and configuring the chosen technologies. It emphasizes the importance of organizing components, authentication, and database configuration. The speaker uses a Notion document to keep track of necessary npm install commands for quick setup. The focus is on setting up the project in VS Code, choosing a folder structure, and configuring Firebase and Stripe for authentication and payments. The script also mentions the need for a .env file to store API keys securely and not to publish it on public repositories. The process includes creating login routes, subscription sections, and managing billing through API routes. The speaker also suggests starting with a simple landing page and app directory that works before focusing on more complex features.

10:04

🌟 Launching Apps Faster with a Personal Boilerplate

The final paragraph wraps up the video script by encouraging viewers to build their own boilerplate to expedite the launch of their app ideas. It highlights the benefits of having a ready-to-use template that incorporates all necessary setup, allowing developers to focus on building and launching their apps without the overhead of configuring basic functionalities each time. The speaker invites feedback on using Svelte Kit and Firebase for boilerplate creation and emphasizes the importance of setting up a git repository to maintain and reuse the boilerplate across projects. The script concludes with a call to action for viewers to share their tech stack preferences and acknowledges Mark for inspiring the trend of boilerplate usage in startup development.

Keywords

💡Boilerplate

A boilerplate is a pre-prepared template or set of code that developers can use as a starting point for projects, saving time and effort in setting up common functionalities. In the video, the speaker discusses the importance of a boilerplate for quickly launching startups, mentioning that Mark's boilerplate includes basic functionalities so that developers can focus on their unique app ideas.

💡Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs are individuals who create and run their own businesses, often taking on financial risks in the hope of profit. The script highlights Mark and other entrepreneurs who build applications on the internet, emphasizing the role of a boilerplate in facilitating their work.

💡Authentication

Authentication is the process of verifying the identity of a user or device, typically through login credentials. In the context of the video, authentication is one of the four essential components to include in a boilerplate, allowing users to sign in and use the app.

💡Database

A database is a structured collection of data, typically stored and accessed electronically. The script mentions the necessity of a database in a boilerplate to store user information, with options including document-based databases like MongoDB and Firebase, or SQL-based databases like PostgreSQL or MySQL.

💡Payment Provider

A payment provider is a service that enables online transactions, processing payments from customers. The video discusses the inclusion of a payment provider in a boilerplate, with Stripe being highlighted as a popular option for handling payments for products.

💡Front-end

The front-end of a web application refers to the part of the software that users interact with, typically involving user interfaces and client-side scripts. The script discusses choosing a JavaScript framework for the front-end, such as React, Angular, Svelte, or Vue, to build the user interface of the app.

💡Back-end

The back-end of a web application involves server-side processes and databases, which support and manage the front-end. The video mentions setting up a back-end server with a database and APIs to 'glue everything together,' emphasizing the importance of a full-stack option for ease of development.

💡APIs

APIs, or Application Programming Interfaces, are sets of protocols and tools that allow different software applications to communicate with each other. The script refers to APIs as a means to connect different parts of the application, such as the front-end UI and the back-end server.

💡SaaS

SaaS stands for Software as a Service, a model where software is provided over the internet, rather than being installed locally. The video mentions SaaS in the context of the types of products for which a boilerplate might be used, indicating the versatility of the boilerplate for different business models.

💡Firebase

Firebase is a platform developed by Google for creating mobile and web applications, offering services such as real-time databases, authentication, and hosting. The script discusses Firebase as a preferred database option and its integration with a boilerplate for app development.

💡SvelteKit

SvelteKit is a framework for building web applications using the Svelte front-end library, offering features that simplify full-stack development. The speaker expresses a preference for SvelteKit over other technologies like Next.js and MongoDB or Superbase, indicating a personal choice in the tech stack for building a boilerplate.

💡Git

Git is a version control system used in software development to manage and keep track of code changes. The video emphasizes the importance of setting up a Git repository for the boilerplate, allowing for easy cloning and reuse of the template for future projects.

Highlights

Mark has launched over 24 startups and generated substantial revenue by building on the internet using a boilerplate approach.

A boilerplate simplifies the development process by including all the basic functionalities needed for an app, allowing developers to focus on their unique ideas.

Mark's boilerplate includes basic functionalities such as database connection, authentication, payment handling, and styling.

The video discusses the preference for different technologies like Next.js with MongoDB or Firebase versus using SvelteKit and Firebase.

The presenter plans to create a personalized boilerplate using their preferred technologies to expedite app development and shipping.

Essential components for any app include authentication, database, email for communication, and a payment provider.

Additional features like AI models or search can be included based on the specific needs of the project.

The front-end can be developed using JavaScript frameworks such as React, Angular, Svelte, or Vue, along with CSS frameworks like Tailwind.

For the backend, document-based databases like MongoDB and Firebase or SQL databases like PostgreSQL or MySQL can be chosen.

Authentication can be handled with free and open-source solutions like Auth.js or built-in methods in Firebase or Supabase.

Stripe is the most popular payment option, but alternatives like Lemon Squeezy are also available.

Email services like Mailgun, SendGrid, or Postmark are recommended for sending payment confirmations and updates.

The importance of choosing the right tech stack for future projects is emphasized, as it's difficult to switch once a decision is made.

A Notion Doc is suggested for organizing code blocks and npm install commands for quick project setup.

The presenter outlines a typical project folder structure including src, lib, server, and app directories.

Firebase and Stripe configurations are detailed, including setting up environment variables and .env files.

A step-by-step process is provided for building a boilerplate, starting with authentication and moving to payment handling and app creation.

The presenter offers to create a full tutorial for building a boilerplate with SvelteKit and Firebase upon audience request.

The importance of setting up a git repository for the boilerplate is highlighted to save time and facilitate easy access for future projects.

The presenter encourages focusing on the app idea and launching it quickly, leveraging the time saved by using a boilerplate.

Transcripts

over 24 startups launch and hundreds of

thousands of dollars made that's Mark

and he's one of many entrepreneurs who

build cool stuff on the internet and if

you're wondering how do all do that it's

quite simple boiler plate so if you've

ever built some kind of an app you know

how painful it is to just do the basics

you have to connect to a database handle

authentication then do the payments and

also style everything up so it looks

good and by the time you finish all

those things you don't know what your up

idea was all about that's why recently

Mark's ship fast has been blowing up and

it's his boiler plate that has all of

the basic stuff included so you have to

focus on only one thing which is

building your up I think it's an amazing

product but I honestly prefer a

different text act to his he's using

nextjs and mongodb or super base I think

whereas I'd rather use spel kit and

Firebase and I haven't really found

anything that resembles this but I

thought well I'm a developer why don't I

make such sa thing for myself and that's

what today's video is all about I'm

going to show you how you can build your

own boiler plate using your preferred

Technologies so that you can build and

ship your apps faster but first let's

talk what we should include inside so no

matter the product whether it's software

as a service or single payment you will

need four essential things and basically

you will need them every single time so

that's authentication to let users sign

in and use your app a database to store

all their information an email to send

them payment confirmations or

information about updates and also some

kind of a payment provider to let them

pay for your product that is the meat of

your app but depending on the initi you

might also want to add some other stuff

like AI models or search if you're

really going to use them every single

time so now you know what you need to

cover and it's time to assemble your

text tack that means a front-end UI

Library a backend server with a database

and some apis to glue everything

together so for the front end you're

most likely going to choose JavaScript

since it's the most popular option and

with that you choose a framework such as

reacts angular spelt or view or even

solid JS depending on your preference

although I think you should also

consider a full stack option such as

next for react U next for view or spell

kit Force felt that saves you the hustle

of setting up a backend server since you

can put everything in one directory you

should also consider some kind of a CSS

framework such as tailwind and plug-in

an additional UI Library such as Daisy y

or shatan there's plenty of those so

that you can build your components

faster for the database you have two

options you can either choose a document

based database and the most popular

options here are mongodb and Firebase or

you can choose an SQL based database and

that would be probably postgress or

MySQL if you plan to use SQL it would be

a good idea to bring an object

relational mapper such as Prisma to

avoid writing long SQL queries now

authentication you can go with something

free and open source like .js or you can

use the built-in authentication methods

uh in fire base or in sub base if you're

using one of them now it's time for

payments and by far the most popular

option here is stripe but you can also

look up lemon squeezy I've seen some

people use it so go through the

documentation of both of them and see

what you prefer to use and for mail

popular options would include mail gun

send Grid or postmark now it's time for

the big decision you have to choose the

Tex tack that you're going to use on all

your future projects just wisely because

it's not easy to switch once you made

your decision if you're not sure build

some small projects first and see what

you like the most now let's quickly go

through the process of building such

boiler plate the first thing that I

would like you to do is to set up a

notion Doc and create this little like

code blocks and put every single npm uh

install command that you have so that

you can quickly uh set up a new project

and copy paste all of these to your

terminal and install every single

dependency as you can see I have the npm

create here for creating the app then

installing EnV then installing Firebase

tail wind and I also did some steps to

what I need to enable in the Firebase

console here is the config for spelt and

tailwind and also another config file I

need to create a new up. CSS file later

and that takes care of the whole tailing

configuration as you can see right here

and you can also install uh as I

mentioned before a UI Library I choose

da UI also we have to install striper

for payments as I chose and I also like

to create this simple EnV

template I made a little reminder cuz I

was fixing a bag for like an hour before

I got that I didn't import this single

thing and also I'd like to install toast

notifications in my apps to notify users

and that takes care of my whole SAS

setup so after I install everything I'd

set up my project I'd open it in vs code

this is my editor of choice and here I

would first focus on my folder structure

so a typical project looks like this

that you have the SRC folder right here

then you have the lip directory and here

you can store components to reuse them

in the future I created uh an Al uh

component like subdirectory to store the

AL check that will I can put uh over

every single uh other component

uh to make it only accessible for signed

in users and I also made a subdirectory

for UI to store every single UI

component that I want and this will grow

with time uh whenever I create a new

project and I come up with something

cool I can just put uh just copy this

component and put it right here uh so I

can use it in the future then we have

the server uh folder which stores my uh

admin. TS that's configuring Firebase

and stripe. TS where I simply export my

uh stripe object so I can use it

everywhere else and also I have the

Firebase dots uh file which is simply

going to create a user store so I can

access it uh and get data in real time

so I think the priority is to configure

your uh authentication database first so

I would start with configuring Firebase

and doing the admin parts and also

remember to configure your EnV file so

you can access your API Keys everywhere

and remember not to publish it on any

public repo so put it in the do ignore

get ignore file right here and if you're

using Firebase remember to also ignore

the service account. Json file so after

you've got that out of the way simply

focus on getting the login First so

create a login route and uh try to

authenticate the user and then you can

uh redirect them to the Subscribe

section where they can pay for a product

most people say that you should not

offer a free tier so I think it's a good

idea to put the uh subscribe like a sub

route in login and then create an

account route to give your users uh a

way to manage their billing as you can

see I also have the API folder here and

it's mainly for managing stripe so we

have the checkout route for the API the

portal route for managing billing and

the web hook which listens for payments

and after everything is done you can go

and create your app in the app sub

directory here so now let me show you

how it looks in the web I know it's

weird but I started with building my

boil parate first instead of any product

but I'm going to fill my landing page uh

components uh when I start to build one

for now it looks like this it's only has

a button but when you click it you will

be redirected to a login route and here

you can for example log in with Google

after you log in you will be asked to

choose your plan and here uh you can

simply uh put in the data of your stripe

prices uh under these plans and it will

redirect to the stripe checkout with the

correct data and then after all that is

done you can simply redirect your users

to the app

directory where they will be able to use

your application in the beginning it

doesn't have to be anything more than

this it just needs to work so that you

can focus on building the app and the

landing page and you don't have to focus

on the annoying things like

authentication and payments so that

covers how to build your boilet plate

let me know in the comments if you'd

like a full step-by-step tutorial with

writing code along with me uh on how to

build a poet plate like this in spell

kit and Firebase also there's one more

thing the most important one actually

for this work you need to set up a git

repository with all of the code you've

just written and then when you want to

access the boiler plate all you've got

to do is run a git clone command I know

it sounds and looks like a lot but

imagine how much time you're going to

save if you put all these hours up front

right now and you will never have to do

all these setup things ever again and

the best thing is whenever you come up

with something new or interesting while

you're making a WRA you can always

extract that thing

and add it to your Bo rate so you have

it accessible on all times so now all

you need to do is focus on your

brilliant app idea and just launch it as

fast as you can let me know what text

tag you use to build your startups also

huge shout out to mark for starting this

trend I'll see you in the next one