Build SaaS
Build and grow SaaS by installing the systems, not adopting a black box.
SaaS is not one template. It is a set of systems that need to work together: access, billing, usage, webhooks, docs, analytics, support, operations, deployment, and growth. StackFoundry gives those systems to you as editable source modules.
Start narrow, ship a working SaaS workflow, then expand. Install the source, review the diff, run the checks, and keep the architecture understandable enough to change later.
Build from a wedge, not a catalog
The fastest way to make a SaaS product real is not to install every module. It is to pick a workflow customers immediately understand. API SaaS is a good first wedge because the value is concrete: developers need keys, usage, quotas, credits, docs, webhooks, and billing.
1. Pick the narrow wedge
Start with the workflow that proves value fastest. For StackFoundry, that is API SaaS: keys, usage, quotas, credits, billing, docs, and webhooks.
2. Install source, not mystery glue
Dry-run the recipe, review every file, then install source that your team can edit, test, and remove like normal application code.
3. Keep vendors as adapters
Use Stripe, Clerk, Resend, PostHog, Tinybird, Vercel, Cloudflare, and other great vendors without making them hidden base dependencies.
4. Add operating loops
SaaS grows when support, incidents, onboarding, analytics, billing, and customer feedback are connected to product decisions.
Use vendors, but keep the product model yours
Great SaaS products use great vendors. The difference is where the boundary sits. A provider should adapt into your product concepts, not become the only place your product logic exists.
Access
Auth boundary, teams, tenant context, roles, invites, SSO, SCIM
Monetization
Stripe billing, credits, plans, entitlements, invoices, dunning, tax
API Product
API keys, rate limits, usage metering, docs, webhooks, request visibility
Growth
Product analytics, Tinybird events, feature flags, lifecycle email, announcements
Operations
Admin console, support, health, incidents, status, postmortems, audit
Discovery
SEO, AI SEO, llms.txt, docs, changelog, public roadmap, alternatives pages
Grow with operating feedback loops
Growth is easier when product signals are connected. Usage data should inform billing. Support tickets should connect to roadmap items. Incidents should feed postmortems. Docs and SEO should explain the product path. Announcements should close the loop when the work ships.
That is why StackFoundry includes more than launch modules. It includes customer intelligence, support ops, public roadmap, product announcements, analytics adapters, AI SEO, and operational checklists.
Ship only after the checks are boring
Run Biome lint/format before shipping UI changes.
Run TypeScript typecheck and production build before deploying.
Review env notes and never commit provider credentials.
Run migration review when schema files land.
Smoke check responsive layouts for marketing, docs, registry, and admin surfaces.
Keep route groups, API handlers, and provider adapters explicit.
Start Narrow
Dry-run the API SaaS recipe before writing source.
Preview the modules, dependencies, env notes, maintenance skills, and checklists before the code lands in your app.
pnpm stackfoundry add recipe api-saas-starter --target ./my-app --dry-run