LaunchKit

LaunchKit is a web-based starter generator for solo developers who want to create a ready-to-run Next.js project without rebuilding the same setup from scratch.

Live site: https://launchkit.dovudkhon.com

Repository: github.com/DavidAsrorxonov/launch-kit

What It Does

LaunchKit lets a user configure a project in the browser, generate a starter from local EJS templates, and download the result as a ZIP file.

The current generator supports:

• A base Next.js starter.
• Optional MongoDB support with Mongoose.
• Optional Better Auth setup with Google OAuth.
• Automatic ZIP creation in the browser flow.
• A live output tree preview before download.
• A feedback form that stores user feedback in MongoDB.

The product scope is intentionally narrow: one framework, one database option, one auth option, and one-click ZIP generation.

Tech Stack

• Next.js 16.2.4 with the App Router.
• React 19.2.4 and TypeScript.
• Tailwind CSS 4 with shadcn UI primitives.
• Radix UI and lucide-react for UI building blocks and icons.
• EJS for rendering starter templates.
• JSZip for ZIP generation.
• MongoDB and Mongoose for feedback storage.
• Better Auth in generated auth-enabled starters.
• Vercel Analytics for site analytics.

Main User Flow

1. The user opens the marketing page at /.
2. The user clicks Generate Starter and moves to /wizard.
3. The user enters a project name.
4. The user chooses:
   • no database or MongoDB;
   • no auth or Better Auth + Google.
5. If Better Auth is selected, MongoDB is automatically selected because the auth module requires a database.
6. The wizard shows a merged output tree for the selected modules.
7. The user clicks Generate Starter.
8. The browser posts the configuration to /api/generate.
9. The server renders the selected EJS templates, merges module files and package dependencies, creates a ZIP, and returns it.
10. The browser downloads <projectName>.zip.

Application Routes

Route	Type	Purpose
/	Page	Landing page with hero, project preview, feedback form, and footer.
/wizard	Page	Interactive starter generator.
/api/generate	Route Handler	Accepts project options and returns a generated ZIP file.
/api/feedback	Route Handler	Validates and stores feedback messages in MongoDB.

Project Structure

app/
  api/
    feedback/route.ts       Feedback API endpoint
    generate/route.ts       ZIP generation endpoint
  wizard/page.tsx           Starter configuration wizard
  globals.css               Tailwind and theme styles
  layout.tsx                Root layout, metadata, analytics, toaster
  page.tsx                  Landing page

components/
  effect/                   Background visual effects
  icon/                     Custom icons
  ui/                       shadcn/Radix-style UI primitives
  feedback-section.tsx      Feedback form
  footer.tsx                Footer and GitHub link
  hero.tsx                  Landing page hero
  logo.tsx                  Brand mark
  navbar.tsx                Top navigation
  render-output-tree.tsx    Renders the wizard file tree preview

constants/
  files.ts                  Static preview tree used in the landing hero
  nav-links.ts              Navbar links
  output-files.ts           Generated file trees for each selectable module
  tech.ts                   Tech badges shown in the hero

interface/
  files.ts                  Global file preview type
  nav-links.ts              Global nav link type
  output-files.ts           Global output tree type

lib/
  db.ts                     MongoDB/Mongoose connection cache
  generator/                Template rendering, merging, and ZIP helpers
  helper/                   Output tree merge helper
  utils.ts                  Shared className utility

models/
  feedback.ts               Mongoose feedback schema

public/
  favicon/                  App icons and manifest assets
  images/logo.png           Open Graph/logo image

templates/
  base/                     Base generated Next.js starter
  modules/db/mongodb/       MongoDB module templates
  modules/auth/better-auth/ Better Auth module templates

Generator Architecture

The generator is centered around lib/generator/index.ts.

generateProject(config) receives:

{
  projectName?: string;
  db?: "mongodb";
  auth?: "better-auth";
}

It then:

1. Normalizes the project name, defaulting to launchkit-app.
2. Decides whether MongoDB is required.
3. Renders every non-partial .ejs file in templates/base.
4. If MongoDB is selected, renders templates/modules/db/mongodb.
5. If Better Auth is selected, renders templates/modules/auth/better-auth.
6. Merges module files over the base file map.
7. Reads package.json.partial.ejs files for selected modules and merges their dependencies into the generated package.json.
8. Reads .env.example.partial.ejs files for selected modules and appends them to the generated .env.example.
9. Returns an in-memory file map.

lib/generator/zip.ts converts that file map into a ZIP with JSZip. The /api/generate route returns the ZIP with Content-Type: application/zip.

Generated Starter Contents

Every generated project includes:

• app/layout.tsx
• app/page.tsx
• README.md
• package.json
• .env.example
• next-env.d.ts
• next.config.js
• tsconfig.json

When MongoDB is enabled, LaunchKit also adds:

• lib/db.ts
• models/User.ts
• app/api/test-db/route.ts
• MONGODB_URI in .env.example

The base generated package.json currently includes mongoose; the MongoDB module adds the database files and environment variable that make that dependency useful.

When Better Auth is enabled, LaunchKit also adds:

• lib/auth/auth.ts
• lib/auth/auth-client.ts
• app/api/auth/[...all]/route.ts
• app/login/page.tsx
• app/dashboard/page.tsx
• better-auth and mongodb dependencies
• BETTER_AUTH_URL, BETTER_AUTH_SECRET, GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID, and GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET in .env.example

The Better Auth option currently provides the auth wiring and placeholder login/dashboard pages. It is a starter foundation, not a complete production auth UI or finished access-control layer.

Feedback System

The landing page includes a feedback form in components/feedback-section.tsx.

The form posts to /api/feedback with:

{
  "email": "optional@example.com",
  "message": "Feedback message"
}

Validation rules:

• message is required.
• message must be at least 10 characters.
• message must be under 1000 characters.
• email is optional.

Accepted feedback is saved through the Feedback Mongoose model with timestamps.

Environment Variables

Create a local .env file before running features that touch MongoDB:

MONGODB_URI=mongodb://127.0.0.1:27017/launch-kit

MONGODB_URI is required by:

• /api/feedback
• lib/db.ts

Generated projects may also include environment variables in their own .env.example, depending on the selected modules.

Local Development

Requirements:

• Node.js 20.9 or newer.
• npm.
• A MongoDB connection string if you want feedback submission to work locally.

Install dependencies:

npm install

Run the development server:

npm run dev

Open:

http://localhost:3000

Build for production:

npm run build

Run the production server:

npm run start

Lint:

npm run lint

Development Notes

• This project uses the Next.js App Router. Routes are defined by files under app/.
• API endpoints are App Router Route Handlers named route.ts.
• The repository includes an AGENTS.md note warning that this Next.js version may differ from older conventions. Check node_modules/next/dist/docs/ before making Next-specific code changes.
• Templates are generated from .ejs files. Files ending in .partial.ejs are not emitted directly; they are used for dependency and environment-variable merging.
• The wizard's visual file tree comes from constants/output-files.ts, so add new generator modules there when you want them to appear in the UI.
• templates/base is always included. Module templates are layered on top of it.

Adding A New Generator Module

1. Create a module directory under templates/modules.
2. Add .ejs files that should be emitted into the generated starter.
3. Add package.json.partial.ejs if the module needs extra dependencies.
4. Add .env.example.partial.ejs if the module needs extra environment variables.
5. Update GenerateProjectConfig in lib/generator/index.ts.
6. Render and merge the module in generateProject.
7. Update constants/output-files.ts so the wizard preview matches the generated files.
8. Add UI controls in app/wizard/page.tsx.
9. Test by generating a ZIP, installing the generated project, and running it.

Deployment

The app is designed for deployment on Vercel or any platform that supports Next.js 16.

Production deployment needs:

• MONGODB_URI configured if feedback collection should work.
• Public URL metadata aligned with https://launchkit.dovudkhon.com.
• Static assets from public/ included in the build.

Current Scope

Included:

• Web app.
• Next.js starter generation.
• MongoDB module.
• Better Auth + Google module foundation.
• ZIP download.
• Generated .env.example.
• Generated README.
• Dashboard placeholder in generated auth starters.
• Feedback collection.

Not included yet:

• GitHub repository creation.
• Stripe.
• Email.
• Role-based access control.
• Multi-tenancy.
• Multiple frontend frameworks.
• CLI.
• A complete generated auth UI.

Useful Links

• Live app: https://launchkit.dovudkhon.com
• GitHub repository: github.com/DavidAsrorxonov/launch-kit
• Next.js documentation: nextjs.org/docs
• Tailwind CSS documentation: tailwindcss.com/docs
• shadcn documentation: ui.shadcn.com
• MongoDB documentation: mongodb.com/docs
• Mongoose documentation: mongoosejs.com/docs
• Better Auth documentation: better-auth.com/docs