Launchway

Launchway is a Remix-based starter kit built for developers who value speed and flexibility.

It's not just another boilerplate.

It's a carefully crafted foundation that gives you all the essentials without locking you into specific services or tech stacks.

Think of it as your web app Swiss Army knife.

The Launchway Experience: A Closer Look

Let's dive deeper into some key areas:

Authentication: Fort Knox for Your Users

Launchway's authentication system is a standout feature.

Here's why:

1. In-house solution.

No dependence on Auth0 or similar services.

You control the most critical part of your app.

2. Email/password + social auth.

Covers all the bases out of the box.

3. Extendable.

Need more OAuth providers? Easy to add.

4. Email confirmation.

Keeps the riffraff out. Essential for serious apps.

Payments: Show Me the Money

Monetization is baked in:

1. Stripe integration.

The gold standard for online payments.

2. Subscription management.

Users can handle their own subscriptions.

No more support tickets for plan changes!

3. Webhook listeners.

React to payment events in real-time.

Perfect for triggering actions based on subscription changes.

UI Components: Pretty AND Practical

The included UI kit is no slouch:

1. Built on Tailwind.

Customization is a breeze.

2. Mobile responsive.

Looks great on all devices out of the box.

3. Dark mode support.

Because who doesn't love a good dark mode?

4. ShadCN integration.

High-quality, customizable components that live in your codebase.

No third-party component library lock-in.

Developer Experience: A Love Letter to Devs

Launchway clearly values developer happiness:

1. TypeScript everywhere.

Catch errors before they happen.

2. Zod for runtime type checking.

Because sometimes, TypeScript isn't enough.

3. ESLint + Prettier.

Consistent, clean code across your entire project.

4. Jest for testing.

Because we all know we should be writing more tests.

5. Pino for logging.

Structured logging that'll make debugging a breeze.

6. Sentry integration.

Catch and diagnose production errors like a pro.

Deployment: Host It Your Way

Launchway doesn't play favorites with hosting:

1. Serverless-ready.

Deploy to Vercel, Netlify, or your serverless platform of choice.

2. Traditional hosting?

No problem. It works just as well on a good old-fashioned server.

3. Database flexibility.

Use Postgres, MySQL, MongoDB... whatever floats your boat.

Drizzle ORM makes database operations a joy.

Marketing Tools: Get the Word Out

Launchway isn't just about the tech:

1. SEO-optimized landing page.

Show off your product's best features.

2. Dynamic pricing page.

Pulls live data from your Stripe account.

3. MDX-powered blog.

Share updates, changelog, or content marketing with ease.

4. Built-in SEO best practices.

Give your app the best chance to rank in search engines.

The Good, The Bad, and The "Holy Crap, That's Awesome!"

Let's break it down:

The Good

1. Saves serious time.

Launchway claims to save you 40-65+ hours per project.

That's not just marketing fluff.

With pre-built authentication, payment integration, and essential UI components, those numbers check out.

2. Platform agnostic.

Unlike some starters that tie you to specific services, Launchway plays nice with:

• Any hosting provider
• Any social auth provider
• Any database
• Any email service
• Any storage solution
• Any caching system

Freedom of choice? Check.

3. Built-in monetization.

Stripe integration comes out of the box.

But here's the kicker: you can easily swap it for Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, or whatever tickles your fancy.

4. Rock-solid tech choices.

Remix, React 18, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, ShadCN...

It's like the all-star team of modern web dev.

5. Developer experience on steroids.

ESLint, Prettier, Jest, Pino logging, Sentry error tracking...

It's clear they've thought about the day-to-day pain points of building and maintaining apps.

The Bad

1. Learning curve for Remix newbies.

If you're not familiar with Remix, there might be a slight learning curve.

But hey, gotta learn sometime, right?

2. Opinionated structure.

While flexible, Launchway does have opinions on project structure.

Some developers might prefer a more bare-bones approach.

3. No free tier.

At $99 (currently discounted from $199), it's an investment.

But considering the time saved? It's a bargain for serious developers.

The "Holy Crap, That's Awesome!"

1. In-house authentication.

No reliance on third-party auth services.

You own your user data. Full stop.

2. Pluggable services.

The abstractions for emails, file storage, and more are chef's kiss.

Switching providers down the line? No sweat.

3. Multi-tenancy support.

Users can belong to multiple organizations with different roles.

This is huge for B2B SaaS apps.

4. Built-in marketing pages.

Landing page, pricing page, blog...

All there, all optimized for SEO.

5. Feature flags and gating.

Easy to roll out new features gradually or limit access based on user type.

This is pro-level stuff, folks.

Who's It For?

Launchway isn't for everyone. But it's perfect if you're:

1. A solo developer or small team building SaaS products
2. An agency that launches multiple web apps for clients
3. A startup founder who needs to ship an MVP yesterday
4. A developer who values clean code and best practices

What's Next?

Launchway isn't resting on its laurels.

They've got plans for:

• Internationalization support
• Feature flags
• Two-factor authentication
• In-app notifications
• Built-in analytics

The future looks bright, and I'm excited to see how Launchway evolves.