Crystal is a React boilerplate that combines Next.js, Chakra UI, Jotai, and TypeScript, created by GitHub user @meerbahadin to serve as a ready-made starting point for web applications.
What is Crystal?
Crystal is an open-source starter template for building React applications. It takes a minimal project skeleton and pre-configures it with four core technologies: Next.js for server-side rendering and routing, Chakra UI for accessible component styling, Jotai for atom-based state management, and TypeScript for static type checking. As of the current repository state, the project has 5 GitHub stars and the author states in the README that authentication and additional documentation are coming soon. As a boilerplate, its output is a codebase you can clone, install dependencies, and run locally, then extend with your own features.
Key Features
- Next.js framework — Provides file-based routing, server-side rendering, static site generation, and API routes out of the box.
- Chakra UI — A modular component library that includes theming, dark mode support, and accessibility features.
- Jotai state management — A minimal, atom-based state library for React that avoids the boilerplate of larger state managers.
- TypeScript support — Static typing helps catch errors early and improves editor autocompletion.
- Pre-configured project structure — Dependencies and configuration files are already set up, saving time during project initialization.
- Publicly available on GitHub — The source code is open for anyone to inspect, fork, or contribute to.
Who should use Crystal?
- React developers — Quickly scaffold a new project with a modern toolchain without manual configuration.
- Startup teams — Use it as a consistent foundation for building MVPs with a familiar stack.
- Developers exploring Jotai — Get a working example of Jotai integrated with Next.js and Chakra UI.
- Open-source contributors — The repository is public, so anyone can fork it and submit improvements.
What can you do with Crystal?
- Build a landing page — Combine Chakra UI components with Next.js static generation to create a marketing site.
- Prototype a dashboard — Use the file-based routing and Jotai state to quickly lay out an internal admin interface.
- Start an app before auth is added — The README notes authentication is planned, so you can begin building UI components now and wire in auth later.
