Next Kickstart

Next Kickstart is a feature-packed Next.js boilerplate that gives you a zero-setup, edge-ready starter app with TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, tRPC, and a full testing stack out of the box. Created by Syhner, this template is designed to be cloned and run immediately, with optional integrations enabled through environment variables when you need them.

What is Next Kickstart?

Next Kickstart is a Next.js boilerplate that runs on the edge (e.g., Vercel) with no initial configuration required. It takes a fresh clone of a repository and provides a preconfigured development environment including ESLint, Prettier, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, shadcn/ui, and tRPC. The app includes example pages demonstrating tRPC in client and server components, a WebSockets demo, and an auth profile page when the optional features are enabled. Most optional features, such as Drizzle ORM, Lucia Auth, WebSockets via Pusher, and next-pwa, are marked with a lightbulb icon in the README and are disabled by default so the core app starts instantly.

What makes Next Kickstart stand out?

• Zero-setup philosophy — The core application runs without any environment variables, and optional features are clearly marked with 💡 so you can enable them by uncommenting code and setting env vars.
• Type safety everywhere — TypeScript is configured for maximum safety, and the project uses ts-reset to enhance type checking; T3 Env validates environment variables at build time.
• tRPC integration — End-to-end type-safe APIs work in both client and server components, with example pages under src/app/examples/client-component and server-component.
• Styling with Tailwind CSS and shadcn/ui — Includes Tailwind CSS for utility-first styling and shadcn/ui components built on Radix UI, with a theme provider and theme toggle included.
• Complete testing stack — Vitest with React Testing Library for component tests and Playwright for end-to-end testing against multiple environments are preconfigured.
• DevOps tooling included — Docker files for local and production, a GitHub Actions CI workflow, a bundle analyzer, and VS Code debug configurations come ready to use.
• Optional PWA support — You can turn the app into a progressive web app by enabling next-pwa via the provided manifest and icon.

Who should use Next Kickstart?

• Startup developers who want to launch a new web app quickly without spending days wiring up tooling.
• Full-stack TypeScript teams that rely on tRPC for type-safe APIs and want the option to add Drizzle ORM for database access.
• Developers deploying to edge platforms like Vercel who need a template that runs without Node.js server configuration.
• Open-source maintainers who want a solid base for a project with CI, testing, and reusable components included.

What can you do with Next Kickstart?

• Launch a production-ready starter app: Clone the repo, deploy to Vercel with one click, and have a working Next.js app with linting, formatting, and testing in place.
• Add real-time updates: Enable the WebSockets feature (via Pusher) to broadcast events with tRPC type safety, and use the provided useEvent hook.
• Implement authentication: Turn on Lucia Auth and Drizzle to store credentials and user sessions in a database, with example auth pages under src/app/auth.
• Build a PWA: Enable next-pwa and customize the manifest and icon in public/ to make your app installable.

How does Next Kickstart work?

There are two starting paths: clone and deploy with Vercel, or fork and run locally. For local development, the README recommends forking the repository, cloning it, and then installing dependencies with pnpm (pnpm install && pnpm run dev). Alternatively, you can spin up a container with docker-compose from docker/dev/docker-compose.yml. Optional features are toggled by uncommenting code blocks in the config and adding the required environment variables.

FAQ

Is Next Kickstart free?

The repository is publicly available on GitHub and can be forked and cloned without paying a license fee. There is no mention of paid tiers or commercial licensing restrictions on the README.

Does Next Kickstart require any setup?

No. The core app runs out of the box with zero configuration. Features that need environment variables are disabled by default, so you can start the dev server immediately. Enabling those features requires uncommenting lines and providing env credentials.

What Next.js version does Next Kickstart use?

The README targets Next.js with the app directory (App Router), and the repository metadata lists Next.js 14. The tsconfig.json includes modifications from create-next-app with inline comments.

How do I enable optional features like Drizzle or Lucia Auth?

In the README, each optional feature is labeled with 💡 and points to the specific files to edit. You uncomment all lines under the @enable marker for that feature and add the required environment variables to be validated by T3 Env.

Can I run Next Kickstart with Docker?

Yes. The repository includes docker/ directory with Dockerfile and docker-compose.yml for both development and production. A quick start command is docker-compose --file docker/dev/docker-compose.yml up.