Next.js 16 Boilerplate

Next.js 16 Boilerplate is an open-source starter template for building production-ready Next.js applications, pre-wired with Clerk authentication, Prisma ORM, and Tailwind CSS 4. It is published on GitHub by Anwar Hossain and licensed under the MIT License. The template provides a complete App Router project with TypeScript 5.8 throughout, so developers can clone it, configure environment variables, and start building features immediately rather than assembling tooling from scratch.

What is Next.js 16 Boilerplate?

Next.js 16 Boilerplate is a production starter built on Next.js 16.1.4 and React 19.2.3 that combines authentication, database access, styling, and developer tooling in one pre-configured project. As input, it takes a fresh clone with environment variables for MongoDB and Clerk; as output it produces a working web application with a /dashboard route protected by sign-in. The template runs on the App Router with Turbopack and includes a src/ directory organized into app, components, lib, providers, styles, and types. The project is maintained by Anwar Hossain and released under the MIT license on GitHub.

What makes Next.js 16 Boilerplate stand out?

• Next.js 16 & React 19 — Uses Next.js 16.1.4 and React 19.2.3 with the App Router and Turbopack for fast development builds.
• Clerk authentication — Pre-configured sign-in and sign-up flow with environment variables for Clerk public/secret keys and redirect URLs targeting /dashboard.
• Prisma ORM with MongoDB — Database schema and a seed script live in the prisma/ directory, with npm scripts such as prisma:generate and prisma:push for schema management.
• Tailwind CSS 4 — Styling via the latest Tailwind release with CSS-first configuration and canonical class syntax that references CSS variables.
• TanStack Query 5 — Data fetching and server-state management integrated through the providers directory.
• Framer Motion 12 — Animation library included for smooth transitions.
• Developer tooling — ESLint 9, Prettier, Husky Git hooks, and Commitlint are pre-configured to enforce code style and commit conventions.
• SEO assets — The repo includes pre-configured meta tags and an og.png social sharing image in public/images.

Who should use Next.js 16 Boilerplate?

• Next.js developers who want a production-ready foundation without spending days wiring up authentication, database, and linting.
• SaaS founders and indie hackers building an MVP that needs sign-in, a protected dashboard route, and MongoDB persistence using Clerk and Prisma.
• Development teams that rely on consistent code quality via ESLint, Prettier, and Husky pre-commit hooks from day one.
• Students and learners studying the Next.js 16 App Router who want a real-world example of Prisma, Clerk, and TanStack Query integrated together.

What can you do with Next.js 16 Boilerplate?

• Launch a SaaS MVP: Clone the repo, add your MongoDB URI and Clerk keys, then immediately have user sign-up/sign-in and a protected /dashboard route to build your product UI.
• Model your database quickly: Edit the Prisma schema and run the prisma:push script to push changes, then use the included seed.ts to populate initial data.
• Deploy without reconfiguration: Build a production bundle with npm run build and start it with npm run start; the project follows the standard Next.js build output, so it can be deployed to any Node.js hosting environment.

How does Next.js 16 Boilerplate work?

The README outlines a simple startup process: clone the repository, run npm install, create a .env file with MONGODB_URI, Clerk keys, and Clerk redirect URLs, then execute npm run dev. The application then serves at http://localhost:3000. Additional npm scripts cover production builds, linting, formatting, and Prisma operations such as client generation and schema push.

FAQ

Is Next.js 16 Boilerplate free?

Yes, the template is open source under the MIT License, so you can use, modify, and distribute it freely. You will still need your own MongoDB database and a Clerk account to run the authentication features in production.

What versions are included in the template?

The template pins Next.js 16.1.4, React 19.2.3, TypeScript 5.8, Tailwind CSS 4.1.4, and Prisma 6.19.2. It also includes TanStack Query 5 and Framer Motion 12 for data fetching and animation.

Does the boilerplate include authentication?

Yes, authentication is pre-configured with Clerk. Environment variables for your Clerk publishable key, secret key, and webhook secret must be added to .env for sign-in and sign-up routes to function.

What database does it support?

The template uses Prisma ORM with MongoDB as the database provider. A schema.prisma file and a seed.ts script are included, and the prisma:push command applies schema changes to your database.