Production Ready Webapp Boilerplate is a free, open-source Next.js boilerplate that gives developers a structured starting point for building server-side-rendered single-page applications with SEO in mind. It is maintained by Hao Nguyen and distributed under the MIT License.
What is production-ready-webapp-boilerplate?
Production Ready Webapp Boilerplate is a complete starter kit for modern web applications. It takes a fresh Next.js project and layers on Redux for state management, Express.js for the custom server, Less for styling, Axios with request caching, Workbox for PWA support, and Storybook for UI component development. The output is a production-ready single-page application that renders on the server to boost search engine rankings. It runs on Node.js and includes Docker configuration for containerized deployment.
Key Features
- Next.js and React — The boilerplate uses Next.js, a React-based framework that supports both client-side rendering and server-side rendering, with automatic code splitting and routing.
- Redux — A predictable state container is preconfigured for managing global application state across components and pages.
- Express.js server — A custom Express.js server handles server-side rendering and integrates with Next.js, giving control over routing and middleware.
- PWA support with Workbox — Workbox is integrated to enable progressive web app capabilities, including offline caching and installable apps.
- Less — The Less CSS preprocessor is preconfigured, adding variables, nested rules, and mixins to regular CSS.
- Axios with request caching — Axios is integrated with axios-cache-adapter to cache HTTP responses and improve performance.
- Docker support — A Dockerfile is included so you can build and run the application in containers.
- Jest — The testing framework is configured for writing and running unit tests.
- Storybook — An integrated Storybook environment lets you develop UI components in isolation, running on port 9090.
- Bundler Analyzer — Visualize the size of webpack output files with an interactive zoomable treemap.
- dotenv — Environment variables are exposed to the runtime configuration through a .env file.
Who is it for?
- React developers looking for an SSR-ready foundation — Developers who want SEO-friendly single-page applications without manually wiring up Next.js with Redux, Express, and other tools.
- Startup teams shipping a first product — Teams that need a production-quality setup including tests, PWA support, and Docker deployment from day one.
- Frontend engineers building component libraries — Teams that rely on Storybook to document and visually regression test components.
- Developers who find Create React App too restrictive — The README explicitly positions this boilerplate as an alternative to Create React App's client-side-only rendering and painful ejection process.
What can you do with it?
- Indie developers: launch a server-rendered web app with PWA support and deploy it via Docker to a VPS in a few commands.
- Agencies: set up a consistent project structure for client sites with built-in SEO, tests, and a component workspace in Storybook.
- Open-source maintainers: use the boilerplate as a reference implementation for best practices in Next.js, Redux, and Workbox integration.
How does it work?
Setup takes three steps: clone the repository, install dependencies with Yarn or npm, and run yarn dev to start the development server on localhost:3001. For production, run yarn build and then yarn start. Docker users can build an image with docker build . -t production-ready-webapp-boilerplate and run it with docker run -d -p 3001:3001 production-ready-webapp-boilerplate.
Pricing
The boilerplate is free and open source under the MIT License, and contributions are welcome.
Alternatives
- Create React App — a React starter that only offers client-side rendering, requiring an ejection process to customize configuration.
- Next.js official examples — a collection of smaller examples that lack the full preconfigured stack of Redux, Express, Workbox, and Storybook.
FAQ
Is production-ready-webapp-boilerplate free?
Yes, the project is licensed under the MIT License, and it encourages contributions through the all-contributors specification.
What technologies are included?
The boilerplate bundles Next.js, React, Redux, Express.js, Less, Axios, Workbox for PWA, Jest, Storybook, Babel, ESLint, and a bundler analyzer, among others.
Does it support server-side rendering?
Yes, the Express.js server performs server-side rendering, which is the central motivation of the project — to combine rich user experiences with SEO-friendly HTML.
How do I set up PWA support?
PWA setup is documented in the README: create a manifest.json and icons bundle, generate splash screens, and place them in the public folder as shown.
How do I run visual regression tests?
The project supports visual regression testing via Storybook and WebdriverIO. You start Storybook on port 9090, start a Selenium standalone Chrome container, and run commands like yarn vr-test for all tests or target a specific component spec.
