Shadcn Nuxt Starter is an open-source Nuxt 3 boilerplate that combines Shadcn-vue UI components with UnoCSS to scaffold SSR (SaaS), SSG (docs), and CSR (dashboard) applications.
What is shadcn-nuxt-starter?
Shadcn Nuxt Starter is a GitHub template from xdesign-dev that gives you a pre-configured Nuxt 3 project with TypeScript, Shadcn-vue components, UnoCSS styling, and Pinia state management. It is designed to be cloned and immediately developed with, producing a deployable Vue application that supports server-side rendering for SaaS sites, static site generation for docs, and client-side rendering for dashboards. A live preview is available at shadcn-nuxt-starter.xdesign.tech.
Key Features
- Nuxt 3 core — Uses Nuxt 3 with compatibilityVersion: 4, file-based routing, auto-importing for the Composition API, VueUse, and custom composables.
- Shadcn-vue components — Re-usable, accessible components built on Radix Vue, integrated for rapid UI development.
- UnoCSS — Instant on-demand atomic CSS engine for purged, small stylesheets.
- Vite — Development server with instant hot-module replacement (HMR).
- Iconify — Over 200,000 open-source vector icons available for use.
- Pinia — Official Vue state-management store, pre-wired.
- PWA support — Integrated vite-pwa/nuxt for offline support and auto-update behavior.
- SEO and Markdown — Built-in SEO optimization and meta tag definitions plus Markdown support for content-driven pages.
- Layout system — A dedicated
./app/layouts directory for shared page layouts.
- Zero-config cloud deployment — The readme claims zero-config cloud functions and deploy.
Who is it for?
- Vue developers starting a Nuxt 3 project who want a Shadcn-vue + UnoCSS setup without boilerplate configuration work.
- SaaS founders who need an SSR marketing site with SEO meta tags out of the box and a separate app/dashboard area.
- Documentation maintainers who want a static site generator with Markdown support and file-based routing for a docs site.
- Dashboard builders who prefer client-side rendering with Pinia stores and PWA offline capabilities for admin panels.
What can you do with it?
- SaaS product owners: Launch a server-rendered marketing site with SEO built-in, using an SSR Nuxt 3 app.
- Docs site creators: Generate a static docs site via SSG mode, writing content in Markdown with file-based routes.
- Admin dashboard developers: Build a client-rendered dashboard with Pinia state management and PWA offline support for users who need app-like behavior.
- Rapid prototyping: Clone the repository, install dependencies with pnpm, and start iterating with live reload and auto-imports already configured.
How does it work?
- Clone the repository with
git clone https://github.com/xdesign-dev/shadcn-nuxt-starter.git project-name.
- Navigate into the project and run
pnpm install to install dependencies.
- Run
pnpm dev for local development with live reload, or pnpm build to create a production build.
FAQ
Is shadcn-nuxt-starter free to use?
Yes, the starter is open source and licensed under the MIT license, so you can use it in personal and commercial projects without paying licensing fees.
What Node.js and package manager are required?
The readme specifies Node.js 18 or higher and recommends using pnpm as the package manager for installing dependencies and running scripts.
Does the starter support PWA?
Yes, it integrates vite-pwa/nuxt, providing offline support and auto-update behavior so your app can work like an installable web application.
Which UI components are included?
It uses Shadcn-vue, a collection of accessible and reusable components built on Radix Vue, styled with UnoCSS's atomic CSS engine.
