Planning Guide

What You Can Build With ShockStack

Start with the smallest setup that solves the problem. Add backend and orchestration options when your product needs them.

Use Cases

Setup Guide →

B2B SaaS Dashboard

Build an authenticated product UI with fast docs/marketing routes and interactive account features.

  • public marketing routes stay fast
  • private dashboard ships only needed JS
  • auth and data models evolve safely

Include

Astro SSR Vue Islands Tailwind v4 Design Tokens Better Auth Drizzle ORM

Can Skip

.NET 10 API .NET Aspire AppHost

Internal Ops Portal

Ship admin tools for support, billing, and reporting with stronger backend boundaries.

  • clear domain/service layers
  • durable audit-friendly APIs
  • stable local environments across devs

Include

Astro SSR Vue Islands Tailwind v4 Design Tokens Better Auth .NET 10 API .NET Aspire AppHost Docker Compose

Can Skip

Drizzle ORM

Content + Docs Platform

Run docs, changelog, and blog content with optional light interactivity and theme controls.

  • SEO-first static content
  • clean writing workflow via content collections
  • lightweight themed components

Include

Astro SSR Tailwind v4 Design Tokens

Can Skip

Better Auth Drizzle ORM .NET 10 API .NET Aspire AppHost

Startup MVP

Launch quickly with minimal moving pieces, then progressively enable backend and orchestration when needed.

  • faster first release
  • easy path to add auth/data later
  • no early platform overbuild

Include

Astro SSR Vue Islands Tailwind v4 Design Tokens

Can Skip

.NET 10 API .NET Aspire AppHost Docker Compose

Multi-Tenant Platform

Scale a product with strict auth boundaries, richer APIs, and reproducible full-stack environments.

  • tenant-aware auth + roles
  • backend ownership of domain complexity
  • consistent local and CI orchestration

Include

Astro SSR Vue Islands Tailwind v4 Design Tokens Better Auth .NET 10 API .NET Aspire AppHost Docker Compose

Can Skip

Drizzle ORM

Option Picker: Include vs Skip

Keep what helps now. Skip what adds complexity you do not need yet.

Astro SSR

Include when: You want fast first paint and mostly static routes.

Skip when: You need a pure SPA with client-side routing everywhere.

Vue Islands

Include when: You have interactive widgets or forms in isolated spots.

Skip when: Your pages are static and only need server-rendered HTML.

Tailwind v4

Include when: You want speed and consistent utility-driven styling.

Skip when: Your team already has an established component CSS system.

Design Tokens

Include when: Multiple apps or themes need one shared visual language.

Skip when: Single throwaway prototype with no long-term design reuse.

Better Auth

Include when: Users need sign in, sessions, roles, or OAuth providers.

Skip when: Public-only marketing/docs with no protected user flows.

Drizzle ORM

Include when: Type-safe SQL and migrations are part of the frontend app.

Skip when: Your backend owns all data access behind APIs already.

.NET 10 API

Include when: You need domain-heavy APIs, background jobs, or strict layering.

Skip when: Frontend-only site or lightweight API needs only in Astro endpoints.

.NET Aspire AppHost

Include when: You run multiple local services and want one-command orchestration.

Skip when: Single-process app without service orchestration complexity.

Docker Compose

Include when: You want reproducible local/CI environments across machines.

Skip when: Team is fully local-native and infra parity is not a concern yet.