I Built a Free SaaS Starter Template — Here's Everything Inside

Every time I started a new SaaS project, I spent the first 2 weeks on the same boilerplate: auth flow, dashboard layout, state management setup, form validation, dark mode toggle. Two weeks of zero product work, every single time.

So I extracted all of it into Niya — a free, open-source SaaS starter template that gives you a production-ready foundation in minutes, not weeks. It already has 32 stars on GitHub and developers are using it for AI dashboards, admin panels, and MVP launches.

Repo: github.com/namanbarkiya/niya-saas-template

What's Inside

Niya isn't a landing page template. It's a full-stack application foundation with everything wired together and working out of the box.

The Tech Stack

Auth That Actually Works

This was the non-negotiable. Most starter templates either skip auth entirely or give you a half-baked integration. Niya includes:

• Complete signup + login flows with email confirmation
• Password reset with token-based flow
• Protected routes via middleware — no loading spinners, just instant redirects
• Role-based access control scaffolding
• HttpOnly cookies for secure session persistence

// middleware.ts — this is all the auth routing you need
export async function middleware(req: NextRequest) {
  const session = await getSession(req);

  if (!session && req.nextUrl.pathname.startsWith("/dashboard")) {
    return NextResponse.redirect(new URL("/login", req.url));
  }
}

Dashboard Layout

The template ships with a complete dashboard layout:

• Responsive sidebar with collapsible navigation
• Top header with user avatar, notifications placeholder, and logout
• Content area with breadcrumbs and page transitions
• Dark mode that persists across sessions

State Management Done Right

I see too many starters that either use Context for everything (re-render hell) or skip state management entirely. Niya uses the Zustand + React Query pattern:

// Zustand for UI state (sidebar open, theme, modals)
const useUIStore = create<UIStore>((set) => ({
  sidebarOpen: true,
  toggleSidebar: () => set((s) => ({ sidebarOpen: !s.sidebarOpen })),
}));

// React Query for server state (users, data, API responses)
const { data, isLoading } = useQuery({
  queryKey: ["user-profile"],
  queryFn: () => fetchProfile(),
});

Client state and server state stay cleanly separated. No prop drilling, no cache invalidation bugs.

Project Structure

This is where most templates fall apart — they dump everything into a flat structure and call it "simple." Niya uses a domain-driven structure that scales:

niya-saas-template/
├── app/                  # Next.js 15 App Router
│   ├── api/              # API routes
│   ├── dashboard/        # Protected pages
│   ├── login/            # Auth pages
│   └── signup/           # Registration
├── components/
│   ├── auth/             # Auth-specific components
│   ├── dashboard/        # Dashboard components
│   ├── forms/            # Form components
│   ├── landing/          # Marketing page components
│   ├── providers/        # Context providers
│   └── ui/               # Base UI primitives
├── lib/
│   ├── hooks/            # Custom React hooks
│   ├── query/            # React Query config
│   ├── store/            # Zustand stores
│   ├── supabase/         # Supabase client
│   ├── utils/            # Utility functions
│   └── validations/      # Zod schemas
└── public/               # Static assets

Every folder has a clear responsibility. When you need to add a feature (say, a billing page) you know exactly where every piece goes.

Who Is This For?

Developers

• Rapid prototyping — clone, configure env, run. You have a working app in 3 minutes.
• Learning resource — study how to wire up Supabase, Zustand, and React Query together.
• Side projects — skip the boilerplate and go straight to building your idea.

AI Startups

• AI dashboard frontend — the dashboard layout is tailor-made for displaying AI model outputs, chat interfaces, or data visualizations.
• Real-time features — Supabase subscriptions are built in for live data updates.
• Scalable architecture — the pattern grows from MVP to production without rewrites.

Teams

• Consistent codebase — everyone follows the same patterns from day one.
• Type safety — strict TypeScript catches integration bugs at compile time.
• Deployment-ready — optimized for Vercel with one-click deploy.

What I'd Add Next

Some features I'm actively building or considering based on community feedback:

1. Stripe integration — pricing page + checkout + webhook handling
2. Admin panel — user management, feature flags, analytics
3. Email templates — transactional emails with React Email
4. Multi-tenancy — organization-based isolation with RLS policies

If any of these matter to you — star the repo and open an issue. Community signal drives priority.

Get Started

git clone https://github.com/namanbarkiya/niya-saas-template.git my-app
cd my-app
cp .env.example .env   # add your Supabase credentials
npm install
npm run dev

That's it. You'll have a fully working app with auth, dashboard, dark mode, and beautiful UI in under 3 minutes.

Star it if it saves you time: github.com/namanbarkiya/niya-saas-template