Planning Guide

What should you build with ShockStack?

Answer five quick questions and we'll recommend the use case, the options to include, and the ones to skip for now.

Full gallery

Every use case, in detail

Setup Guide →

B2B SaaS Dashboard

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

Best for

Teams shipping a commercial SaaS with a marketing surface and an authenticated product.

  • 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

Examples

Linear-style product dashboards · Notion-style workspaces · Vercel-style deploy UIs

Trade-offs

  • Astro endpoints handle most API work; adopt .NET only if domain logic outgrows them
  • Drizzle keeps migrations with the app — easy early, watch coupling as teams split
Start with the setup guide

Internal Ops Portal

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

Best for

Internal tools that need strict auth, audit trails, and service boundaries from day one.

  • 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

Examples

Support tooling · Billing admin consoles · Ops dashboards for finance/CS

Trade-offs

  • .NET + Aspire adds orchestration overhead, pays off once you have 2+ services
  • Docker parity matters the moment more than one dev touches infra
Read the backend guide

Content + Docs Platform

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

Best for

Content-heavy sites where SEO, read time, and authoring flow matter most.

  • 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

Examples

Product documentation sites · Developer changelogs · Marketing + blog hubs

Trade-offs

  • Keep JS opt-in per island; don't reach for Vue unless the page genuinely needs it
  • Skip auth/data until you actually have private content or comments
See content collections

Startup MVP

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

Best for

Founders validating an idea who need shippable today, not a scalable platform tomorrow.

  • 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

Examples

Landing + waitlist + demo app · Early YC-stage products · Solo-founder prototypes

Trade-offs

  • Add auth + drizzle the moment you have real users
  • Docker/.NET arrive when the second service or second dev does
Quickstart in 2 minutes

Multi-Tenant Platform

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

Best for

Products where tenancy, RBAC, and cross-service data integrity are first-class concerns.

  • 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

Examples

Agency platforms with per-client workspaces · Vertical SaaS with org/teams · Enterprise portals

Trade-offs

  • Higher ceiling means more moving parts — invest in observability early
  • Backend owns data, so keep the frontend thin on business logic
Read the auth + tenancy guide

E-commerce Storefront

Ship a fast, SEO-first storefront with interactive cart/checkout and a persistent product catalog.

Best for

Storefronts where conversion hinges on page speed and the cart must feel snappy.

  • category + product pages stay fast and indexable
  • cart + account flows hydrate only where needed
  • inventory + orders live in typed SQL from day one

Include

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

Can Skip

.NET 10 API .NET Aspire AppHost

Examples

D2C storefronts · Headless Shopify replacements · Subscription product sites

Trade-offs

  • Keep payments behind server endpoints; never trust the island
  • Adopt Docker the moment a warehouse/ERP integration lands
See the database guide

API-First Dev Tool

Pair a polished docs/marketing site with a serious typed backend for CLI, SDK, or API products.

Best for

Teams whose product is an API and whose site's job is to make it legible.

  • docs and quickstarts feel instant
  • API owns schema, auth, and versioning
  • one command boots the whole dev loop

Include

Astro SSR Tailwind v4 Design Tokens .NET 10 API .NET Aspire AppHost Docker Compose

Can Skip

Vue Islands Drizzle ORM

Examples

Developer platforms with CLIs · SDK + API products · Webhook/infra tooling

Trade-offs

  • Frontend stays mostly static — resist sneaking a SPA in
  • Aspire earns its keep once you have API + worker + db locally
Read the API guide