Stack256 · 006

A Next.js starter built for self-hosting.

A production-ready Next.js template with TypeScript, App Router, Drizzle ORM + PostgreSQL, pgBoss job queues, and the DaisyUI design system. Everything you need to ship a modern, self-hostable web application — the reference stack for new Stack256 projects.

Source on GitHub → How to use it

What makes it different

Most Next.js starters leave the hard parts to you. This one ships with them already solved — so you can start building features on day one.

  • Everything but the app code

    Database, migrations, job queues, auth hooks, and styling are all wired up. What remains is uniquely yours.

  • Type-safe end to end

    TypeScript everywhere — schema, queries, API routes, and UI. No runtime surprises from data shape mismatches.

  • Self-hostable by design

    PostgreSQL, background workers, and a build you deploy anywhere Docker or Node.js runs. No vendor lock-in, no accounts required.

Using it

One template, two processes: the app and the worker. Both need a PostgreSQL database, which you point to with an environment variable.

  1. Clone and install

    The whole stack is in one repository, ready to run.

    git clone https://github.com/Stack256org/nextjs-starter.git
cd nextjs-starter
npm install

  2. Point at PostgreSQL

    Copy the example environment file and set your DATABASE_URL. One setting runs both the database and the job queue. 

    cp .env.example .env.local

  3. Migrate and run

    The app, a worker (background jobs), and a one-off migrate step each run as their own command. 

    npm run db:migrate
npm run dev
npm run worker

What it needs

Host Anything that runs Node.js — bare metal, a VPS, Docker, Coolify, Kubernetes
Database PostgreSQL 14+ — local, Docker, or a cloud provider (Neon, Supabase, AWS RDS)
Architectures x86_64 and arm64
Processes The app, a worker (email and background jobs), and a one-off migrate step
Health check GET / returns 200 when the app is serving traffic; add a health endpoint as you build
Licence MIT

Have a look at the code

This is the sixth of 256. It's a starter, not a product on its own — it's the reference implementation for every Stack256 app that follows. The README covers full setup, environment variables, and the database/worker commands in detail.

Source on GitHub → The README Shapio, the feedback board →