Getting Started

Your API Credentials

Use these credentials to authenticate your requests to StackForDevs services. All code examples in this guide are pre-filled with your actual credentials.

Public API Keystk_pub_YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY_HERE

Secret API Keystk_sec_YOUR_SECRET_KEY_HERE

Project IDyour-project-id

Tenant IDyour-tenant-id

Security Notice: Keep your Secret API Key confidential. Never expose it in client-side code or public repositories.

Interactive API Documentation

Test API endpoints directly in your browser with our interactive Swagger UI. Perfect for exploring the API, testing requests, and understanding response formats.

Auth API Docs Billing API Docs Notifications API Docs Mailer API Docs LLM API Docs CMS API Docs

Development Workflow with AI Assistance

This guide walks you through the complete workflow for building with StackForDevs using AI-assisted development ("vibe coding"). Follow these steps to set up your environment, extend the Starter App, and iterate quickly.

1Set Up Your Local Environment

Install the required tools to run the Starter App locally and work with AI-assisted development.

1. Install Docker Desktop:

Docker provides an isolated environment with all dependencies pre-configured.

•
macOS/Windows: Download from docker.com/products/docker-desktop
•
Linux: Install via package manager or from docs.docker.com/engine/install

Verify Installation:

docker --version

2. Install Git:

Git is essential for version control and working with AI coding agents.

•
macOS: brew install git or download from git-scm.com
•
Windows: Download from git-scm.com
•
Linux: sudo apt install git (Ubuntu/Debian) or use your package manager

Verify Installation:

git --version

3. Install Node.js and npm:

Node.js and npm (Node Package Manager) are required to install AI coding tools like Claude Code.

•
macOS: brew install node or download from nodejs.org
•
Windows: Download from nodejs.org
•
Linux: sudo apt install nodejs npm (Ubuntu/Debian) or use your package manager

Verify Installation:

node --version && npm --version

2Choose Your AI Coding Agent

Select an AI coding agent to help you build features faster. We recommend Claude Code for its deep integration with your development workflow.

Recommended: Claude Code

Claude Code is a powerful CLI tool that can read, write, and edit files, run commands, and understand your entire codebase context.

✓Full codebase awareness and navigation

✓Integrated terminal access and command execution

✓Multi-file editing with context preservation

✓Understands Docker and can help with container management

Install Claude Code (requires npm):

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Learn more at code.claude.com

Alternative Options: You can also use Cursor, GitHub Copilot, or other AI coding assistants. The workflow remains similar.

3Download the Starter App

Download our pre-configured Next.js starter application with all StackForDevs services integrated and ready to use.

After downloading:

1.Extract the ZIP file to your desired location
2.Open the extracted folder in your terminal
3.The .env file is pre-configured with your credentials
4.
Run the app with Docker:docker compose up -d --build
5.
Open your browser and visit:http://localhost:3000

🎉 Success! You should now see the Starter App running in your browser with all StackForDevs services ready to use.

4Extend the App with AI Assistance

Now comes the fun part! Use Claude Code to add features, modify existing functionality, and build your application with AI assistance.

Getting Started with Claude Code:

1. Launch Claude Code in your project:

Open your terminal in the starter app directory and run:

claude

2. Start building with comprehensive prompts:

Provide detailed context and requirements for best results. Here are example prompts that work well:

"I need to add a user profile feature. Create a /profile page that displays the current user's information from the auth service. Include fields for name, email, and account creation date. Add an 'Edit Profile' button that opens a form to update the user's display name. Use the existing design system and Tailwind styling patterns from the codebase. Make sure to handle loading states and errors properly."

"Create a blog feature using the CMS service. I need: 1) A /blog page that lists all blog posts with pagination, 2) A /blog/[slug] page for individual posts, 3) An admin section at /admin/blog to create and edit posts with a rich text editor, 4) Integration with the CMS API for CRUD operations. Follow the existing authentication patterns and ensure only authenticated users can access the admin section."

"Implement an email notification system for password resets. When a user requests a password reset: 1) Generate a secure reset token, 2) Use the mailer service to send an email with a reset link, 3) Create a /reset-password/[token] page where users can enter a new password, 4) Validate the token and update the password via the auth service. Include proper error handling for expired tokens and email delivery failures."

3. Claude Code will:

→Understand your existing codebase and architecture
→Write new components and integrate with StackForDevs APIs
→Update routing, styling, and configuration automatically
→Run commands like npm install or Docker commands when needed

💡 Pro Tip: Comprehensive prompts with clear requirements and context work significantly better than short requests.

View Best Practices & Advanced Techniques →

5Run and Test Your Changes

The Starter App includes Docker configuration for easy local development. Here's how to run and see your changes.

First Time Setup:

docker compose up -d --build

This builds the Docker image and starts the containers in detached mode. The app will be available at http://localhost:3000

Common Commands:

Start containers (after initial build):

docker compose up -d

Rebuild after code changes:

docker compose up -d --build

Use this when you've added new dependencies or made structural changes

Stop containers:

docker compose down

View logs:

docker compose logs -f

Clean rebuild (removes volumes):

docker compose down -v && docker compose up -d --build

Use this if you're experiencing persistent issues

⚠️ Code Changes Require Rebuilds:

The Starter App runs in production mode inside Docker, so code changes require rebuilding the container. Use docker compose up -d --build after making changes to see them reflected.

✨ Iteration Workflow:

1. Ask Claude Code to implement a feature
2. Claude writes the code
3. Rebuild with docker compose up -d --build
4. Check http://localhost:3000 to see changes
5. Provide feedback and iterate with Claude
6. Repeat until perfect!

Quick Download

Get started quickly with our pre-configured starter application. It includes examples for authentication, notifications, email sending, LLM integration, content management, and billing.