Integration Guides

Integration Guides

TL;DR

Orion Kit includes 90% of what you need. Add integrations only when you have real user demand and clear business value. Start simple, scale smart.

Orion Kit is a production-ready boilerplate with essential SaaS features built-in. We’ve included what 90% of projects need, but left out features that are project-specific or can be easily swapped.

Available Integrations

Add these features only when you need them:

Feature	When to Add	Difficulty	Cost Impact
Auth Providers	Replace custom JWT	⭐⭐⭐⭐	$0-25/mo
AI Features	Chat, text generation	⭐⭐⭐	$20-100/mo
i18n	Multi-language support	⭐⭐⭐	Free
File Uploads	Avatars, documents	⭐⭐	$5-20/mo
CMS	Blog, marketing content	⭐⭐⭐	$10-30/mo
Real-time	Chat, live updates	⭐⭐⭐⭐	$20-100/mo
Search	Full-text search	⭐⭐⭐	$20-200/mo
Rate Limiting	API protection, caching	⭐⭐	$0-25/mo

Why This Approach?

🎯 Boilerplate Philosophy

Orion Kit focuses on universal SaaS needs that 90% of projects require:

• ✅ Authentication - Custom JWT system (can be swapped for providers)
• ✅ Database - Neon PostgreSQL with Drizzle ORM
• ✅ Payments - Stripe subscriptions with webhooks
• ✅ Email - Resend with React Email templates
• ✅ Analytics - PostHog for user behavior tracking
• ✅ Background Jobs - Trigger.dev for async processing
• ✅ Type Safety - End-to-end TypeScript from DB to UI

🚫 What We Don’t Include

Features that are project-specific and would bloat the boilerplate:

• ❌ Auth Providers - Custom JWT works for most cases
• ❌ AI/ML - Only some apps need chat, text generation
• ❌ File Uploads - Not every app handles files
• ❌ Real-time - Chat/live updates are niche
• ❌ i18n - Many apps are single-language
• ❌ CMS - Not every SaaS needs a blog
• ❌ Search - Full-text search is optional
• ❌ Rate Limiting - Not needed for MVP

💡 The Problem with “Kitchen Sink” Boilerplates

Most boilerplates try to include everything:

// ❌ Bloated boilerplate
import {
  Clerk,
  AI,
  i18n,
  FileUpload,
  CMS,
  Realtime,
  Search,
  RateLimit,
} from "kitchen-sink";

// Result: 50+ dependencies, complex setup, unused code

Problems:

• 🐌 Slow builds - Unnecessary dependencies
• 💰 Higher costs - Paying for unused services
• 🧠 Cognitive load - Too many concepts to learn
• 🔧 Maintenance - More code = more bugs
• 📦 Bundle size - Larger client bundles

Integration Strategy

1. Start with Core Features

Build your MVP with what’s included:

// ✅ Use what's already there
import { auth } from "@workspace/auth/server";
import { createCheckoutSession } from "@workspace/payment/server";
import { sendEmail } from "@workspace/email/server";
import { db } from "@workspace/database";

// Build your unique features
export async function createProject(data: CreateProjectInput) {
  const { userId } = await auth();

  // Create project
  const project = await db.insert(projects).values({ ...data, userId });

  // Send welcome email
  await sendEmail({
    to: user.email,
    template: "project-created",
    data: { projectName: data.name },
  });

  return project;
}

2. Add Integrations Incrementally

Only when you have real users asking for features:

// ✅ Add when needed
import { generateText } from "@workspace/ai"; // Only when you need AI
import { ClerkProvider } from "@clerk/nextjs"; // Only when you need auth providers

3. Measure Before Adding

Track usage before integrating:

• Auth Providers: Do you need SSO, social login, or enterprise features?
• AI: Is there real demand for AI features?
• File Uploads: Are users asking for file sharing?

Cost Considerations

Every integration adds ongoing costs:

Service	Free Tier	Paid Plans	Monthly Cost
Neon	512MB	$19/mo	$0-19
Stripe	0.3% fee	0.3% fee	$0 + fees
Resend	3k emails	$20/mo	$0-20
PostHog	1M events	$20/mo	$0-20
Axiom	1GB logs	$25/mo	$0-25
Trigger	100k runs	$29/mo	$0-29

Total base cost: ~$118/month for full production setup.

Adding integrations can easily double this cost.

When to Add Integrations

✅ Good Reasons

• User requests - Real customers asking for features
• Business metrics - Feature will increase revenue/engagement
• Competitive advantage - Feature differentiates your product
• Technical necessity - Required for core functionality

❌ Bad Reasons

• “It might be useful” - YAGNI principle
• “Other apps have it” - Copying without validation
• “It’s cool” - Technology for technology’s sake
• “Easy to add” - Easy to add, hard to maintain

Philosophy

“Perfect is the enemy of good.”

Orion Kit gives you a solid foundation. Add features when you have:

• ✅ Real user demand
• ✅ Clear business value
• ✅ Technical necessity
• ✅ Budget for ongoing costs

Start simple, scale smart. 🚀

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Need help with a specific integration? Open an issue or check our community discussions.