Installing the Kit

Clone the repository, install dependencies with pnpm, run the setup script, start Docker for Postgres and Mailpit, run Drizzle migrations, and start the dev server. You'll have a fully functional SaaS application running at localhost:3000.

This guide is part of the Next.js Drizzle SaaS Starter Kit documentation.

If you're comparing options, see the Drizzle ORM SaaS Starter Kit for Next.js teams landing page for a complete overview.

This Makerkit version is a production-ready SaaS starter kit built on Next.js 16, React 19, Drizzle ORM, and Better Auth that provides authentication, multi-tenancy, billing, and admin dashboards out of the box so you can focus on your product instead of boilerplate.

Makerkit is a production-ready SaaS starter kit that provides all the foundational features every SaaS application needs out of the box:

• Authentication - Sign up, sign in, password reset, OAuth providers, MFA
• Multi-tenancy - Organizations, team members, invitations, role-based access
• Billing & Subscriptions - Stripe integration, checkout, customer portal
• Admin Dashboard - User management, metrics, impersonation
• Email System - Transactional emails with customizable templates
• Account Settings - User profiles, organization settings, preferences

Built on modern technologies including Next.js 16, React 19, PostgreSQL, Drizzle ORM, and Better Auth, Makerkit lets you start with a working foundation and focus on building your unique product features instead of reinventing common SaaS functionality.

When to Use This Kit

Use the Next.js Drizzle Kit when:

• You want a Drizzle-based data layer with any PostgreSQL provider (Neon, Supabase, Railway, etc.)
• You prefer Better Auth for authentication
• You want type-safe SQL queries with Drizzle's query builder
• You don't want to use Supabase or host in Supabase

Consider the Supabase Kit instead when:

• You want Supabase Auth and Supabase-managed PostgreSQL
• You need Supabase Realtime
• You want tighter Supabase ecosystem integration

If you're unsure: Start with this kit if you want maximum database flexibility and provider independence. Start with the Supabase kit if you're already invested in the Supabase ecosystem.

Documentation vs Course

This documentation serves as a comprehensive API reference covering every feature, configuration option, and integration point in detail. It's ideal for looking up specific implementations, understanding how individual features work, or customizing specific aspects of your application.

For a streamlined, hands-on approach to learning Makerkit, we recommend the Next.js Drizzle Course. The course walks you through building a complete SaaS application (TeamPulse - a team feedback tool) from scratch, teaching you:

• How all the pieces fit together in a real application
• Best practices and architectural patterns
• Building features step-by-step with real-world examples
• Understanding the "why" behind implementation decisions

Recommendation: Start with the course to understand the foundations and see how everything connects, then use this documentation as a reference when building your own features. Or use them together as you build your own features.

By the end of this installation, you'll have:

• A fully functional local development environment
• A running PostgreSQL database with migrations applied
• The Next.js application running on http://localhost:3000
• The ability to create accounts and test all features

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed on your machine:

Required Software

1. Node.js 20.10 or later
   • Check your version: node --version
   • Download from nodejs.org
   • We recommend using Node.js 20.10 or later for best compatibility or (even better) the latest LTS version
2. pnpm (Package Manager)
   • This project uses pnpm for package management
   • Install globally: npm install -g pnpm
   • Check your version: pnpm --version
3. PostgreSQL 16 or later
   • A running Postgres instance (local or hosted)
   • You'll need connection credentials
   • Options: native installation, Docker (recommended), Postgres.app, or hosted (Supabase, Neon, Railway, etc.)
4. Git
   • For cloning the repository
   • Check if installed: git --version

For running the database and the Mailer testing service, we suggest installing and running Docker.

This will allow you to run a full local development environment with all the dependencies needed.

Quick Start

If you're familiar with the process, here's the quick version:

# Clone the repository
git clone git@github.com:makerkit/next-drizzle-saas-kit-turbo.git
# Install dependencies
pnpm install
# Run setup script and follow the prompts
pnpm turbo gen setup
# Start Docker (Postgres and Mailpit)
# make sure you have Docker installed and running
pnpm run compose:dev:up
# Run database migrations
pnpm --filter "@kit/database" drizzle:migrate
# Seed the database with test data
pnpm run seed
# Start the development server
pnpm dev

Navigate to http://localhost:3000 and start developing!

Seeding data

If you haven't already seeded the database, you can use the following command to seed it with some test data.

pnpm run seed

This will create 5 users, 2 organizations per user, and 3 members per organization. Follow the instructions in the terminal to login with the test data.

Detailed Installation Steps

For a step-by-step walkthrough, follow these guides in order:

1. Prerequisites - Detailed prerequisite setup
2. Clone Repository - Get the code on your machine
3. Setup Dependencies - Install all packages
4. Project Setup - Configure the project
5. Environment Variables - Configure required settings
6. Running the Project - Start developing!

Common Pitfalls

Avoid these issues we've seen repeatedly in support:

• Running Docker compose before Docker is running - Ensure Docker Desktop or Orbstack is started first
• Forgetting to run migrations - The database exists but has no tables without migrations
• Cloning into OneDrive-synced folder (Windows) - Causes file locking and build failures
• Using npm instead of pnpm - The monorepo is configured for pnpm; npm will fail
• Missing Node.js 20.10+ - Older versions cause cryptic build errors
• Not seeding the database - The app works but has no test users to log in with

Common Installation Issues

pnpm command not found

Solution: Install pnpm globally:

npm install -g pnpm

Port 3000 already in use

Solution: Kill the process using port 3000 or specify a different port:

# Find and kill process on port 3000 (macOS/Linux)
lsof -ti:3000 | xargs kill -9
# Or run on a different port
PORT=3001 pnpm dev

Database connection refused

Solution: Ensure Docker is running and the containers are up:

# Check if Docker is running
docker ps
# Start the development containers
pnpm run compose:dev:up

Windows: Module not found errors

Solutions:

• Place repository near drive root (e.g., C:\projects\)
• Avoid OneDrive-synced directories
• Use PowerShell or Windows Terminal (not Command Prompt)
• Consider using WSL2 for better compatibility

Next: Prerequisites →