Self Introduction
Hey, I'm Michael Yin. I'm a full-stack developer who genuinely enjoys building things for the web. For years, my go-to stack has been Django on the backend, paired with whatever modern frontend tech I could wrangle to create a decent user experience.
Besides coding, I've spent a good chunk of my time creating courses and writing ebooks about tools I love, like Wagtail CMS and Celery. That's how I got to connect with so many of you in the developer community. Through countless chats and emails, I started seeing the same struggles pop up over and over again. It turned out, we were all wrestling with similar frustrations.
My Goal
Building a SaaS product is exciting, but let's be honest: getting everything up and running smoothly is a huge pain. You have to piece together authentication, payments, background jobs, a modern frontend, and a dozen other things. Every new project feels like starting from scratch, fighting the same battles just to get to the starting line.
Instead of just complaining, I decided to build a real solution. That's what set me on the path to creating SaaS Hammer. My goal was to build a boilerplate that handles all the tedious setup, so we can focus on what actually matters: building our product.
Product 1: SaaS Hammer Hotwire
My first big breakthrough was discovering Hotwire, the frontend framework from the team behind Ruby on Rails. While many in the Django world were looking at Alpine.js and HTMX, I felt Hotwire offered a more complete, battle-tested solution.
Why Hotwire? Because it's not just a library; it's a philosophy. It lets you build modern, single-page-application-like experiences by sending HTML over the wire, not JSON. This means you can keep your logic on the server, right where it belongs in a Django app.
SaaS Hammer (Hotwire version) is the culmination of this idea. It's a Django project template that's pre-configured with:
- Hotwire (Turbo + Stimulus): For a fast, responsive frontend without writing tons of JavaScript.
- Server-Side Components: Using
django-viewcomponent, you can build reusable UI elements in Python, keeping your templates clean and your logic organized. - Modern Frontend Tooling: A seamless
npmintegration that doesn't feel like a hack. Tailwind CSS is set up and ready to go. - Essential SaaS Features: Things like user authentication, payments with Stripe, and background tasks with Celery are already baked in.
I built this because I wanted a way to ship my SaaS ideas faster, without getting bogged down in frontend complexity. It’s for Django lovers who want to build modern apps without leaving the ecosystem they know and love.
To know more about this version, check out https://saashammer.com/hotwire-django/
Product 2: SaaS Hammer React
I also know that sometimes, you just need the power and ecosystem of a full-blown JavaScript framework. That's why there's a React version of SaaS Hammer.
This version is for when you're building something that requires complex, stateful frontend interactions. It provides a solid foundation with a decoupled architecture, giving you the best of both worlds: a robust Python backend and a modern, reactive frontend.
Here’s what’s under the hood:
- React & Next.js: Client-side rendering, automatic code splitting, and optimized performance for production-ready applications.
- TypeScript: For type-safe code that reduces runtime errors.
- Tailwind CSS & Shadcn UI: A utility-first CSS framework paired with a library of accessible components.
- Django Rest Framework: A powerful and secure API backend.
- User Authentication: Pre-built signup, login, and password reset features.
Think of it as the "batteries-included" philosophy of Django, but extended to the entire stack. It’s designed to give you a massive head start when building sophisticated, modern web applications.
To know more about this version, check out https://react.saashammer.com/
Conclusion
SaaS Hammer started as my personal hobby project to solve my own problems. It grew out of a desire to make web development with Django more productive and, honestly, more fun.
Whether you prefer the simplicity of Hotwire or the power of React, my goal is to give you a massive head start. I want you to be able to focus on what makes your app unique, not on the tedious setup work that comes with every new project.
I'm always working on making it better, and I love hearing from other developers who are using it. Thanks for stopping by to learn more about my journey. I hope SaaS Hammer can help you on yours.
Ready to Build Better, Faster?
You can sign up for free to explore the features and see if SaaS Hammer is right for you. When you're ready to launch your project, you can purchase a license to get the full source code and dedicated technical support.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me via my GitHub.
Happy coding! 🚀