Building a SaaS from scratch means making hundreds of decisions. But some features are non-negotiable—they’re the foundation that every successful SaaS needs. Here are the 10 essentials, and how LaunchPike handles them for you.
1. User Authentication & Authorization
Why it’s essential: Users need secure accounts. Without proper auth, you can’t protect user data or offer personalized experiences.
What LaunchPike provides:
- Secure sign-up and sign-in flows
- Email verification
- Password reset functionality
- Role-based access control
- Session management
2. Payment Processing & Billing
Why it’s essential: If you want to make money, you need to accept payments. Subscription management is complex—plans, trials, upgrades, downgrades, invoices.
What LaunchPike provides:
- Stripe, Lemon Squeezy, and Unibee integration
- Subscription management
- Invoice generation
- Payment webhooks
- Trial period handling
3. Database & Data Management
Why it’s essential: You need to store user data, application data, and relationships between them. A well-structured database is crucial for performance and scalability.
What LaunchPike provides:
- Pre-configured database schema
- User management tables
- Subscription data models
- Optimized queries
- Migration system
4. Email System
Why it’s essential: You need to send transactional emails (welcome, password reset, invoices) and marketing emails. Email is still the most reliable communication channel.
What LaunchPike provides:
- Email service integration
- Template system
- Transactional email handling
- Email verification flows
5. Security Features
Why it’s essential: Security breaches can destroy your business. You need protection against common vulnerabilities.
What LaunchPike provides:
- Secure password hashing
- CSRF protection
- XSS prevention
- SQL injection protection
- Secure session management
6. API & Integration Capabilities
Why it’s essential: Modern SaaS products need to integrate with other tools. An API allows your product to work with the broader ecosystem.
What LaunchPike provides:
- RESTful API structure
- Authentication for API access
- Webhook support
- Integration examples
7. Analytics & Tracking
Why it’s essential: You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Analytics help you understand user behavior and make data-driven decisions.
What LaunchPike provides:
- Analytics integration ready
- User activity tracking
- Revenue metrics
- Custom event tracking
8. SEO Optimization
Why it’s essential: Organic search is a major source of traffic. Good SEO means more visibility and more customers.
What LaunchPike provides:
- SEO-friendly structure
- Meta tag management
- Sitemap generation
- Fast page loading
- Clean URLs
9. Responsive Design
Why it’s essential: Users access SaaS from phones, tablets, and desktops. Your product must work beautifully on all devices.
What LaunchPike provides:
- Mobile-responsive layouts
- Touch-friendly interfaces
- Adaptive design system
- Cross-browser compatibility
10. Deployment & DevOps
Why it’s essential: You need to deploy updates quickly and reliably. Good DevOps practices prevent downtime and enable rapid iteration.
What LaunchPike provides:
- Deployment scripts
- Environment configuration
- CI/CD ready structure
- Production best practices
The LaunchPike Advantage
Building these 10 features from scratch would take months. LaunchPike provides them all, tested and production-ready, so you can:
- Launch faster - Focus on your unique features
- Save money - No need to build infrastructure
- Reduce risk - Use battle-tested code
- Scale easier - Built with best practices
What to Build on Top
With the essentials handled, you can focus on:
- Your unique value proposition
- Industry-specific features
- User experience improvements
- Innovation that sets you apart
Conclusion
Every SaaS needs these 10 features. The question isn’t whether to build them—it’s whether to build them yourself or start with a foundation like LaunchPike that already includes them.
By choosing LaunchPike, you’re not just saving time and money. You’re ensuring your product has a solid, secure, scalable foundation from day one.
Get started with LaunchPike and focus on what makes your SaaS unique.
