Start from a working starter - a single app, or a stack like WordPress or Open SaaS that ships an app with a connected database in one create.
Templates
The Template tile on the Create page starts you from something that already works: a starter app, or a stack - an application plus a database, created and connected in one go.
Your own copy#
With a GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket account connected, the starter is copied into a new private repository you own - you choose the provider on the Create page when several are connected - and pushes to your copy deploy automatically - the same Git automation as any repository app. Without any connected, the app deploys read-only from the shared template. See GitHub repo and Git providers.
Stacks#
A stack provisions two resources and wires them together:
- The application is created from the starter repository.
- A Shared-tier database is provisioned next to it - ready in seconds.
- The connection details land in the app's environment variables before the first deploy, so the app boots connected.
Stacks are created always-on (min instances 1) so the app is warm from the first visit; you can change that in Scaling later.
WordPress#
WordPress with a connected MySQL database:
- App: WordPress (PHP container) from the
light-cloud-com/starter-wordpressstarter. - Database: MySQL, Shared tier, 1 GB.
- Wiring:
WORDPRESS_DB_HOST,WORDPRESS_DB_NAME,WORDPRESS_DB_USER, andWORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORDare filled in for you.
Deploy, open the URL, and run the WordPress installer against a database that is already connected.
Open SaaS#
The Open SaaS starter (built on Wasp) with a connected PostgreSQL database:
- App: Wasp (Node.js container) from the
light-cloud-com/starter-opensaasstarter. - Database: PostgreSQL, Shared tier, 1 GB, wired in as
DATABASE_URL. - Generated for you: a strong
JWT_SECRETat create time, andWASP_SERVER_URL/WASP_WEB_CLIENT_URLderived from the app's public URL on every deploy.
The starter has optional integrations that need keys from you. They are created as placeholder environment variables so the checklist is visible in the console:
| Importance | Variables | Feature |
|---|---|---|
| Required | SMTP_HOST, SMTP_PORT, SMTP_USERNAME, SMTP_PASSWORD | Email - signup and password reset |
| Recommended | ADMIN_EMAILS | Admin dashboard access |
| Recommended | STRIPE_API_KEY, STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET, PAYMENTS_*_PLAN_ID | Payments (Stripe) |
| Optional | OPENAI_API_KEY | AI demo app |
| Optional | AWS_S3_* | File uploads (S3) |
| Optional | LEMONSQUEEZY_*, POLAR_* | Payments (alternatives) |
| Optional | PLAUSIBLE_*, GOOGLE_ANALYTICS_* | Analytics |
Set the required ones, redeploy, and the app is functional; fill in the rest as you enable each feature.
After creating#
A template app is a normal application: it has deploy history, logs and metrics, and every setting can be changed later. Edit code in your repository copy and push to ship.