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Small Scale Projects Overview

The small scale is SkipSetup’s streamlined option for rapid development of prototypes, MVPs, and weekend projects. It provides the essential foundation you need to start building immediately, without unnecessary complexity.

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What is Small Scale?

Small scale projects are minimal viable architectures that include everything you need to validate ideas quickly, but nothing more. Perfect for when you need to move fast and prove concepts without investing in full-scale infrastructure.

Philosophy: Provide the minimum viable architecture that enables rapid development while maintaining production readiness for the scale you need.

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Ideal Use Cases

Quick proof-of-concepts and experimental projects to test ideas.

Side projects, hackathon entries, and personal experiments.

Minimum viable products to validate market interest.

Educational projects to learn modern full-stack development patterns.

Simple internal dashboards and tools for small teams.

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Core Configuration

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Technology Stack

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Frontend

Latest App Router with server components, optimized rendering, and built-in API routes.

Full type safety with strict configuration and comprehensive type checking.

Utility-first CSS framework for rapid UI development with responsive design.

End-to-end type-safe API calls with automatic caching and synchronization.

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Backend & Database

Type-safe database access with migrations, seeding, and an intuitive query API.

PostgreSQL for production, SQLite for local development. Easy switching between environments.

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Included Features

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Authentication & Security

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Email/Password Authentication

  • Secure login and registration flows
  • Password hashing with bcrypt
  • Form validation and error handling
  • Protected route middleware

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Email Verification

  • One-time password (OTP) system
  • Resend integration for deliverability
  • Email template for verification
  • Password reset flows

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Database & Data Management

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Basic Schema

  • User model with profiles
  • Session management
  • Email verification tokens
  • Proper relationships and constraints

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Database Operations

  • Prisma migrations ready
  • Seed data scripts
  • Database studio for management
  • Environment-specific configurations

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User Interface

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Responsive Design

  • Mobile-first responsive layouts
  • Dark/light mode support
  • Accessibility compliant components
  • Consistent design system

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Core Components

  • Authentication pages (login, register)
  • User dashboard template
  • Email verification flows
  • Navigation and layout components

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AI Development Context

Even small projects include essential AI context to accelerate development:

  • Basic project specifications
  • Core architecture documentation
  • Essential development workflows
  • Context for AI-assisted coding

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Generated Project Structure

your-mvp-project/
├── src/
│   ├── app/
│   │   ├── (auth)/           # Authentication routes
│   │   │   ├── login/
│   │   │   ├── register/
│   │   │   └── verify/
│   │   ├── (protected)/      # Authenticated routes  
│   │   │   └── dashboard/
│   │   ├── api/              # API routes (REST + tRPC)
│   │   └── layout.tsx        # Root layout
│   ├── server/
│   │   ├── api/              # tRPC routers
│   │   ├── db/               # Database client
│   │   └── auth/             # Auth configuration
│   ├── trpc/                 # tRPC client setup
│   └── utils/                # Utility functions
├── prisma/
│   ├── schema.prisma         # Database schema
│   └── seed.ts              # Seed data script
├── .kiro/                   # AI development context
├── .env.example            # Environment template
├── package.json            # Dependencies & scripts
└── README.md               # Project documentation

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Quick Start Example

# Create your small project
npx skipsetup-cli@latest create my-weekend-project --size small

# Navigate to project
cd my-weekend-project

# Install dependencies
pnpm install

# Set up environment
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your configuration

# Set up database
pnpm db:push

# Start development
pnpm dev

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Development Commands

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When to Choose Small Scale

  • You need to validate an idea quickly
  • Your team is small (1-3 people)
  • You’re building a personal project
  • Time to market is critical
  • Budget for infrastructure is limited

  • You need admin panels from day one
  • Payment processing is required
  • Advanced analytics are needed
  • You expect rapid user growth
  • Team collaboration features are essential

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Growth Path

Small scale projects are designed to grow. When your project succeeds, you can:

  1. Add Medium Scale Features: Incrementally add Stripe, admin panels, etc.
  2. Migrate Data: Your database schema is compatible with medium scale.
  3. Extend Architecture: The foundation supports adding complexity.
  4. Enhance AI Context: Upgrade your .kiro configuration as needed.

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Real-World Example

During the Kiroween Hackathon, a team built a complete MVP in under 2 hours using SkipSetup’s small scale:

  • Authentication with email verification
  • User dashboard with basic features
  • Database with proper relationships
  • Deployed and working prototype

Watch the demo →

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Cost & Performance

Small scale projects are optimized for cost-effective hosting:

  • Can run on hobby-tier hosting
  • Minimal database requirements
  • Low bandwidth consumption
  • Free tier compatible for most services

Despite being minimal, small scale projects are performant:

  • Optimized Next.js configuration
  • Efficient database queries
  • Code splitting and lazy loading
  • Production-ready optimizations

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Getting Started

Create Your Small Project
Tip: Not sure if small scale is right for you? Start with small—you can always add medium-scale features later. The architecture is designed to grow with your needs.