Built by Downshift
We build infrastructure so developers stop rebuilding the same things.
Every new project starts the same way: set up auth, wire up payments, build notifications, configure file storage, add search. Weeks of plumbing before you write a single line of product code. We got tired of it.
Start Labs is a collection of composable, production-tested infrastructure modules. Auth with OAuth, MFA, and RBAC. Stripe payments with subscriptions and webhooks. BullMQ job queues. Real-time messaging. File storage. Feature flags. 28 packages covering the infrastructure every app needs, published as @startlabs/* on npm.
Each package follows the same pattern: pure business logic in the core, a Fastify adapter for the HTTP layer, and a Drizzle schema with its own Postgres namespace. You compose modules into a working app, and everything just works together -- auth flows into payments, payments trigger notifications, notifications route through queues.
What makes Start Labs different
You own the code
Every package is MIT-licensed. No vendor lock-in, no revenue share, no usage-based surprises. Fork it, modify it, host it yourself. The code is yours.
Composable, not monolithic
Pick the modules you need. Auth + payments for a SaaS. Add marketplace + messaging for a two-sided platform. Add booking + notifications for a scheduling app. Each module works independently and composes with the others.
Real infrastructure, not generated code
Start Labs modules are hand-built by engineers, not generated by AI. Every function is typed, every error path is handled, every database query is optimized. When something breaks, you can read the code and fix it.
12 templates to start fast
SaaS starter, marketplace, booking, e-commerce, course platform, CRM, directory, support portal, newsletter, admin panel, AI chat, and mobile starter. Each template is a complete, working app with real auth, real data, and real UI -- not a landing page with placeholder buttons.
The team
We're a small team shipping fast. Downshift Labs builds developer tools and infrastructure -- Start Labs is our flagship project, but we maintain a portfolio of apps built on the same modules we publish.
That's the key: we use Start Labs in production ourselves. Every module gets battle-tested in real apps before it ships as a package. When we find a bug or a missing feature, we fix it upstream so everyone benefits.
Open source commitment
Start Labs is open source under the MIT License. All 28 packages, all 12 templates, all documentation. We believe infrastructure should be a public good -- the more developers use it, the better it gets.
We make money from managed services: hosted auth, payment processing, file storage, and job queues. The self-hosted version is always free and always feature-complete. Paying customers get convenience, not features.
Contributions are welcome. Whether it's a bug fix, a new module, or documentation improvements, we review every PR and maintain a contributor-friendly codebase with strict TypeScript, comprehensive tests, and clear architecture patterns.
Describe it. Build it. Ship it.
World-class apps in seconds. Not hours. Not days. Seconds.
Free to try · No signup required · Open source