Getting Started

Welcome to Litestore

Introducing Litestore, a complete Next.js boilerplate for building social ecommerce platforms with AI-powered automation.

What is Litestore?

Litestore is a modern, open-source ecommerce platform that combines social commerce with AI-powered automation. This project is designed to accelerate your development with a robust, modular, and extensible foundation for creator-led businesses.

People use Litestore to build social ecommerce platforms for a variety of reasons:

• 🚀 Social-Commerce-First - Creator communities, content submissions, and authentic social proof
• 🤖 AI-Powered Automation - Automated content generation, smart categorization, and intelligent workflows
• 👥 Community-Driven - Verified reviews, creator partnerships, and engaged customer communities
• 📈 Measurable Outcomes - Track marketing spend to real revenue without complex logistics

Whether you're a brand, agency, or creator-led business, this documentation will guide you through building social ecommerce experiences that convert.

Tech Stack

Next.js 16
The React framework for building server-side rendered (SSR), static, and hybrid web applications. We've chosen Next.js as the foundation for Litestore due to its performance, scalability, and modern App Router which perfectly supports our social commerce and AI automation features.

Prisma ORM
A next-generation ORM that provides type-safe database access. We use Prisma to define our database schema and generate TypeScript types, enabling safe and efficient database operations across our social commerce features.

Tailwind CSS
A utility-first CSS framework for building beautiful, responsive user interfaces. Combined with shadcn/ui components, it provides a consistent and accessible design system optimized for social commerce experiences.

tRPC
A TypeScript-first API framework that enables type-safe client-server communication. Perfect for our AI features and real-time social interactions, providing end-to-end type safety without code generation.

Better Auth
A modern, secure authentication solution with built-in support for social login, multi-factor authentication, and session management. Essential for our creator community and user engagement features.

OpenAI Integration
AI-powered content generation, moderation, and intelligent automation. Powers our automated product descriptions, content categorization, and creator content verification.

Audience

Whether you're building a small creator marketplace or a large-scale social commerce platform, Litestore provides the tools and structure to help you succeed. It's ideal for the following groups:

• Brands & DTC Companies: Launch creator-powered marketing campaigns with measurable ROI
• Social Commerce Agencies: Build scalable platforms for influencer marketing and creator economies
• Creator-Led Businesses: Monetize content through affiliate programs and social selling
• Ecommerce Innovators: Modernize traditional stores with AI automation and community features
• SaaS Startups: Build the next generation of social commerce platforms

Philosophy

Litestore is built with the following principles in mind:

• Social-Commerce-First: Every feature prioritizes creator communities and authentic social interactions
• AI-Powered Efficiency: Leverage artificial intelligence to automate repetitive tasks while maintaining human creativity
• Community-Driven: Foster genuine relationships between brands, creators, and customers
• Measurable Outcomes: Connect marketing spend to real revenue with transparent attribution
• Developer Experience: Modern TypeScript-first architecture that's both powerful and approachable
• Open Source: Free, transparent, and community-driven development

Scope of This Documentation

This documentation will guide you through configuring, running, and deploying Litestore, and will provide links to official documentation where necessary. To fully grasp Litestore's social commerce and AI capabilities, it's essential to understand these technologies.

Official Documentation

For in-depth understanding of the underlying technologies, refer to their official documentation:

• Next.js: React framework and App Router
• Prisma: Database ORM and type safety
• Tailwind CSS: Utility-first CSS framework
• tRPC: Type-safe API layer
• Better Auth: Authentication framework
• OpenAI: AI integration and APIs

What's Next?

Dive into the documentation, explore the features, and start building your social commerce platform today! 🚀

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ (Node.js 23.1 may have issues with Next.js production builds)
• Git

Installation

npx create-litestore-app my-store
cd my-store
npm install
npm run dev

pnpm create litestore-app my-store
cd my-store
pnpm install
pnpm run dev

yarn create litestore-app my-store
cd my-store
yarn install
yarn dev

bun create litestore-app my-store
cd my-store
bun install
bun run dev

Visit http://localhost:3000 to see your store!

Manual Installation

If you prefer to set up manually:

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/your-org/litestore.git
cd litestore

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Set up environment variables:

cp .env.example .env.local

4. Configure your database and run migrations:

npm run db:migrate

5. Start development server:

npm run dev

Core Concepts

Social Commerce Architecture

Litestore's unique architecture centers around three pillars:

1. Creator Content Ecosystem

• Content Submissions: Creators submit media, link products, generate slugs
• Automated Verification: Domain/email verification for trusted partnerships
• Moderation Queues: Review submissions with AI assistance
• Commission Logic: Transparent payouts for creator partnerships

2. AI-Powered Automation

• Content Generation: Auto-generate SEO-optimized product descriptions
• Smart Categorization: AI suggests categories, related products, and upsells
• Streaming Generation: Real-time content creation with live updates
• Intelligent Workflows: Smart slug generation and conflict resolution

3. Social Proof Intelligence

• Verified Reviews: One review per user with spam detection
• Community Engagement: Helpful voting and user interaction tracking
• Conversion Analytics: Measure review impact on sales
• Trust Building: Authentic social proof that drives purchases

What's Included

Litestore is packed with features to accelerate your social commerce development. This is a concise summary - each feature can take significant time to develop from scratch.

• Next.js 16: Modern App Router setup with Server Components, Streaming, and the latest React features optimized for social commerce
• Prisma ORM: Type-safe database access with migrations for complex social commerce data models
• Creator Content System: Complete content submission, verification, and moderation workflow
• AI-Powered Automation: Content generation, smart categorization, and intelligent social proof analysis
• Social Proof Intelligence: Verified reviews, community engagement, and conversion tracking
• Commission Management: Flexible creator payout rules with automated tracking and transparent earnings
• Multi-Channel Attribution: Connect marketing spend across influencers, paid ads, and offline campaigns
• Real-time Webhooks: Event-driven integrations for content approvals, purchases, and commission payouts
• Responsive Design: Mobile-first UI built with Tailwind CSS and shadcn/ui components
• Type-Safe APIs: tRPC-powered backend with end-to-end type safety
• Authentication: Better Auth with social login, creator profiles, and secure session management
• File Storage: Cloudinary integration with optimized image handling for creator content
• Email System: React Email templates for creator notifications, commission payouts, and user engagement
• Analytics Dashboard: Real-time insights into creator performance, content engagement, and revenue attribution

Project Structure

After installation, your Litestore project will have this structure:

my-store/
├── app/                    # Next.js App Router
│   ├── (marketing)/        # Landing pages and public routes
│   ├── (saas)/            # Protected application routes
│   ├── api/               # API routes (REST and tRPC)
│   ├── docs/              # Documentation pages
│   └── global-error.tsx   # Global error handling
├── components/            # React components
│   ├── marketing/         # Landing page components
│   ├── ui/               # Reusable shadcn/ui components
│   ├── forms/            # Form components and validation
│   ├── creator/          # Creator-specific components
│   └── social/           # Social commerce components
├── lib/                   # Core utilities and business logic
│   ├── ai/               # AI integration and content generation
│   ├── auth/             # Authentication helpers and middleware
│   ├── db/               # Database client and query helpers
│   ├── social/           # Social commerce business logic
│   ├── commissions/      # Commission calculation and payouts
│   ├── webhooks/         # Webhook processing and validation
│   └── utils/            # General utility functions
├── prisma/               # Database schema and migrations
│   ├── schema.prisma     # Database models and relationships
│   └── migrations/       # Database migration files
├── schemas/              # Zod validation schemas
│   ├── auth-schemas.ts   # Authentication validation
│   ├── content-schemas.ts # Content submission validation
│   ├── commerce-schemas.ts # Ecommerce validation
│   └── api-schemas.ts    # API request/response validation
├── trpc/                 # tRPC API layer
│   ├── routers/          # API route handlers
│   └── init.ts           # tRPC initialization and middleware
├── config/               # Application configuration
│   ├── app.config.ts     # General app settings
│   ├── ai.config.ts      # AI service configuration
│   ├── auth.config.ts    # Authentication settings
│   ├── storage.config.ts # File storage configuration
│   └── webhook.config.ts # Webhook settings
├── templates/            # Email and content templates
│   ├── email/            # React Email templates
│   └── content/          # Content generation templates
├── hooks/                # Custom React hooks
│   ├── use-session.ts    # Authentication session
│   ├── use-ai.ts         # AI integration hooks
│   └── use-social.ts     # Social commerce hooks
└── types/                # TypeScript type definitions
    ├── api.ts            # API response types
    ├── content.ts        # Content and creator types
    └── commerce.ts       # Ecommerce and payment types

Next Steps

Need Help?

• Community: Join our Discord for community support
• GitHub: Report issues and contribute on GitHub
• Documentation: Explore our comprehensive guides and examples