The Solo Dev Launch Kit

00

PRE-BUILD

Before you write a single line of code, you need a home for your product on the internet. This module walks you through choosing a domain name, checking it's legally clear, and registering it — all from your iPad.

Step 1 — Brainstorm Your Domain Name

Your domain name is your brand. It should be short, memorable, and clearly connected to what you're building. Aim for under 15 characters.

Stick to .com first — it's still the most trusted TLD for paid products
Avoid hyphens and numbers — hard to say aloud and look unpolished
Make it descriptive OR brandable, not both ("financeapp.com" vs "peppermintfi.com")
Test it: say it out loud. Could someone spell it after hearing it once?
Check that a matching Instagram/X handle is available before you commit

Step 2 — Trademark & Copyright Check (Do Not Skip)

Using a name that's already trademarked can get your product taken down and expose you to legal liability — even if you registered the domain first.

Check	Where	What to Look For
US Trademark	tmsearch.uspto.gov	Search exact name AND similar names in Class 42 (software services)
Google Search	google.com	Search "your name + app" — look at first 3 pages for existing products
Domain WHOIS	whois.domaintools.com	Check if taken and when registered — old domains may carry brand rights
Social Handles	namechk.com	Check all major platforms at once for consistency
UK/EU Trademark	euipo.europa.eu	If selling internationally, check this registry too

Step 3 — Register Your Domain

Once confirmed clear, register it immediately — before announcing anything.

Registrar	Best For	Notes
Namecheap	Best value overall	Free WHOIS privacy, easy DNS management, iPad-friendly UI
Google Domains	Simplicity	Clean UI, auto-renew, integrates with Google Workspace
Cloudflare	Cost + security	At-cost pricing (no markup), excellent DNS — requires Cloudflare account
IONOS	Bundling	Good if also buying email hosting from them
GoDaddy	Avoid	Aggressive upsells, privacy costs extra, hard to leave

Step 4 — Subdomain Strategy

Once you have a root domain, serve multiple apps from subdomains — all pointing to your single droplet via A records.

yourapp.com — main marketing / landing page
app.yourapp.com — the actual product (authenticated app)
docs.yourapp.com — documentation or API reference
status.yourapp.com — uptime page (professional touch)

Step 5 — Email Setup

A branded email (you@yourapp.com) is non-negotiable for credibility. Options: Zoho Mail (free tier), Google Workspace ($6/mo), or Mailgun for transactional email only.

TIP: Register the domain the day you decide on the name. Domains cost $10–15/year. Losing a name you've built a product around costs far more.

01

FOUNDATION

Most developers wait for the perfect setup. Meanwhile, the market doesn't wait. This module reframes the iPad not as a limitation — but as a filter that forces clarity, speed, and shipping bias.

"Done on an iPad" is not an excuse. It's a flex.

Why Constraints Win

You can't over-engineer from a glass screen — ship or nothing
Mobile-first workflows produce mobile-aware products
The constraint becomes your story, and your story sells
You prove to buyers that you shipped under pressure — they trust the guide

The Shipping Mindset Checklist

I will deploy before it's perfect
I will use real payment links, not demo mode
I will post the Stripe dashboard screenshot
I will document the process as I build
I will sell access to what I know, not just what I built

TIP: Write one sentence about what you're building and who it helps before you write one line of code. That sentence becomes your marketing.

02

INFRASTRUCTURE

This isn't a list of apps — it's a system. Every tool has a specific job and connects to the others. Swap nothing until you've shipped your first paid product.

The Full Stack

Termius

SSH Client

Your terminal. Full keyboard support, persistent sessions, profiles per server.

VS Code Server

IDE

Full VS Code running on your DigitalOcean droplet, accessible from Safari/Opera on iPad.

GitHub

Version Control

Every project gets a repo. Push from VS Code Server via the built-in terminal.

DigitalOcean

Cloud Host

Ubuntu droplet at a fixed IP. nginx serves your React apps. $6/mo.

Opera

Browser

Best iPad browser for dev: tab management, built-in VPN, doesn't fight VS Code Server.

Supabase

Backend

PostgreSQL + auth + storage. Full dashboard from iPad browser. No local DB needed.

Stripe

Payments

Payment Links require zero code. Dashboard is fully functional on iPad.

TIP: Set up VS Code Server on your droplet once, then bookmark it in your browser. This is your primary IDE for everything that follows.

03

CORE WORKFLOW

You will scaffold, build, and deploy a React app without touching a desktop. This is the core workflow that underlies every app in the Newton Associates portfolio.

Step 1 — SSH into your droplet

ssh root@YOUR_DROPLET_IP

Step 2 — Scaffold the app

npm create vite@latest my-app -- --template react
cd my-app && npm install
npm install -D tailwindcss postcss autoprefixer
npx tailwindcss init -p

Step 3 — Configure Tailwind

content: ["./index.html", "./src/**/*.{js,jsx}"]

Step 4 — .env file rules (critical)

Vite reads variables prefixed with VITE_. Never use backticks in .env values — they break the parser silently.

VITE_SUPABASE_URL=https://yourproject.supabase.co
VITE_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY=eyJhbGci...

Step 5 — nginx config for React Router SPAs

Without this, direct URL hits return a 404. Add inside your server block:

location / { try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html; }

Step 6 — File permissions fix

chmod o+x /root

nginx runs as www-data and can't read files in /root without execute permission. This is the silent 403 fix.

TIP: Build in VS Code Server. Deploy by running 'npm run build' and copying /dist into your nginx serve directory. No CI/CD needed on day one.

04

BACKEND

Supabase gives you PostgreSQL, row-level security, and auth — all configured from a browser. No local database. No Docker. Everything you need is at app.supabase.com from your iPad.

Core Tables to Set Up First

profiles: user_id (FK to auth.users), display_name, created_at
waitlist: email, source, created_at — UNIQUE on email
accounts: user_id, name, type, balance
transactions: user_id, account_id, amount, category, date

Row-Level Security Pattern

Always enable RLS on every table. The core policy that covers 90% of use cases:

USING (auth.uid() = user_id)

Apply as both SELECT and INSERT policy. Users only see and write their own rows.

Supabase Auth in React

import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js'
const supabase = createClient(VITE_URL, VITE_KEY)

await supabase.auth.signInWithPassword({ email, password })
await supabase.auth.signUp({ email, password })

TIP: Use Supabase's Table Editor (browser UI) to seed test data and verify RLS is working before writing any frontend code.

05

REVENUE

Stripe's redirectToCheckout was deprecated in late 2025. The new standard is Payment Links — and they're actually better for iPad-first devs because you create them entirely in the Stripe dashboard, no code required.

Creating a Payment Link (no code)

Go to dashboard.stripe.com → Payment Links → Create
Add your product (name, price, image)
Set the success redirect URL (e.g. your app + /success)
Copy the Payment Link URL
Paste it as your CTA button's href — done

Switching Sandbox to Live Mode

Toggle the dashboard from 'Test mode' to 'Live mode' (top-left switch)
Recreate your Payment Links in live mode — test links don't carry over
Replace .env STRIPE keys with live keys (sk_live_ and pk_live_)
Submit business details under Settings → Business to activate payouts

Persisting Purchase State Across Redirect

localStorage.setItem('pending_product', productId)
// On /success page:
const pending = localStorage.getItem('pending_product')

TIP: Get your first Stripe live payment before building any more features. One real dollar beats 1,000 sandbox transactions.

06

DEVOPS

Your droplet is your production server. Every app gets its own nginx config and subdomain. This is the full deploy sequence, runnable entirely from Termius or VS Code Server terminal on your iPad.

Full Deploy Sequence

npm run build — build the app
cp -r dist/* /var/www/myapp/ — copy to serve dir
Create nginx config at /etc/nginx/sites-available/myapp
ln -s .../sites-available/myapp .../sites-enabled/
nginx -t — test config
systemctl reload nginx
certbot --nginx -d app.yourapp.com

nginx Config Template

server {
  listen 80;
  server_name app.yourapp.com;
  root /var/www/myapp;
  index index.html;
  location / {
    try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html;
  }
}

DNS at DigitalOcean

Add an A record pointing your subdomain to your droplet IP. TTL of 300 means changes propagate in 5 minutes.

TIP: Use journalctl -u nginx -f to tail nginx logs in real time while you debug — runs fine from Termius.

07

INCOME STRATEGY

Every app you ship is also a content asset, a proof-of-expertise artifact, and a distribution node. Extract income from the same work at multiple price points — without building anything new.

The Three-Layer Income Stack

Layer 1

$0–$27

Free content → email list. Reels and posts about the build process. Give away the "what". Sell the "how".

Layer 2

$27–$197

Digital products: this guide, Notion templates, checklists, code starters. Sell on Gumroad, Etsy, or your own site.

Layer 3

$497–$2,000+

Consulting / done-with-you. Office hours. Code reviews. 1-hour build session calls. Sell access to you, not just docs.

Layer 2 add-on — The Solo Dev Notion Add On: Step-by-step instructions for building the Notion workspace that runs alongside your app: a project tracker, launch checklist, client dashboard, and content calendar — all as ready-to-duplicate templates. The perfect companion to this guide. Available separately.

"You already did the hard part — you shipped. Most people never ship. That gap between you and them is the product."

Where to Sell This Guide

Platform	Setup	Best For
Gumroad	15 min	Instant — zero code, handles tax
Your site	1 hour	Full brand control, Stripe direct
Etsy	30 min	Discovery — buyers searching "dev guides"
Payhip	20 min	EU VAT handled automatically

TIP: Price this guide at $27 to start. After 10 sales, raise to $47. After 25, raise to $97. The content doesn't change — the social proof does.

THE SOLO DEV
LAUNCH KIT

Step 1 — Brainstorm Your Domain Name

Step 2 — Trademark & Copyright Check (Do Not Skip)

Step 3 — Register Your Domain

Step 4 — Subdomain Strategy

Step 5 — Email Setup

Why Constraints Win

The Shipping Mindset Checklist

The Full Stack

Step 1 — SSH into your droplet

Step 2 — Scaffold the app

Step 3 — Configure Tailwind

Step 4 — .env file rules (critical)

Step 5 — nginx config for React Router SPAs

Step 6 — File permissions fix

Core Tables to Set Up First

Row-Level Security Pattern

Supabase Auth in React

Creating a Payment Link (no code)

Switching Sandbox to Live Mode

Persisting Purchase State Across Redirect

Full Deploy Sequence

nginx Config Template

DNS at DigitalOcean

The Three-Layer Income Stack

Where to Sell This Guide

Now ship it.

Your Next Product in the Solo Dev Series

Step 1 — Brainstorm Your Domain Name

Step 2 — Trademark & Copyright Check (Do Not Skip)

Step 3 — Register Your Domain

Step 4 — Subdomain Strategy

Step 5 — Email Setup

Why Constraints Win

The Shipping Mindset Checklist

The Full Stack

Step 1 — SSH into your droplet

Step 2 — Scaffold the app

Step 3 — Configure Tailwind

Step 4 — .env file rules (critical)

Step 5 — nginx config for React Router SPAs

Step 6 — File permissions fix

Core Tables to Set Up First

Row-Level Security Pattern

Supabase Auth in React

Creating a Payment Link (no code)

Switching Sandbox to Live Mode

Persisting Purchase State Across Redirect

Full Deploy Sequence

nginx Config Template

DNS at DigitalOcean

The Three-Layer Income Stack

Where to Sell This Guide

Now ship it.

Your Next Product in the Solo Dev Series

THE SOLO DEV
LAUNCH KIT