🎯 Project Types¶

Django Keel adapts to your needs with smart defaults based on your project type. You still see every question, but choosing what you're building pre-fills sensible answers - just press Enter to accept them.

Overview¶

When you run copier copy gh:CuriousLearner/django-keel, the first question is:

What type of project are you building?
1. saas - Multi-tenant SaaS with billing
2. api - API-only backend
3. web-app - Traditional web application
4. internal-tool - Corporate internal tool
5. custom - I'll choose everything myself

Each project type automatically configures:

API framework (DRF, GraphQL, both, or none)
Frontend approach (Next.js, HTMX+Tailwind, or API-only)
Background tasks (Celery, Temporal, both, or none)
Optional features (Teams, Stripe billing, etc.)
Deployment target (Kubernetes, Fly.io, Render, etc.)

You can always override any default!

🚀 SaaS Application¶

Perfect for: Multi-tenant SaaS products with subscriptions, billing, and teams

What You Get¶

project_type: saas

# Smart defaults:
api_style: drf                    # RESTful API with Django REST Framework
frontend: nextjs                  # Modern React frontend
use_teams: true                   # Multi-tenancy with RBAC
use_stripe: true                  # Advanced Stripe integration (dj-stripe)
stripe_mode: advanced             # Full subscription management
background_tasks: celery          # Async tasks for emails, reports
deployment_targets: kubernetes    # Enterprise-scale deployment

Features Included¶

✅ Teams/Organizations - Owner/Admin/Member roles
✅ Stripe Billing - Subscriptions, webhooks, customer portal
✅ Feature Gating - @subscription_required(), @feature_required("advanced_reports")
✅ User Impersonation - Admin can debug user issues
✅ Feature Flags - A/B testing with django-waffle
✅ Professional Emails - Transactional email templates
✅ API Documentation - Auto-generated OpenAPI/Swagger docs
✅ WebSocket Support - Optional real-time features

Use Cases¶

B2B SaaS platforms
Project management tools
Analytics dashboards
CRM systems
Collaborative tools

Example: Startup SaaS¶

project_type: saas
use_stripe: true
stripe_mode: advanced
use_teams: true
frontend: nextjs
use_channels: true          # Add WebSockets
observability_level: full   # Full monitoring stack
deployment_targets: kubernetes

🔌 API Backend¶

Perfect for: Mobile apps, microservices, headless backends

What You Get¶

project_type: api

# Smart defaults:
api_style: drf                 # RESTful API
frontend: none                 # No frontend
use_teams: false               # Single-tenant
use_stripe: false              # No billing
background_tasks: celery       # Async processing
deployment_targets: render     # Easy PaaS hosting

Features Included¶

✅ Django REST Framework - Serializers, viewsets, permissions
✅ drf-spectacular - Auto-generated OpenAPI 3.0 docs
✅ JWT Authentication - Token-based auth for mobile
✅ CORS - Cross-origin requests configured
✅ Rate Limiting - API throttling
✅ Celery - Background task processing
✅ Health Checks - /health/ and /ready/ endpoints

Use Cases¶

Mobile app backends
Microservices
API gateways
Third-party integrations
Headless CMS

Example: Mobile App Backend¶

project_type: api
auth_backend: jwt
use_channels: true          # WebSockets for real-time chat
use_2fa: true               # TOTP for sensitive operations
observability_level: standard
deployment_targets: render

Example: GraphQL API¶

project_type: api
api_style: graphql-strawberry  # Override to use GraphQL
auth_backend: jwt
background_tasks: celery
deployment_targets: flyio

🌐 Web Application¶

Perfect for: Traditional Django web apps, MVPs, content sites

What You Get¶

project_type: web-app

# Smart defaults:
api_style: none                # Traditional Django views
frontend: htmx-tailwind        # Modern, minimal JavaScript
use_teams: false               # Single-tenant
use_stripe: false              # No billing
background_tasks: celery       # Email sending
deployment_targets: flyio      # Global edge deployment

Features Included¶

✅ HTMX - Dynamic HTML without writing JavaScript
✅ Tailwind CSS - Utility-first styling
✅ Alpine.js - Minimal JavaScript for interactions
✅ django-allauth - Social auth, email verification
✅ Form Handling - Django forms with CSRF protection
✅ Template System - Django templates with partials
✅ Celery - Send emails in background

Use Cases¶

Company websites
Blogs and content sites
E-commerce stores
Landing pages
MVPs and prototypes

Example: Company Blog¶

project_type: web-app
frontend: htmx-tailwind
use_search: postgres-fts    # Full-text search
use_i18n: true              # Multi-language support
background_tasks: celery
deployment_targets: flyio

Example: E-commerce Site¶

project_type: web-app
frontend: htmx-tailwind
use_stripe: true            # Add payment processing
stripe_mode: basic          # Simple checkout flows
use_search: opensearch      # Advanced product search
deployment_targets: kubernetes

🏢 Internal Tool¶

Perfect for: Corporate dashboards, admin panels, internal systems

What You Get¶

project_type: internal-tool

# Smart defaults:
api_style: drf                     # API for flexibility
frontend: htmx-tailwind            # Fast UI development
use_teams: true                    # Departments/groups
use_stripe: false                  # No billing
background_tasks: celery           # Reports, exports
deployment_targets: aws-ec2-ansible # On-premise friendly

Features Included¶

✅ Teams/Organizations - Department-based access
✅ RBAC - Owner/Admin/Member roles
✅ User Impersonation - IT can help users debug
✅ Django Admin - Powerful admin interface
✅ Celery - Generate reports, export data

Use Cases¶

Corporate dashboards
Admin panels
Inventory systems
HR tools
Internal APIs

Example: Enterprise Dashboard¶

project_type: internal-tool
use_teams: true             # Departments
security_profile: strict    # Enhanced security
auth_backend: both          # allauth + JWT
observability_level: full   # Complete monitoring
deployment_targets: aws-ec2-ansible

Example: Data Analysis Tool¶

project_type: internal-tool
frontend: htmx-tailwind
background_tasks: temporal  # Long-running data processing
use_channels: true          # Real-time progress updates
deployment_targets: kubernetes

⚙️ Custom Configuration¶

Perfect for: Unique requirements, maximum control

What You Get¶

project_type: custom

# Generic defaults - nothing pre-decided for you

Every project type asks the same full set of questions; project_type only changes the pre-filled defaults. With "custom" you get generic defaults instead of opinionated ones:

API Framework - DRF, GraphQL, both, or none
Frontend - Next.js, HTMX+Tailwind, or none
Background Tasks - Celery, Temporal, both, or none
Authentication - django-allauth, JWT, or both
2FA - Enable TOTP two-factor auth?
Teams - Include multi-tenancy?
Stripe - Payment integration? (basic or advanced)
Search - PostgreSQL FTS, OpenSearch, or none
Observability - Minimal, standard, or full
Deployment - Kubernetes, Render, Fly.io, AWS ECS Fargate, AWS EC2, Docker
And more...

Use Cases¶

Hybrid applications
Complex requirements
Learning/experimentation
Unique tech stack needs

🔄 Changing Your Mind¶

You can always change any default!

After selecting a project type, you'll see the smart defaults and can override any of them:

API framework? [drf]
> graphql-strawberry    # Override the default

Frontend approach? [nextjs]
> htmx-tailwind         # Override the default

📊 Comparison Matrix¶

Feature	SaaS	API	Web App	Internal Tool	Custom
API Framework	DRF	DRF	None	DRF	Your choice
Frontend	Next.js	None	HTMX	HTMX	Your choice
Teams	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ No	✅ Yes	Your choice
Stripe	✅ Advanced	❌ No	❌ No	❌ No	Your choice
Background Tasks	Celery	Celery	Celery	Celery	Your choice
Deployment	Kubernetes	Render	Fly.io	AWS EC2	Your choice

🎯 Decision Guide¶

Choose SaaS if you're building:¶

A product with monthly/yearly subscriptions
Multi-tenant application (many customers, isolated data)
Need team collaboration features
Want per-seat or usage-based billing

Choose API if you're building:¶

Mobile app backend
Microservice
Headless CMS
Third-party API

Choose Web App if you're building:¶

Traditional website
Blog or content site
MVP or prototype
E-commerce site

Choose Internal Tool if you're building:¶

Company dashboard
Admin panel
Employee-facing tool
On-premise system

Choose Custom if:¶

None of the above fit
You want full control
You're experimenting
You have unique requirements

🚀 Next Steps¶

First Project - Create your first project
Features Overview - Explore all features
SaaS Features - Deep dive into SaaS capabilities
Deployment Options - Choose your hosting