Case Study — Full-stack SaaS

Building a
complete AI
workspace.

From zero to a live multi-tool AI platform — built solo in under 4 weeks.

6+
AI Tools
134
Prompt Templates
3
Pricing Tiers
4wk
Build Time
scroll
01 — Overview

What is AIXNova?

AIXNova is a multi-model AI workspace that gives users access to frontier AI tools — chat, image generation, writing, research, and presentations — under a single credit-based subscription.

🎯
Goal
Build a production-ready AI SaaS platform that competes with tools like Jasper, Copy.ai, and Perplexity — but unified in one workspace.
👤
Builder
Designed, built, and deployed solo by Shahriar Evan — full-stack developer based in Malaysia.
⚡
Timeline
Conceived and shipped in under 4 weeks. From empty repo to live Vercel deployment with payments working.
💰
Monetization
Credit-based pricing (Free / Pro / Team) with Lemon Squeezy integration and a full admin revenue dashboard.
02 — Problem & Solution

Why build this?

The Problem
Fragmented AI tools are expensive
  • ChatGPT for chat, Midjourney for images, Jasper for writing — all separate subscriptions
  • Context switching kills productivity
  • No unified history or prompt library
  • Expensive for solo builders and small teams
  • No code + content + research in one place
The Solution
One workspace. All frontier models.
  • GPT-5, Claude 4.5, Gemini 2.5 in one chat UI
  • Image generation + editing with Nano Banana
  • 134 battle-tested prompt templates
  • Credit system — pay only for what you use
  • AI Presentation builder with 24 templates
03 — Tech Stack

Built with modern tools.

A fully serverless Next.js architecture — no separate backend needed. Every API route, auth flow, and AI call lives within the same codebase.

Next.js 14
Tailwind CSS
MongoDB Atlas
Firebase Auth
Lemon Squeezy
OpenAI API
Google OAuth
Vercel Deploy
Framer Motion
shadcn/ui
Lucide Icons
Sonner Toasts
"The entire platform — frontend, API routes, auth, payments, and AI integrations — runs as a single Next.js app on Vercel. No separate backend server needed."
— Architecture decision note
04 — Features

Everything in one dashboard.

01
Multi-Model AI Chat
Streamed responses from GPT-5, Claude Sonnet 4.5, and Gemini 2.5. Multi-turn memory, file uploads, and model switching per conversation.
Streaming · Multi-turn
02
Image Studio
Generate and edit photoreal images with Google Nano Banana. Reference image uploads supported for style and composition control.
Generate · Edit · Reference
03
Writing Suite
Long-form structured drafts for blogs, LinkedIn, ad copy, newsletters, and more. Structured output with headings, bullets, and CTAs.
Blog · LinkedIn · Ads
04
Deep Research
AI-powered research briefs with summary, key insights, and conclusion. Analyst-grade output in seconds — not hours.
Analyst-grade · Seconds
05
Presentation Builder
AI generates slides from a topic or uploaded file. Full editor with 20 themes, 6 layouts, 24 templates (19 premium), and HTML export.
AI Slides · 20 Themes
06
134 Prompt Templates
Battle-tested prompts across Marketing, SEO, Code, Sales, Productivity, Image, and Research. One click to fill and run.
7 Categories · 134 Prompts
07
Credit System + Payments
Free / Pro / Team tiers. Lemon Squeezy with 3 pricing plans. Admin dashboard with revenue stats and user management.
Lemon Squeezy · Admin Panel
08
Auth + Profiles
Firebase auth with email/password and Google OAuth. Profile photo upload, display name, password change, and avatar picker.
Firebase · Google OAuth
09
⌘K Command Palette
Global keyboard shortcut to navigate the entire app — switch tools, search history, toggle theme. Inspired by Linear and Raycast.
⌘K · Keyboard-first
05 — By The Numbers

What got built.

6+
AI tools
134
prompt templates
20
slide themes
3
pricing tiers
14
stripe price IDs
1
solo developer
06 — Build Journey

How it came together.

🏗️
Week 1
Foundation & Auth
Set up Next.js 14 with Tailwind and shadcn/ui. Built Firebase authentication with JWT tokens, Google OAuth, and protected route middleware. Designed the sidebar layout and dashboard shell.
Next.jsFirebaseMongoDBJWT
🤖
Week 2
AI Tools Core
Integrated OpenAI API for streamed chat, writing, and research. Built image generation with Google Nano Banana. Added the credit system with per-tool deduction and usage tracking.
OpenAI APIStreamingCreditsImage Gen
💳
Week 3
Payments, Admin & Power Features
Lemon Squeezy with 3 tiers and 14 price IDs. Admin panel with revenue dashboard, user management, and promo codes. Added ⌘K command palette, history, favorites, and 134 prompt templates.
Lemon SqueezyAdmin Panel⌘K PaletteTemplates
🚀
Week 4
Presentation Builder & Launch
Built the AI presentation editor from scratch — 20 themes, 6 layouts, 24 slide templates, rich text editing, and HTML export. Premium UI polish across all pages. Deployed to Vercel with custom domain.
Presentation AIPremium UIVercelLive
07 — Key Learnings

What this project taught.

Technical
Architecture decisions
  • Next.js API routes can fully replace a separate Express backend for most SaaS use cases
  • Serverless + MongoDB Atlas is powerful but requires careful connection pooling
  • Payment webhook handling needs idempotency — duplicate events are real
  • OpenAI streaming with ReadableStream requires careful client-side buffering
Product
Building for real users
  • Credit-based pricing removes friction better than per-seat subscriptions
  • A ⌘K command palette dramatically improves perceived performance
  • Premium UI details (gradients, animations) matter more than feature count
  • Ship fast, polish later — the Vercel preview URL is your MVP

AIXNova

100 free credits · No credit card · Every tool from day one.

VISIT AIXNOVA ↗