Behind the Craft Full Tutorial: From Prototype to a Real SaaS App in 40 Minutes | Colin Matthews
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Nov 2, 2025 
Join Colin Matthews, a seasoned product and engineering instructor, as he dissects the journey from prototype to production-ready SaaS app. Discover the seven crucial components every SaaS app needs, plus the essential differences between client-only prototypes and full-stack apps. Colin reveals how to integrate secure payment systems and enforce authentication. Learn why using templates is superior to starting from scratch, and why AI shouldn't modify databases directly. Gain practical steps to ship your app and understand why real-world experience trumps tech credentials!
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Client Versus Full‑Stack Reality
- Prototypes often live only on the client while full apps require a server and a database.
- Colin emphasizes that adding auth, payments, storage, and analytics transforms a prototype into a real SaaS product.
Build These Core SaaS Components
- Add email, file/blob storage, Stripe payments, auth, product analytics, and error logging to launch a real SaaS product.
- Use existing auth providers and include log analytics to catch runtime errors fast.
Vibe‑Coded Headshot Prototype
- Peter built a headshot app by "vibe coding" with Cloud Code and Gemini prompts as a prototype.
- Colin reviewed it and found client/server structure but also issues like base64 images and hardcoded localhost URLs.