The Solo Developer’s Survival Kit: From Templates to Payments

You know that feeling when you’re building a side project and suddenly realize you need to handle payments, email, analytics, and deployment—all before writing any actual code? Yeah, me too.

Meet indie-hacker-tools, a curated list of resources specifically for solo developers building SaaS products in China—or anywhere, really. It’s like having a cheat sheet for the boring but essential stuff, so you can focus on the part that matters: shipping.

What It Does

This GitHub repo is a one-stop directory of tools and services vetted for the indie hacker workflow. It covers everything from starting with a boilerplate (think Next.js templates, Prisma ORM starters) to getting paid (Stripe, Lemon Squeezy, Alipay/WeChat options). It’s not a framework you install; it’s a living bookmark file for the real-world stack you’ll actually use.

Why It’s Cool

Most tool collections are either too broad (hello, 5000-star “awesome” lists) or too niche. This one hits a sweet spot. A few things that stand out:

• China-friendly. Many indie hackers in China face the Great Firewall blocking Stripe, Google Analytics, or even GitHub Pages. This list includes domestic alternatives like Alipay, WeChat Pay, and Chinese hosting options.
• Battle-tested choices. Each tool has a brief note on why it’s recommended—not just “use this,” but “use this because it has good docs and handles tax compliance.”
• Payment section is gold. The repo breaks down Stripe vs. Paddle vs. Lemon Squeezy with actual pros and cons, plus how to handle invoicing for Chinese customers. That alone saves hours of Googling.
• It’s a checklist, not a tutorial. You don’t need to read 20 pages. Just scan, pick, and start a trial.

How to Try It

No setup needed. Just head to the repo:

git clone https://github.com/weijunext/indie-hacker-tools

Or open the README directly on GitHub. It’s markdown, so it works in any browser or editor. Bookmark it, star it, keep it open in your second monitor.

If you want to contribute (e.g., a tool you love is missing), the repo has a simple “add via PR” guide.

Final Thoughts

This isn’t some flashy AI tool or game-changing framework. It’s a practical, well-organized utility that solves a real pain: figuring out the boring infrastructure so you can actually build. If you’re a solo dev working on a SaaS project—especially if you’re in China or targeting Chinese users—this list will save you from hitting walls like payment gateways that silently block your country.

Go ahead, open the repo, and remove the friction from your next build.

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