The Stack
Vela is a tool, not a framework. Code generation, not abstractions.
SvelteKit
A full-stack framework with server-side rendering, file-based routing, and built-in API routes. Compiles to minimal JavaScript for optimal performance.
PocketBase
An open-source backend with embedded SQLite, user authentication, and file storage. Includes real-time subscriptions and OAuth2 support.
Superforms
A form library for SvelteKit with type-safe validation. Provides client-side validation and progressive enhancement.
Tailwind
A utility-first CSS framework for rapid UI development. Builds responsive designs without custom CSS.
Shadcn Svelte
Accessible components built on Bits UI and Tailwind CSS. Components are copied as source code for full customization.
Development Flow
With you every step of the way from idea to launch.
Local Development
Vela is local and offline-first. You can develop your project without any internet connection. The local database is a SQLite database file stored in the project root. With no external dependencies, you can run the full stack locally with one command.
Code Generation
Drawing inspiration from Ruby on Rails, Vela provides a full-featured CLI for code generation and scaffolding. Tight integration with the database backend, forms and validation schemas keeps your code clean and easy to maintain and extend. Types are automatically kept in sync with the database schema.
$ vela generate scaffold todos \
title:string \
description:text \
completed:boolean
AI Ready
Vela's code generation is local, non-AI and deterministic. For enhanced generation with AI, you can use the --ai flag to generate the inputs for code generation (models, fields, etc), getting the best of both worlds: canonical code implementation with AI inspiration. AI use requires a paid account.
Enabling Features
Vela provides a wide set of features that can be enabled in a project, including authentication, payments, teams, notifications, and more. Each of the features includes frontend and backend code, database migrations and a full suite of tests that become part of your project.
$ vela enable auth
Seed and Fixture Data
Seed data and fixtures are supported out of the box and automatically loaded for development and testing. Fixtures are generated from the database schema and can be used to populate the database with test data from Faker.js. For more realistic data generation with AI, use the --ai flag.
Testing
All scaffolding and code generation also creates tests alongside the code. Vela is tightly integrated with Vitest, so you can run your tests with a single command. The integration tests span the entire stack, from test database setup, forms and validation, to HTTP responses.
Going Live
Once you're ready to go live, Vela provides a simple command to provision a server for your project on any hosting provider over SSH.
Once a server is provisioned, Vela can deploy with a single command, deploying the code, running migrations and seeding the database.
Continuous Deployment
Use the GitHub Actions workflow to automatically deploy your project to your provisioned host.
- uses: velastack/action@v1
with:
host: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_HOST }}Starter Templates
Choose from a variety of starter templates to get started.
minimal
A minimal starter template, perfect for getting started with SvelteKit and PocketBase.
$ vela create --template minimal
saas
A SaaS starter template, with users, subscriptions, and payments.
$ vela create --template saas
marketing
A marketing starter template, with a blog, newsletter, and contact form.
$ vela create --template marketing
ecommerce
An e-commerce starter template, with product catalog, shopping cart, and checkout flow.
$ vela create --template ecommerce
dashboard
A dashboard starter template, with analytics, data tables, and admin panels.
$ vela create --template dashboard
blog
A blog starter template, with posts, categories, tags, and author pages.
$ vela create --template blog