2026completed
TextForge
A text conversion tool with live previews. Signed-in users can run AI transformations that structure, clean, and infer schemas from unstructured text. Premium access is handled through Stripe.
- TanStack Start
- TypeScript
- Drizzle ORM
- Neon Postgres
- Better Auth
- Stripe
- shadcn/ui
- Resend
- TanStack Query
Project Preview
Context
I built TextForge to learn TanStack Start while shipping a developer-facing text utility with optional AI features behind authentication.
Technical Approach
- TanStack Start full-stack framework with server functions
- Drizzle ORM on Neon Postgres for user data
- Better Auth with Resend for email flows
- Stripe for premium feature payments
- shadcn/ui for a responsive editor interface
Challenges
- Rendering live previews without lag on large text inputs
- Restricting AI features to authenticated users
- Handling Stripe checkout and access control for premium tiers
- Designing prompts that return structured, predictable output
What I Learned
- TanStack Start blurs the client and server boundary. That helps for tools, but data boundaries need to stay explicit
- Debounced previews were required for a smooth editing experience
- AI token usage adds up fast, so request size and prompt design need deliberate limits
Key Features
- Live text previews
- AI-powered formatting
- Schema inference
- Stripe payments for premium features
Next Project
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