How to Build a SaaS App with v0 and Cursor: Step-by-Step

The fastest way to build a SaaS product in 2026: use v0 to generate the UI, Cursor to write the backend and glue code, and a platform like Vercel + Supabase for infrastructure. This guide walks you through the complete workflow.

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The Stack

• v0 — UI component generation (Next.js + Tailwind + shadcn/ui)
• Cursor — IDE for backend logic, integrations, and debugging
• Next.js 14 — Full-stack framework (App Router)
• Supabase — Database, auth, and storage
• Vercel — Hosting and deployment
• Stripe — Payments

This combination lets a solo developer ship a production-ready SaaS in 3-7 days.

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Phase 1: Scaffold the UI with v0

1. Define your app’s core screens

Before touching v0, sketch the 3-5 screens your SaaS needs. For a typical SaaS:

• Landing page
• Dashboard (main app view)
• Settings page
• Pricing/upgrade page

2. Generate with v0

Go to v0.dev and describe each screen. Start with your dashboard — it’s the most complex.

Prompt for dashboard:

Create a SaaS dashboard for a [your app description] app. 
Include: 
- Left sidebar with navigation (Dashboard, Projects, Settings, Upgrade)
- Top header with user avatar and notifications bell  
- Main content area with a stats grid (4 metrics with icons)
- Recent activity table
- Dark mode, using shadcn/ui components and Tailwind

Click “Generate” and iterate. v0’s output includes:

• Complete React component code
• All imports from shadcn/ui
• Tailwind classes

Download/copy the generated code.

3. Create your Next.js project

npx create-next-app@latest my-saas --typescript --tailwind --app
cd my-saas
npx shadcn@latest init

Install any shadcn components v0 referenced:

npx shadcn@latest add button card table dropdown-menu

4. Place the v0 components

Create the component files and paste v0’s output:

src/
  app/
    dashboard/
      page.tsx  ← Your dashboard page
  components/
    DashboardLayout.tsx  ← Paste v0 output here
    StatsGrid.tsx
    RecentActivity.tsx

Open in Cursor. The v0 components will have TypeScript errors for missing props or types — fix these now with Cursor’s help (Cmd+K on each error).

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Phase 2: Add Authentication with Supabase

1. Set up Supabase

1. Create a project at supabase.com
2. Copy your NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL and NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY
3. Add to .env.local

2. Install Supabase client

npm install @supabase/supabase-js @supabase/ssr

3. Let Cursor write the auth layer

In Cursor, open a chat with Cmd+L and say:

Set up Supabase authentication for this Next.js 14 App Router project. 
I need:
- Email/password sign up and sign in
- Session management via middleware
- Auth callback route for OAuth
- Protected routes that redirect to /login if not authenticated
- The dashboard at /dashboard should be protected

Use the @supabase/ssr package. Create all necessary files.

Cursor will generate the middleware, auth utilities, and login/signup pages. Review each file.

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Phase 3: Build Your Core Feature

This is where the actual product logic lives. For a simple SaaS (example: a link shortener):

1. Create the database schema

In Supabase SQL editor, run:

create table links (
  id uuid primary key default gen_random_uuid(),
  user_id uuid references auth.users(id) on delete cascade,
  original_url text not null,
  short_code text unique not null,
  clicks integer default 0,
  created_at timestamptz default now()
);

-- Enable RLS
alter table links enable row level security;

-- Users can only see their own links
create policy "users see own links" on links
  for all using (auth.uid() = user_id);

2. Build the API routes with Cursor

In Cursor:

Create Next.js API routes for a link shortener:
- POST /api/links — create a new short link (generate a unique 6-char code)
- GET /api/links — get all links for the authenticated user
- DELETE /api/links/[id] — delete a link
- GET /[code] — redirect to original URL and increment click count

Use Supabase for storage. Return appropriate error messages. 
Use the server client from @supabase/ssr.

3. Connect the UI to the API

In Cursor, open your dashboard component and say:

Connect this dashboard UI to the API routes. 
The links should be fetched on mount and displayed in the table.
The "Create Link" button should open a modal and call POST /api/links.
Use React's useState and useEffect. Handle loading and error states.

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Phase 4: Add Payments with Stripe

1. Install Stripe

npm install stripe @stripe/stripe-js

2. Set up Stripe with Cursor

Set up Stripe subscriptions for this Next.js app. I need:
- A pricing page with two tiers: Free (5 links) and Pro ($9/mo, unlimited links)
- Stripe Checkout for the Pro subscription flow
- A webhook endpoint to sync subscription status to Supabase
- A users_subscriptions table to track plan status
- Logic to enforce the 5-link limit on the free tier

3. Add the pricing page

Use v0 to generate the pricing component, then connect it to your Stripe flow:

v0 prompt:

Create a pricing comparison page with two tiers: Free and Pro.
Modern design, dark mode, shadcn/ui. 
Include a "Get Started" button for free and "Upgrade to Pro" for the paid tier.
Include feature list comparison with checkmarks.

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Phase 5: Deploy

Deploy to Vercel

npx vercel --prod

Add environment variables in the Vercel dashboard:

• NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL
• NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY
• SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY
• STRIPE_SECRET_KEY
• STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET
• NEXT_PUBLIC_STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY

Configure Supabase Auth redirect

In Supabase → Authentication → URL Configuration, add your Vercel URL to the allowed redirect URLs.

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Common Pitfalls and Fixes

v0 output uses components you haven’t installed: Run npx shadcn@latest add [component-name]

Supabase RLS blocking your requests: Double-check your policies. In development, you can temporarily set alter table links disable row level security to diagnose.

Stripe webhook signature fails in development: Use stripe listen --forward-to localhost:3000/api/webhooks/stripe to test webhooks locally.

TypeScript errors on Supabase queries: Install the Supabase TypeScript types with npx supabase gen types typescript --project-id [your-project-id] > src/types/supabase.ts

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What You Should Have

After completing this guide:

• A working SaaS with auth, database, core feature, and payments
• Deployed to production
• Basic RLS security in place

This foundation supports any SaaS idea. Swap out the link shortener feature for whatever your product does, and the auth/payment/deployment scaffolding works the same.

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Time Investment

Phase	Time with AI	Without AI
UI scaffolding	2-3 hours	2-3 days
Auth setup	30 min	4-8 hours
Core feature	4-8 hours	2-5 days
Payments	2-3 hours	1-2 days
Deployment	30 min	2-4 hours
Total	1-2 days	2-3 weeks

The AI tools don’t eliminate the work — they compress it. You still need to understand what’s being built and debug the parts that don’t work correctly.