Customization Overview

The AI SaaS Boilerplate is designed to be easily customizable and extensible. This section provides guidance on how to modify, extend, and adapt the platform to meet your specific requirements.

Customization Capabilities

The platform supports various levels of customization to fit different business needs and technical requirements:

Adding New AI Services

Integrate additional AI services and capabilities by following established patterns for backend services, frontend components, and user interfaces.

Modifying Existing Services

Customize existing AI services to change functionality, add new features, or modify user interactions and workflows.

UI and Branding Customization

Adapt the user interface, styling, and branding to match your company's visual identity and user experience requirements.

Configuration and Integration

Modify third-party integrations, API configurations, and service parameters to work with your preferred tools and services.

Prerequisites for Customization

Before starting customization work, ensure you have:

• Development Environment: Properly set up with all required tools and dependencies
• Platform Understanding: Familiarity with the backend, frontend, and infrastructure architecture
• AWS Knowledge: Basic understanding of AWS services and CDK deployment processes
• Technology Stack: Comfortable working with Python, JavaScript, React, and Next.js

Customization Workflow

Most customization tasks follow a consistent workflow pattern:

1. Backend Development: Create or modify Lambda functions and business logic
2. Infrastructure Updates: Update or create CDK stacks for new resources
3. Service Integration: Integrate new services into the service factory and routing
4. Frontend Implementation: Create or modify React components and pages
5. Configuration Updates: Update pricing, routing, and service configurations
6. Deployment: Deploy changes using CDK and verify functionality

Common Customization Scenarios

Adding New AI Services

The most common customization is adding new AI services to expand the platform's capabilities. This involves creating backend services, frontend interfaces, and integrating them into the existing workflow.

Modifying User Interface

Customize the look and feel of the application by modifying React components, updating Tailwind CSS configurations, and changing page layouts.

Integration with External APIs

Connect the platform to additional third-party services, APIs, or data sources to extend functionality or integrate with existing business systems.

Custom Business Logic

Implement specific business rules, workflows, or processing logic that align with your unique requirements and use cases.

Branding and Styling

Update colors, fonts, logos, and overall visual design to match your brand identity and create a cohesive user experience.

Customization Guides

Best Practices for Customization

Follow Existing Patterns

Use existing services as templates and reference implementations. The OCR service, for example, demonstrates the complete integration pattern from backend to frontend.

Maintain Code Organization

Keep the established directory structure and naming conventions to ensure your customizations integrate seamlessly with the existing codebase.

Test in Development Environment

Always test customizations in your development environment before deploying to production to avoid disrupting existing functionality.

Document Your Changes

Keep track of customizations for future maintenance and updates, especially when modifying core functionality or adding new dependencies.

Version Control

Use Git branching strategies to manage customization work and maintain the ability to update the base platform while preserving your modifications.

Getting Started with Customization

To begin customizing the platform:

1. Identify Your Requirements: Clearly define what you want to achieve with your customizations
2. Review the Architecture: Understand how the relevant parts of the system work together
3. Plan Your Changes: Map out the components you'll need to modify or create
4. Start with Examples: Use existing services and components as reference implementations
5. Make Incremental Changes: Implement and test changes in small, manageable steps

Next Steps

Ready to start customizing the platform? Begin with:

• Adding New AI Service for a complete integration walkthrough
• Review Backend and Frontend architecture for implementation context
• Check Infrastructure for understanding deployment and resource management