Step 1
Create your GitHub account
What you're about to do
Create a free GitHub account if you don't already have one. It's the identity you'll reuse throughout the rest of this setup — so getting it now means you're ready every time a later step asks you to sign in.
Why it matters
GitHub turns out to be load-bearing later: it's the one login that ties your tools together, and it's what you'll deploy from. Builders who skip it only discover the gap at the very end, at the Deploy stage — so we set it up first.
What you'll need
An email address you can access. 5 minutes. (This is account setup — it does not block you from running the app locally; the boilerplate is a plain ZIP download.)
Create your account
Already have a GitHub account? Great — skip ahead to Step 2. If not:
- Go to github.com/signup.
- Enter an email address you'll keep — this becomes your main developer identity — then create a password.
- Pick a username you're happy to be known by. It shows up in your project URLs, and there's no easy way to change it later.
- Solve the puzzle. GitHub asks you to rotate an image until it's the right way up, to prove you're human. It's a normal part of signup — it just catches people off guard the first time.
- Enter the 6-digit code GitHub emails you.
- GitHub may ask some optional questions about your role and team size. Answer them or skip — it makes no difference here.
Turn on two-factor authentication — GitHub won't ask you to.
It used to prompt you during signup; now it's something you have to switch on yourself. Go to Settings → Password and authentication → Two-factor authentication and enable it with an authenticator app (1Password, Google Authenticator, etc.). So much will be linked to this account that it's worth the two minutes.
One login that links your tools
Later in this flow you'll create accounts at a few free services. For most of them you can click “Sign in with GitHub” (also called GitHub SSO) instead of making a brand-new username and password — so one login connects everything:
- Supabase — your database and sign-in backend.
- Vercel — where you'll deploy your app.
- Resend — for sending your app's emails.
GitHub is also what you'll deploy from — Vercel pulls your code from a GitHub repository — and it's how you'll pull updates to the boilerplate down the road. That's why it goes first.
One important exception: Stripe
When you set up Stripe later (your payments account), sign up with its own email and password and turn on 2FA — do not use “Sign in with GitHub.” Stripe holds your money and your customers' payment data, so you want its access to stand on its own, independent of your GitHub account. If your GitHub login were ever compromised, your payment account stays separate and safe.
How to verify it worked
- ✓You can sign in at github.com
- ✓Your email is verified
- ✓Two-factor authentication is turned on (recommended)
If you can log in, you're set — on to installing your code editor in Step 2.
What to do if something went wrong▾
Problem: I already have a GitHub account but haven't used it in years.
That's fine — just confirm you can sign in and that 2FA is on. You don't need a new one.
Problem: Should I use my work email or a personal one?
Use whichever you'll still have access to in a year. Since this becomes the login for your business's tools, a personal email you control is usually the safer choice.
If you're stuck, click Support at the top of this page.