Overview

FuelDev is a full stack creator platform built to serve Indian developers and digital creators. It consolidates publishing, audience building, and monetization into a single system. The product addresses the fragmentation creators face when combining tools like Buy Me a Coffee, Ko-fi, and Linktree, while being natively optimized for India with UPI and bank-based payments.

Problem Statement

Indian creators face three persistent issues:

1. Fragmented tooling

   • Separate platforms for content publishing, link-in-bio, and monetization.
   • Inconsistent branding and user experience.

2. Poor India-first monetization

   • Many global platforms lack native UPI or seamless bank transfers.
   • High friction for supporters due to cards or international gateways.

3. Limited ownership and flexibility

   • Rigid layouts.
   • Minimal control over data, visibility, and content structure.

FuelDev was built to eliminate these constraints with a single, cohesive platform.

Goals and Objectives

• Create an all-in-one creator hub tailored for Indian developers and creators.
• Provide instant, low-friction monetization using UPI and bank flows.
• Offer full control over content, layout, and visibility.
• Maintain type safety, scalability, and clean architecture across the stack.

Solution

FuelDev combines three core systems into one platform:

1. Publishing Engine

• Rich text articles using Tiptap.
• Likes, comments, views, and visibility controls.
• Designed for long-form technical and creator-focused content.

2. Link-in-Bio Style Profile

• Public profile with custom handle.
• Flexible content blocks similar to Linktree.
• Social links, featured posts, and monetization blocks.

3. Monetization Layer

• India-first payments via UPI and bank support.
• Fast, frictionless supporter flows.
• No dependency on international card-based systems.

Technical Architecture

Frontend

• Next.js 16 with App Router.
• React 19.
• Tailwind CSS 4 with Radix UI.
• Framer Motion and GSAP for subtle motion.
• Sonner for notifications.
• next-themes for theming.

Backend

• Next.js API routes with tRPC.
• PostgreSQL with Prisma ORM.
• Zod for validation and schema safety.
• Fully type-safe client-server communication.

Authentication

• Better Auth with Prisma adapter.
• Email-based login and verification.
• Security alerts and session handling.

Media and Email

• Cloudinary for signed image uploads.
• Resend for transactional emails.

Deployment

• Hosted on Vercel.
• Optimized for performance and scalability.

Key Design Decisions

• tRPC over REST to enforce end-to-end type safety.
• PostgreSQL for structured relational data and long-term scalability.
• Better Auth to avoid vendor lock-in while maintaining strong security guarantees.
• India-first payments as a core feature, not an afterthought.
• Composable UI architecture to allow future expansion without rewrites.

Challenges

• Designing a system flexible enough to serve both developers and non-technical creators.
• Balancing minimal UI with feature richness.
• Ensuring payment flows remain simple while supporting multiple Indian banking scenarios.
• Maintaining performance with rich content and animations.

Outcome

FuelDev delivers:

• A unified creator platform with no tool fragmentation.
• Native Indian monetization with minimal friction.
• Clean, scalable, and maintainable architecture.
• Strong foundations for future features like analytics, subscriptions, and premium content.

Future Scope

• Subscription-based creator support.
• Advanced analytics with privacy-first tracking.
• Custom themes and deeper profile personalization.
• API access for external integrations.
• Community and collaboration features.

Conclusion

FuelDev is a purpose-built platform that prioritizes creator ownership, developer-grade architecture, and India-first monetization. It demonstrates how modern full stack tooling can be combined with regional context to create a product that is both technically robust and deeply practical.