Launching a SaaS is exciting and terrifying. The things you forget to do before launch become the support tickets you deal with on day one. This checklist is what I run through before every SaaS launch.

Security (Must Do)

  • All API keys stored in environment secrets — none in code
  • HTTPS enforced on all routes
  • Row-level security enabled in Supabase
  • Rate limiting on all API endpoints
  • Input validation and sanitization on all user inputs
  • Stripe webhook signature verification enabled
  • Security headers configured (CSP, X-Frame-Options)

Payments

  • Stripe Checkout tested end-to-end in test mode
  • Stripe Customer Portal configured
  • All webhook events tested (success, failure, cancellation)
  • Switched from Stripe test keys to live keys
  • Trial period configured correctly
  • Annual plan discount configured

Authentication

  • Sign-up flow tested on mobile and desktop
  • Password reset email working
  • Email verification working
  • Session expiry configured
  • Protected routes redirect unauthenticated users to login

Performance

  • Largest Contentful Paint under 2.5 seconds
  • Images optimized and properly sized
  • Database queries optimized (no N+1 queries)
  • Loading states shown for all async operations
  • Error states shown for all failure cases

SEO (Marketing Pages)

  • Title tags and meta descriptions on all pages
  • OG images for social sharing
  • Sitemap.xml submitted to Google Search Console
  • Canonical URLs set
  • robots.txt configured

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  • Terms of Service published
  • Privacy Policy published (required for GDPR if serving EU users)
  • Cookie consent if using tracking cookies

Monitoring

  • Error tracking (Sentry) installed
  • Uptime monitoring configured
  • Application logs accessible
  • Stripe account email notifications enabled

Pre-Launch Communications

  • Welcome email sequence configured in email provider
  • Transactional email domains verified (no spam folder)
  • Support email or in-app chat configured
  • Launch announcement ready to send to waitlist

The First 48 Hours After Launch

The work does not stop when you hit publish. In the first 48 hours after launch, monitor your error logs every two hours, personally reach out to every new signup, and watch your analytics in real time. Most launch bugs surface within the first 100 sign-ups — be ready to push fixes immediately. Respond to every piece of feedback within hours, not days. The founders who build loyal early audiences are the ones who treat their first 50 customers as their most important business partners.