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Scaffold - A Symfony & Tailwind CSS Boilerplate

The Problem

Over the years, I’ve started several side projects - and every time, I found myself repeating the same tedious steps:

  • Create a new repository
  • Set up a fresh Symfony project
  • Add some basic CSS
  • Implement signup, login, and password reset flows
  • Build out payment and checkout processes
  • Add a newsletter signup
  • Copy feature A from Project X, feature B from Project Y, and feature C from Project Z
  • Rewrite and refactor constantly as things evolve
  • Set up CI/CD and automated deployments

…and so on.

This repetitive setup process was a huge motivation killer and by the time I got the project into a usable state, I was often too drained to actually build the thing I had in mind.

The Solution

To fix this, I did what all developers inevitably do: I created yet another project to maintain 😝 — introducing Scaffold.

Scaffold is a starter template built on Symfony and Tailwind CSS, designed to include the essential features I always need when kicking off a new project. It removes the boilerplate and lets me (and now you) get straight to the fun part - building.

Scaffold Screenshot

Key Features

  • Symfony 7.3
  • Tailwind CSS out of the box
  • UI built with Preline UI — an open-source component library that's licensed for personal, commercial use, and redistribution (which is key, since Scaffold is meant to be shared)
    • Note: Scaffold uses only Preline UI components to stay compliant with its open-source license. If you need a wider range of components, Preline Pro is an option—but it requires a paid license and does not permit redistribution.
  • Pre-build common pages (Privacy Policy, Terms & Conditions)
  • Docker image for PHP & Caddy and sample compose.yml file.
  • CI/CD pipeline for GitLab which includes build, test, semantic versioning stages

Licensing & Pricing

Scaffold is completely free to use. If you find it useful and want to give a little something back, you can sponsor me via GitHub Sponsors.

It took me a while to settle on this model, but ultimately, I think it’s the right fit - for two key reasons:

1. Imposter Syndrome

Scaffold works great for my own projects, but I’ve had moments of doubt: Is it polished enough for others to rely on?

By making it free, you can explore the codebase, understand how it works, and decide for yourself if it fits your needs - without commitment.

2. Monetisation Expectations

If I charged for Scaffold, it would naturally create expectations around support, maintenance, and bug fixes. But since this is something I built for myself first, it's provided as-is. Sponsorship allows me to continue improving it, without the pressure of commercial support obligations.

In short:, Sponsoring is a way to say “thanks” if Scaffold saves you time or helps you ship something faster. It supports ongoing development without attaching strings.

As a small bonus, sponsors also get access to detailed documentation (coming soon!) on BuildWithScaffold, including examples and guidance for getting the most out of the features I’ve built on top of the core stack. Of course, since Scaffold is based entirely on open-source tools, you’re free to use and extend it fully on your own - no sponsorship required.

Ready to Get Started?

You can explore the code on GitHub, or dive into the getting started guide (coming soon!). If Scaffold helps you launch faster or saves you some setup headaches, consider sponsoring me on GitHub to support ongoing development.