Roadmap

SmallStack is a complete foundation for Django web apps, APIs, and background jobs. v1.0 ships today with everything you need.

v1.5 — Up Next

Planning
SmallStack Tabler — SmallStack with a professional theme
Django updates, TBD — planning in progress

v1.0 — Core Platform

12 shipped
Authentication & Profiles Shipped
Activity Tracking Shipped
Theming & Templates Shipped
Database Backups Shipped
Deployment (Docker + Kamal) Shipped
Background Tasks Shipped
CRUD Library (CRUDView) Shipped
User Manager Shipped
Help System & Slides Shipped
API Framework Integration Shipped
CORS, Auth & API Docs Shipped
Token Manager Shipped

v1.5 — Up Next

Planning

SmallStack Tabler — SmallStack with a professional theme. Django updates, TBD — planning in progress.


v1.0 — Core Platform

Shipped

The complete foundation for building production-ready Django applications. Authentication, theming, deployment, background tasks, APIs, and more — all shipped and ready to use.

Authentication & Profiles Login, signup, password reset, and user profiles — ready out of the box

Login, signup, password reset, email verification. User profiles with auto-creation signals. Staff and superuser roles built in.

View docs

Activity Tracking See who's doing what with a built-in staff dashboard

Request-level activity logging with a staff dashboard. Tracks page views, user actions, and provides audit trail visibility with auto-pruning.

View docs

Theming & Templates Dark/light mode, sidebar layout, and branding you can customize with CSS variables

Dark and light mode with CSS variables. Admin-style sidebar layout with template inheritance. Breadcrumbs, nav helpers, and branding system.

View docs

Database Backups Scheduled SQLite backups with a dashboard and email alerts

SQLite backup with management command, web dashboard, cron scheduling, retention policies, and email failure notifications. Staff-only access.

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Deployment (Docker + Kamal) Zero-downtime Docker deploys with Kamal, SSL, and health checks

Docker container with Kamal for zero-downtime deploys. Let's Encrypt SSL, health checks, persistent volumes, and local registry — all preconfigured.

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Background Tasks Database-backed task queue — no Redis or Celery needed

Django 6's built-in task framework with database-backed queue. Worker process included in Kamal deployment. No Redis or Celery required.

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CRUD Library (CRUDView) Build data views without boilerplate — list, detail, create, edit, delete

Reusable views for list, detail, create, edit, and delete — with pagination, search, and form styling that matches the SmallStack theme. Build data-driven apps without writing boilerplate views.

User Manager Manage accounts, roles, and permissions without Django Admin

Staff-facing UI for managing user accounts, roles, and permissions. View user activity, toggle active status, assign staff/superuser roles, and manage profiles — without reaching for Django Admin.

Help System & Slides Markdown docs, search, slide decks, and custom content sections

The help app renders Markdown files with YAML front-matter, section-based navigation, search, and syntax highlighting. The slide deck system turns Markdown into interactive presentations with progress tracking.

View docs

API Framework Integration DRF or Django Ninja — preconfigured to match SmallStack conventions

API framework with serializers, viewsets or endpoints, authentication, and pagination — preconfigured to match SmallStack conventions. Build hybrid apps that serve both templates and JSON.

CORS, Auth & API Docs Token auth, CORS, and auto-generated API docs for hybrid apps

CORS configuration for cross-origin requests. Token-based authentication for API clients. Auto-generated API documentation. Support for hybrid apps that serve both templates and API endpoints.

Token Manager Staff UI for issuing, revoking, and managing API tokens

Staff-facing interface for managing API tokens. Issue, revoke, and track token usage without touching the database directly. Integrates with the authentication system for secure API access control.

Start Building on v1.0 Today

Everything in v1.0 ships today — authentication, theming, deployment, APIs, and more. Start your project now and v1.5 features drop in as upgrades.