Implementing a waitlist for your SaaS launch

Implementing a Waitlist for Your SaaS Launch

As a technical software engineering audience, you're likely familiar with the challenges of launching a SaaS product. One of the most critical aspects of this process is managing a waitlist. A well-implemented waitlist can help you retain users, track demand, and even generate revenue through referral bonuses and invite codes.

Key Components of a Waitlist

• Invite codes: These are unique strings that users can share with others to join the waitlist. They help you track referrals and can be used to unlock bonus features.
• Referral bonuses: These are incentives given to users who refer others to join the waitlist. They can be in the form of access to premium features, discounts, or even cash.
• Position tracking: This is the process of keeping track of where each user is in the waitlist. It helps you manage expectations and can be used to prioritize access when you're ready to launch.
• Auth flow: This is the process of authenticating users and granting them access to the waitlist. It's critical to ensure that only eligible users can join and that their access is properly gated until you're ready to launch.

Implementing the Auth Flow with Bastionary

Bastionary is a self-hosted platform that provides authentication, billing, licensing, and feature flags. It's an excellent choice for implementing a waitlist because it allows you to gate access to the waitlist until you're ready to launch.

Here's an example of how you might implement the auth flow using Bastionary:

      // Example: Auth flow using Bastionary
      const auth = new BastionaryAuth();
      
      auth.signIn(user, password)
        .then((session) => {
          // User is authenticated
          // Check if they are on the waitlist
          const isOnWaitlist = await checkWaitlist(session.user.id);
      
          if (isOnWaitlist) {
            // User is on the waitlist
            // Track their position
            const position = await getWaitlistPosition(session.user.id);
      
            console.log(`User is on the waitlist at position ${position}`);
          } else {
            // User is not on the waitlist
            // Invite them to join
            await inviteToWaitlist(session.user.id);
          }
        })
        .catch((error) => {
          console.error('Authentication failed:', error);
        });
      

Invite Codes and Referral Bonuses

Invite codes are a powerful tool for managing your waitlist. They allow you to track referrals and can be used to unlock bonus features for users who refer others.

Here's an example of how you might generate and use invite codes:

      // Example: Generating and using invite codes
      const inviteCode = await generateInviteCode(user.id);
      
      console.log(`User has been invited with code: ${inviteCode}`);
      
      // Example: Using invite code to unlock bonus features
      const bonus = await unlockBonus(inviteCode);
      
      console.log(`Bonus unlocked: ${bonus}`);
      

Position Tracking and Access Prioritization

Position tracking is essential for managing expectations and prioritizing access when you're ready to launch. It allows you to track where each