Launching a serverless SaaS startup requires both technical precision and business strategy. This comprehensive checklist ensures you cover all critical aspects from infrastructure to compliance before your public launch. Serverless architecture offers startups unparalleled scalability and cost efficiency, but requires specific preparation.

For example, consider how a serverless CRM startup automated their deployment pipeline using AWS SAM. By implementing blue-green deployments from day one, they eliminated downtime during updates while maintaining a seamless user experience for early customers.

Infrastructure Checklist

Deployment Pipeline

  • CI/CD configuration (GitLab CI, GitHub Actions)
  • Blue-green deployment strategy
  • Automated rollback mechanism
  • Multi-environment setup (dev/stage/prod)
Example Implementation:

Configure GitLab CI to automatically deploy feature branches to preview environments and main branch to production via Vercel deployment hooks

Scalability Configuration

  • Concurrency limits for serverless functions
  • Database auto-scaling thresholds
  • CDN configuration for static assets
  • Rate limiting for public APIs
Example Implementation:

Set AWS Lambda concurrency to scale to 1000 instances during peak times with 100ms provisioned concurrency to prevent cold starts

Monitoring & Alerting

  • Real-time performance dashboards
  • Error tracking integration (Sentry, Datadog)
  • Cost monitoring alerts
  • Uptime monitoring (5-minute checks)
Example Implementation:

Configure CloudWatch alarms to trigger Slack notifications when error rates exceed 1% or latency crosses 500ms threshold

Security & Compliance

Authentication

  • OAuth2/OpenID Connect implementation
  • Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
  • Passwordless login options
  • Session timeout configuration
Example Implementation:

Integrate Auth0 with AWS Cognito for social logins and enterprise SAML support

Data Protection

  • Encryption at rest (AES-256)
  • Encryption in transit (TLS 1.3)
  • Regular backup schedule (daily/weekly)
  • Backup verification process
Example Implementation:

Enable DynamoDB point-in-time recovery with encrypted backups stored in S3 with object lock

Compliance

  • GDPR/CCPA privacy controls
  • Terms of Service & Privacy Policy
  • Vulnerability scanning schedule
  • Audit trail retention (90+ days)
Example Implementation:

Implement data anonymization for EU users and cookie consent banner using serverless edge functions

Security Tip: Implement the Principle of Least Privilege for all IAM roles and regularly rotate secrets using AWS Secrets Manager

Business & Operations

Billing & Payments

  • Subscription management system
  • Payment gateway integration (Stripe, Paddle)
  • Dunning management for failed payments
  • Trial period configuration
Example Implementation:

Setup Stripe with webhook verification using Lambda functions to handle subscription events

Customer Onboarding

  • Interactive product tour
  • Email sequence configuration
  • Template-based account setup
  • Success milestone tracking
Example Implementation:

Create personalized onboarding flows using Segment and AWS Personalize with completion metrics in Mixpanel

Support Systems

  • Help center/knowledge base
  • Chat support integration
  • Error reporting mechanism
  • Status page configuration
Example Implementation:

Connect Sentry errors to Zendesk tickets automatically with user context for faster resolution

Performance & Cost Optimization

Frontend Optimization

  • Lighthouse score > 90
  • Code splitting implemented
  • Image optimization pipeline
  • Cache policy configuration
Example Implementation:

Automate image optimization using Sharp.js in Lambda with AVIF format support

Backend Efficiency

  • Cold start mitigation
  • Connection pooling for databases
  • Optimal memory configuration
  • Asynchronous processing
Example Implementation:

Use provisioned concurrency for critical Lambda functions and RDS Proxy for database connections

Cost Controls

  • Spending alerts at thresholds
  • Resource tagging strategy
  • Usage-based auto-scaling
  • Budget forecast reports
Example Implementation:

Configure AWS Budgets to alert at 50%, 75%, and 90% of monthly allocation with cost anomaly detection

Cost Tip: Monitor your cost per active user (CPAU) metric religiously. Serverless should keep this below $0.10/user/month for most SaaS applications

Pre-Launch Verification

Testing Protocols

  • Load testing (10x expected traffic)
  • Failure mode testing (Chaos Engineering)
  • User acceptance testing (UAT)
  • Security penetration testing

Go-to-Market Prep

  • Pricing page finalized
  • Demo environment ready
  • Early adopter program
  • App store profiles (if applicable)

Launch Runbook

  • Feature flag configuration
  • Incident response plan
  • Rollback procedure documented
  • Team communication channels

Download Complete Checklist

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Case Study: FinTech SaaS Launch

FinFlow, a serverless accounting automation platform, followed this checklist for their public launch:

  • Implemented SOC 2 compliance using AWS Audit Manager
  • Reduced infrastructure costs by 73% compared to container-based approach
  • Handled 10x traffic spike during Product Hunt launch with zero downtime
  • Maintained 99.99% uptime through first 90 days

“The infrastructure checklist saved us from three critical oversights that would have delayed our launch,” reported CTO Maya Rodriguez.