Sommaire — AI PDF Summarization Platform
Built a production-ready SaaS platform that converts PDFs into AI-generated, reel-style summaries with authentication, subscriptions, and export features
Overview
Sommaire is an AI-powered SaaS platform that transforms PDFs into visually engaging, Instagram Reel-style summaries. It allows users to upload documents, generate structured summaries using LLMs, and interact with content through a modern, intuitive interface. The platform includes authentication, subscriptions, and export capabilities, making it a complete production-ready product.
Challenges
Processing large PDF files efficiently while maintaining performance
Designing an AI summarization pipeline with accurate and structured outputs
Handling secure file uploads and storage with size constraints
Implementing subscription-based access with Stripe and webhook handling
Building a smooth, interactive reel-style viewer for summaries
Managing real-time updates and state consistency across the app
Architecture Decisions
Next.js App Router with Server Components and Server Actions for optimized rendering
Langchain pipeline for PDF parsing, chunking, and structured processing
LLM integration (Gemini AI with fallback strategy) for summarization
NeonDB (PostgreSQL) for scalable storage of users and summaries
Clerk for authentication and protected routes
Stripe integration with webhook handling for subscription lifecycle
UploadThing for secure file uploads and management
Tech Stack Rationale
Next.js enabled a scalable full-stack architecture with server-side capabilities and optimized rendering. Langchain streamlined document parsing and chunking, making it easier to process large PDFs. Gemini AI handled summarization with a fallback mechanism for reliability. NeonDB provided a serverless PostgreSQL database, while Clerk simplified authentication. Stripe enabled subscription management, and UploadThing ensured secure and efficient file uploads.
Results
Before
Manual reading of long PDFs
After
Instant AI-generated summaries with key insights
Before
Static text-heavy summaries
After
Interactive reel-style visual summaries
Before
No monetization or user management
After
Full SaaS with authentication, subscriptions, and dashboard