create-fullstack-starter

Scaffold a production-grade full‑stack app (Express + React/Vite) with a backend-first architecture—ready for real products, not demos.

Branding tagline: “Ship a scalable backend + modern React front-end in minutes.”

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Key features

• Backend-first architecture: controllers/services/routes/config layout that scales past “hello world”.
• Modern front-end: React + Vite templates (TypeScript or JavaScript).
• Multiple databases: mongodb and postgres scaffolding (more coming).
• Optional auth module: JWT auth + secure password hashing scaffolding (--auth).
• Interactive by default: prompts for language, database, and auth when flags aren’t provided.
• Workspace-style DX: a root package.json that runs both backend and frontend with a single npm run dev.
• Batteries included: env template generation, sensible scripts, and predictable folder structure.

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Tech stack

• CLI: Node.js, TypeScript, Commander, Inquirer, Ora
• Backend: Node.js, Express (TypeScript or ESM JavaScript)
• Frontend: React, Vite (TypeScript or JavaScript)
• Databases: MongoDB, PostgreSQL
• Auth (optional): JWT (backend + front-end hooks/helpers)

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CLI usage

Run without installing globally:

npx create-fullstack-starter@latest my-app

This will prompt you for language, database, and whether to include auth.

Flags

--ts                 use TypeScript templates
--js                 use JavaScript (ESM) templates
--db <db>            database: mongodb | postgres
--auth               include authentication module (JWT)
--no-auth            exclude authentication module
--pm <pm>            package manager: pnpm | yarn | npm
--no-install         skip installing dependencies
--force              overwrite target directory if not empty
--debug              print debug information

Examples

# TypeScript + MongoDB + auth
npx create-fullstack-starter@latest my-app --ts --db mongodb --auth

# JavaScript + Postgres, skip install (CI / scripting)
npx create-fullstack-starter@latest my-app --js --db postgres --no-install

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Quick start (generated app)

npx create-fullstack-starter@latest my-app
cd my-app
npm run dev

Then open:

• Frontend: http://localhost:5173
• Backend: http://localhost:3000 (exact port depends on the template/env)

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What you get (generated folder structure)

my-app/
├── backend/
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── controllers/
│   │   ├── services/
│   │   ├── routes/
│   │   ├── middleware/
│   │   ├── config/
│   │   └── index.(ts|js)
│   ├── .env.example
│   └── package.json
│
├── frontend/
│   ├── src/
│   ├── public/
│   └── package.json
│
└── package.json

How the backend is organized

• controllers/: HTTP request/response orchestration (thin layer)
• services/: business logic (thick layer)
• routes/: API surface and route grouping
• middleware/: auth, validation, cross-cutting concerns
• config/: environment and database wiring

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Screenshots (placeholders)

Add screenshots/gifs under docs/screenshots/ and update these links:

• docs/screenshots/cli.png (CLI prompt flow)
• docs/screenshots/app.png (frontend home)
• docs/screenshots/auth.png (login/register)

Example:

![CLI](docs/screenshots/cli.png)

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Why this project (positioning)

Many starters optimize for “a fun demo” or a specific framework opinion. This project is intentionally:

• Backend-first: designed to grow into a real API (layered structure, clear boundaries).
• Framework-agnostic on purpose: Express + Vite are boring in the best way—easy to hire for, deploy, and maintain.
• CLI-driven: you generate a new app consistently, instead of cloning a repo and deleting half of it.
• Modular: auth is an opt-in module, not something you’re forced to rip out.

If you like stacks like T3, this aims to be the simpler, more backend-oriented “ship it” alternative—with room to add enterprise features without refactoring from scratch.

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5 “wow features” (ideas to stand out)

• Composable feature packs: auth, billing, rbac, emails, files, etc. that scaffold end-to-end (API + UI + env + docs).
• One-command deploy previews: generate Docker + a minimal CI workflow for PR preview environments.
• API contract generation: generate OpenAPI + typed client for the React app by default.
• Production observability starter: structured logging, request IDs, and basic metrics with zero configuration.
• Upgrade-safe templates: a codemod-style “upgrade” command to apply starter improvements to existing projects.

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Make the CLI more powerful (recommended upgrades)

• Interactive setup: detect defaults (package manager, node version) and ask only what’s missing.
• Template selection: choose backend (Express/Fastify) and database layer (Prisma/Drizzle/native driver).
• Feature toggles: --features auth,billing,rbac,emails,files,rate-limit to scaffold integrated modules.
• Non-interactive mode: --yes to accept defaults for CI and automation.
• Update command: create-fullstack-starter upgrade to apply template improvements safely.

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Roadmap

See ROADMAP.md.

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Contributing

Contributions are welcome—especially templates, database integrations, tests, docs, and DX improvements.

• Read CONTRIBUTING.md
• Look for issues labeled good first issue or help wanted

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License

MIT — see LICENSE.