Create IC App

Make IC development as easy as React development 🚀

Create Internet Computer applications with zero configuration - just like create-react-app but for the IC ecosystem.

npx @blockcraft/create-ic-app my-awesome-app
cd my-awesome-app
./deploy.sh

That's it! You now have a working IC app with React frontend and Motoko backend. ✨

🎯 Why Create IC App?

The Problem: Setting up an IC project from scratch is complex - you need to configure dfx.json, set up React with TypeScript, configure environment variables, create deployment scripts, and more.

The Solution: One command that gives you everything you need to start building on the Internet Computer.

Before vs After

Before (Manual Setup):

# 😰 Manual setup takes 30+ minutes
mkdir my-app && cd my-app
dfx new backend --type=motoko
npm create vite@latest frontend -- --template react-ts
# ... configure dfx.json
# ... set up environment variables
# ... create deployment scripts
# ... configure build pipeline
# ... and much more configuration

After (With Create IC App):

# 🎉 Zero-config setup in 30 seconds
npx @blockcraft/create-ic-app my-app
cd my-app
./deploy.sh

🚀 Quick Start

Create a New IC App

# Interactive mode - prompts for project name
npx @blockcraft/create-ic-app

# Direct mode - specify project name
npx @blockcraft/create-ic-app my-ic-app

# Navigate and deploy
cd my-ic-app
./deploy.sh

What You Get

Every project created includes:

✅ Internet Computer Backend

• Motoko canister ready to deploy
• Candid interface generation
• DFX configuration

✅ React Frontend

• TypeScript setup
• Vite build system
• IC agent integration
• Tailwind CSS configured

✅ Development Tools

• Local deployment script (./deploy.sh)
• Mainnet deployment script (./deploy-ic.sh)
• Environment variable setup
• Hot reload development

✅ Zero Configuration

• Everything works out of the box
• No complex setup required
• Production-ready structure

📋 Requirements

• Node.js 16+ (Download)
• DFX (Internet Computer SDK) (Install Guide)

🛠️ Usage Examples

Basic Usage

npx @blockcraft/create-ic-app my-first-dapp

Advanced Usage

# Create app in specific directory
npx @blockcraft/create-ic-app ./projects/my-dapp

# Create app with specific name
npx @blockcraft/create-ic-app "my-awesome-web3-app"

🏗️ What Gets Created

my-ic-app/
├── src/
│   ├── frontend/          # React TypeScript app
│   │   ├── App.tsx
│   │   ├── main.tsx
│   │   └── ...
│   └── backend/           # Motoko canister
│       └── main.mo
├── deploy.sh              # Local deployment
├── deploy-ic.sh           # Mainnet deployment  
├── dfx.json              # DFX configuration
├── package.json          # Dependencies
├── .env                  # Environment variables
├── .env.example          # Environment template
└── README.md             # Project documentation

🔄 Development Workflow

# 1. Create your app
npx @blockcraft/create-ic-app my-app
cd my-app

# 2. Start local development
./deploy.sh

# 3. Make changes to your code
# Edit src/frontend/ or src/backend/

# 4. Redeploy locally
./deploy.sh

# 5. Deploy to mainnet when ready
./deploy-ic.sh

🌐 Deployment Options

Local Development

./deploy.sh

• Starts local IC replica
• Deploys to local network
• Perfect for development and testing

IC Mainnet

./deploy-ic.sh

• Deploys to Internet Computer mainnet
• Requires ICP cycles
• Production-ready deployment

⚡ Features

• 🚀 Zero Configuration - Works out of the box
• 📦 Complete Stack - Frontend + Backend + Deployment
• 🔧 Development Ready - Hot reload and local testing
• 🌐 Production Ready - Mainnet deployment scripts
• 📱 Modern Stack - React, TypeScript, Vite, Tailwind
• 🔗 IC Integration - Agent setup, Candid generation
• 📚 Well Documented - README and examples included

🆚 Comparison

| Feature | Manual Setup | Create IC App | |---------|-------------|---------------| | Time to start | 30+ minutes | 30 seconds | | Configuration | Complex | Zero config | | Best practices | Manual research | Built-in | | Deployment | Manual scripts | Ready scripts | | Documentation | You write it | Included | | Updates | Manual | Template updates |

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Here's how to help:

Development Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/LevanIlashvili/create-ic-app.git
cd create-ic-app

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Test locally
npm link
create-ic-app test-app

Template Updates

The template is in the template/ directory. Update it with:

• New best practices
• Security improvements
• Feature additions
• Bug fixes

Reporting Issues

• 🐛 Bug reports: GitHub Issues
• 💡 Feature requests: GitHub Discussions

📚 Learn More

• Internet Computer - The IC ecosystem
• DFX Documentation - Command line reference
• Motoko - Backend language
• React - Frontend framework
• IC Agent - JavaScript IC integration

📄 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• HUGE thanks to @kristoferlund - This template is based on his original work, tweaked and enhanced for the CLI experience. Check out his amazing ic-vite-react-next and other IC tools!
• Inspired by create-react-app
• Built for the Internet Computer community
• Made with ❤️ for Web3 developers

Start building on the Internet Computer today! 🎯

npx @blockcraft/create-ic-app my-next-big-idea