@dhruvinjs/appinit

Backend project generator CLI.

This package creates an Express-based backend starter with optional WebSocket support (ws or socket.io), optional DB setup (mongo or postgresql_prisma), and optional Dockerfile generation.

Install and run

npx @dhruvinjs/appinit my-app

You can also run without a name and choose it in prompts:

npx @dhruvinjs/appinit

or install globally:

npm i -g @dhruvinjs/appinit
appinit my-app

Global command also supports no name:

appinit

What this CLI actually does

Source entrypoint: src/index.ts.

1. Parses flags with commander.
2. Prompts with inquirer for missing options.
3. Validates project name/path safety.
4. Creates project directory and runs package-manager init.
5. Installs runtime dependencies.
6. Installs dev dependencies (and TypeScript setup if selected).
7. Runs npx prisma init for PostgreSQL + Prisma.
8. Optionally installs ws or socket.io.
9. Renders EJS templates from appinit-templates package into your new project.
10. Optionally initializes git.

Core implementation files:

• src/index.ts: CLI flags, prompts, and config assembly.
• src/generator/shell.ts: project setup flow and command execution.
• src/generator/template_engine.ts: template rendering and file mapping.
• src/utils/utils.ts: safety checks, package.json/tsconfig updates, cleanup.
• src/constants.ts: dependency lists and allowed options.

Templates and publishing model

This CLI resolves templates at runtime from the separate package appinit-templates:

• template_engine.ts uses require.resolve("appinit-templates/package.json").
• Because of this, appinit-templates must be available when users install this CLI.

Commands this CLI runs on your machine

Depending on options, it may run:

• <pm> init (or npm init -y)
• <pm> pkg set name=<project-name>
• <pm> install ...
• <pm> install -D ...
• npx tsc --init (TypeScript path)
• npx prisma init (PostgreSQL + Prisma path)
• git init (unless --no-git)

It also writes files into the generated project folder and may remove that folder on setup failure/cancel.

Flags

Preset flags:

• --ts, --js
• --ts-rest, --js-rest
• --ts-ws, --js-ws
• --ts-io, --js-io

Granular flags:

• --template <rest_api|websocket+rest_api>
• --lang <js|ts>
• --db <none|mongo|postgresql_prisma>
• --ws <ws|socket.io>
• --docker / --no-docker
• --pm <npm|pnpm|yarn>
• --no-git

Dependencies and why they exist

Runtime dependencies in this package:

• commander: CLI argument parsing.
• inquirer: interactive prompts.
• execa: safe process spawning for package manager/git/prisma commands.
• ora: spinner/progress output.
• chalk: colored terminal output.
• fs-extra: file operations for templates/config updates/cleanup.
• ejs: template rendering engine.
• unique-names-generator: default project name generation.
• appinit-templates: source of boilerplate templates.

Direct dependencies currently listed but not used directly by CLI source:

• express
• cors
• helmet
• jsonwebtoken

These libraries are generated-project dependencies. They are installed into created apps from src/constants.ts, not used as runtime imports by this CLI itself.

Trust and safety notes

• No telemetry/analytics calls are implemented in this package.
• It executes local shell commands and installs packages from your configured registry.
• It validates project names and blocks path traversal-style names.
• On failure or Ctrl+C/Ctrl+D, it tries to clean up the generated directory.
• It warns when git/docker tools are missing (generation still continues where possible).

Known behavior to be aware of

• Environment check currently always verifies npm and npx are present, even if you choose pnpm or yarn.
• Template resolution requires the appinit-templates package to be installable.

Develop locally

pnpm --filter @dhruvinjs/appinit run build
pnpm --filter @dhruvinjs/appinit run dev

License

MIT