create-node-mvc

Express.js MVC Scaffold Generator - Create production-ready Node.js projects with dual-route architecture.

Installation

Install globally via npm:

npm install -g create-node-mvc

Or use with npx (no installation required):

npx create-node-mvc my-project

Usage

create-node-mvc <project-name>

The CLI will guide you through an interactive setup with the following options:

• API-only architecture: Generate API routes only (no view rendering)
• Include authentication: Add JWT-based authentication system
• Additional features: Select from:
  • File uploads (express-fileupload)
  • Email service (nodemailer)
  • Testing setup (Jest + Supertest)
  • Tailwind CSS (with build pipeline)

Command Options

create-node-mvc <project-name> [options]

Options:

• --skip-install: Skip automatic npm install after project generation

Examples:

# Create project with interactive prompts and auto-install
create-node-mvc my-api

# Create project and skip dependency installation
create-node-mvc my-api --skip-install

Running Tests

Run all tests:

npm test

Run tests with coverage:

npm test -- --coverage

Run specific test file:

npm test -- tests/project-structure.test.js

Update snapshots (when intentional changes occur):

npm test -- -u

Test execution time:

• Unit tests: ~5-10 seconds
• Integration tests: ~20-30 seconds (without server startup)
• Server startup tests: ~2-3 minutes (includes npm install)
• Full suite: ~3-4 minutes

Test coverage goals:

• lib/ modules: >80% coverage
• Integration coverage: All configuration combinations
• Edge cases: Error handling scenarios

Development

Project Structure

cli/
├── bin/
│   └── create-node-mvc.js     # CLI entry point
├── lib/
│   ├── prompts.js             # Interactive questions
│   ├── fileOperations.js      # File copying/operations
│   ├── variableReplacer.js    # Template variable substitution
│   ├── featureIntegration.js  # Optional feature integration
│   └── dependencyInstaller.js # npm install automation
├── templates/
│   ├── base/                  # Core project template
│   └── optional/              # Feature-specific templates
└── tests/                     # Test suite

Adding New Features

1. Add template files to templates/optional/<feature-name>/
2. Update lib/featureIntegration.js with merge logic
3. Add feature to prompts in lib/prompts.js
4. Write tests in tests/feature-validation.test.js

Generated Project Structure

Full MVC Project (Default)

your-project/
├── config/
│   ├── config.env              # Environment configuration
│   └── db.js                   # MongoDB connection setup
├── controllers/
│   ├── api/
│   │   └── user.controller.js  # API endpoint handlers
│   ├── view/
│   │   └── user.controller.js  # View rendering handlers
│   └── error.js                # 404 error handler
├── middleware/
│   ├── advancedResults.js      # Query filtering, pagination
│   ├── async.js                # Async error wrapper
│   ├── auth.js                 # JWT authentication
│   └── error.js                # Global error handler
├── models/
│   └── User.js                 # Mongoose User model
├── routes/
│   ├── api/
│   │   └── user.routes.js      # API routes (/api/v1/users)
│   └── view/
│       └── user.routes.js      # View routes (/users)
├── utils/
│   ├── errorResponse.js        # Custom error class
│   ├── geocoder.js             # Geocoding utilities
│   ├── path.js                 # Path helpers
│   └── saveToDisk.js           # File upload utilities
├── views/
│   ├── users/
│   │   ├── list.ejs            # User list view
│   │   ├── show.ejs            # User detail view
│   │   ├── new.ejs             # Create user form
│   │   └── edit.ejs            # Edit user form
│   ├── partials/
│   │   ├── header.ejs          # Reusable header
│   │   └── footer.ejs          # Reusable footer
│   └── 404.ejs                 # Error page
├── public/
│   ├── css/
│   │   └── main.css            # Stylesheet
│   ├── src/imgs/
│   │   └── ava-img-blue.svg    # Example image
│   └── index.html              # Static homepage
├── .env.example                # Environment template
├── .gitignore                  # Git ignore rules
├── app.js                      # Express app entry point
├── package.json                # Dependencies
└── README.md                   # Project documentation

Dual-Route Architecture

Generated projects support both API and view routes:

• API Routes (/api/v1/*): JSON responses for REST clients

  • Controllers: controllers/api/
  • Routes: routes/api/
  • Example: GET /api/v1/users → Returns JSON

• View Routes (/*): Server-rendered EJS templates

  • Controllers: controllers/view/
  • Routes: routes/view/
  • Views: views/
  • Example: GET /users → Renders HTML page

API-Only Mode

When "API-only architecture" is selected, the structure excludes:

your-project/
├── config/
├── controllers/
│   ├── api/                    # ✓ API controllers only
│   └── error.js
├── middleware/
├── models/
├── routes/
│   └── api/                    # ✓ API routes only
├── utils/
├── .env.example
├── .gitignore
├── app.js
├── package.json
└── README.md

# Excluded in API-only mode:
# ✗ views/
# ✗ public/
# ✗ controllers/view/
# ✗ routes/view/

Optional Features

When selected, additional files are added:

Authentication (--auth):

• controllers/api/protected.controller.js
• routes/api/protected.routes.js
• Enhanced middleware/auth.js
• JWT environment variables in .env

File Upload (--fileupload):

• controllers/api/upload.controller.js
• routes/api/upload.routes.js
• utils/fileUpload.js
• Upload directory configuration

Email Service (--email):

• controllers/api/email.controller.js
• utils/sendEmail.js
• SMTP environment variables

Testing (--testing):

• tests/api/user.test.js
• tests/setup.js
• jest.config.js
• Test scripts in package.json

Tailwind CSS (--tailwind):

• tailwind.config.js
• postcss.config.js
• public/css/input.css
• Enhanced view templates with Tailwind classes
• Build scripts in package.json

License

MIT