backforge-cli

Global CLI for BackForge - Production-ready backend scaffolder with enterprise-grade security and logging.

Installation

npm install -g backforge-cli

Usage

# Interactive mode
backforge

# With project name
backforge my-backend

# Skip dependency installation
backforge my-backend --no-install

What is backforge-cli?

backforge-cli is a global CLI wrapper around backforge-core. It provides a convenient backforge command for users who prefer global installation.

When to use backforge-cli?

Use backforge-cli if you:

• Prefer global CLI tools
• Want a short command (backforge instead of npx backforge-core)
• Create BackForge projects frequently

Use create-backforge if you:

• Prefer not installing global packages
• Want to always use the latest version
• Follow npm create/init conventions

# Using backforge-cli (global)
npm install -g backforge-cli
backforge my-project

# Using create-backforge (recommended)
npm create backforge@latest my-project

Features

Every BackForge project includes production-ready features:

Security

• helmet() - Security HTTP headers (prevents XSS, clickjacking, etc.)
• cors() - Configurable cross-origin resource sharing
• rateLimit() - DDoS protection (100 requests per 15 minutes per IP)
• hpp() - HTTP parameter pollution prevention
• compression() - Response compression
• Body limits - Prevents memory exhaustion (10MB default)

Logging & Monitoring

• Winston - Enterprise-grade structured logging
• Daily rotation - Automatic log archival (30-day retention)
• Separate logs - error.log, combined.log, exceptions.log
• HTTP logging - Morgan middleware integration
• JSON format - Compatible with DataDog, Splunk, ELK, CloudWatch

Error Handling

• Async error handling - express-async-errors (no try/catch needed)
• Centralized middleware - Single error handler
• Graceful shutdown - Proper cleanup on SIGTERM/SIGINT
• Unhandled rejections - No silent crashes

Stack Options

Choose from 8 production-tested combinations:

• Runtimes: Node.js or Bun (auto-detected)
• Languages: TypeScript or JavaScript
• Frameworks: Express or Fastify
• ORMs: Mongoose (MongoDB) or Prisma (SQL)

Commands

# Create new project
backforge my-backend

# Skip installation
backforge my-backend --no-install

# Help
backforge --help

# Version
backforge --version

Generated Project Structure

my-backend/
├── src/
│   ├── config/
│   │   ├── database.ts      # Database connection with retry
│   │   └── logger.ts        # Winston + daily rotation
│   ├── controllers/         # Route controllers
│   ├── models/              # Database models
│   │   └── User.model.ts    # Example user model
│   ├── routes/              # API routes
│   │   └── health.routes.ts
│   ├── services/            # Business logic
│   ├── middlewares/         # Custom middlewares
│   ├── utils/               # Utility functions
│   ├── app.ts               # App + security setup
│   └── server.ts            # Entry point + graceful shutdown
├── logs/                    # Auto-generated logs
├── .env                     # Environment variables
├── .gitignore
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json            # (TypeScript projects)
└── README.md

Example Output

// app.ts - Security already configured!

import helmet from 'helmet';
import cors from 'cors';
import rateLimit from 'express-rate-limit';
import hpp from 'hpp';
import compression from 'compression';
import logger from './config/logger';

const app = express();

// Security middlewares
app.use(helmet());
app.use(cors({ origin: process.env.CORS_ORIGIN || '*' }));
app.use(hpp());

// Rate limiting (DDoS protection)
const limiter = rateLimit({
  windowMs: 15 * 60 * 1000, // 15 minutes
  max: 100,                  // 100 requests per IP
});
app.use('/api/', limiter);

// Compression
app.use(compression());

// HTTP request logging
app.use(morgan('combined', {
  stream: { write: (msg) => logger.info(msg.trim()) }
}));

Package Ecosystem

BackForge provides three packages:

1. create-backforge (Recommended for most users)

npm create backforge@latest

Advantages:

• No installation needed
• Always uses latest version
• Standard npm create pattern

2. backforge-core (For direct usage)

npx backforge-core

Advantages:

• Direct access to core library
• Can be used programmatically
• No global installation

3. backforge-cli (This package - for global CLI)

npm install -g backforge-cli
backforge

Advantages:

• Short command (backforge)
• Installed once, use anywhere
• Traditional CLI feel

Environment Variables

Configure your generated project:

# Server
PORT=3000
NODE_ENV=development

# Database (MongoDB)
MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/myapp

# Database (Prisma - PostgreSQL)
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/mydb"

# Security
CORS_ORIGIN=https://yourdomain.com

# Logging
LOG_LEVEL=info  # error | warn | info | debug

Development Workflow

After generating a project:

# Install dependencies (if skipped)
npm install

# Development mode (auto-reload)
npm run dev

# Production mode
npm start

# Build (TypeScript only)
npm run build

# Linting
npm run lint
npm run lint:fix

# Formatting
npm run format

Updating

# Update to latest version
npm update -g backforge-cli

# Check current version
backforge --version

Uninstalling

npm uninstall -g backforge-cli

Why Global CLI?

Some developers prefer global CLIs because:

• Shorter commands: backforge vs npm create backforge
• Faster execution: No download on each run
• Familiar pattern: Like create-react-app, vue create, etc.
• Offline usage: Works without internet (after installation)

Links

• Main Project: https://github.com/Codewithevilxd/backforge
• npm (backforge-cli): https://www.npmjs.com/package/backforge-cli
• npm (backforge-core): https://www.npmjs.com/package/backforge-core
• npm (create-backforge): https://www.npmjs.com/package/create-backforge
• Website: https://Codewithevilxd.org
• Documentation: https://Codewithevilxd.org/docs
• Issues: https://github.com/Codewithevilxd/backforge/issues

License

MIT © BackForge

Part of BackForge - Production-ready backends in seconds.