create-backend-skeleton

A production-ready Node.js + Express boilerplate generator

create-backend-skeleton is an opinionated CLI tool that generates a production-ready Node.js + Express boilerplate with authentication, validation, and database setup.

It helps you stop wasting time copy-pasting old projects and start with a clean, scalable backend starter template that actually works in real-world applications.

A clean and opinionated backend starter template for REST APIs built with Node.js and Express.

Why this Node.js & Express boilerplate?

Starting a backend usually means:

• Reinventing folder structures
• Missing validation until production breaks
• Writing auth differently in every project
• Over-engineering too early

This Express boilerplate exists to give you a boring, reliable, and developer-friendly starting point — especially for freshers and small teams.

Who is this for?

• Freshers learning backend development
• Developers building APIs quickly
• Teams creating internal tools or admin panels
• Anyone who wants a clean Node.js backend starter

Features

• Interactive CLI (similar to create-vite)
• JavaScript or TypeScript support
• MongoDB / PostgreSQL / No DB options
• JWT authentication (access + refresh tokens)
• Joi request validation
• Rate limiting & CORS
• Centralized error handling
• Global logger (no console.log)
• Clean, production-ready folder structure

Usage

Generate a new backend project:

npx create-backend-skeleton my-api 

Install dependencies and start development:

cd my-api
npm install
npm run dev

Your backend is now running.

Generated Project Structure

src/
 ├── app.ts
 ├── server.ts
 ├── config/
 ├── loaders/
 ├── modules/
 │    └── auth/
 ├── middlewares/
 ├── utils/
 └── routes.ts

This structure is simple, readable, and scales well for real production APIs.

What this boilerplate does NOT include

• Docker
• Kubernetes
• GraphQL
• Microservices
• Swagger

Philosophy

• Simple > Clever
• Boring code > Fragile abstractions
• One clear way to do things

If you want a backend that is easy to understand, maintain, and extend — this boilerplate is for you.

License

MIT

About the Author

Hi, I’m Yash Vyas — a full-stack developer who enjoys building clean, practical tools that solve real problems. I built create-backend-skeleton to help freshers and teams start backend projects with a solid, production-ready foundation instead of copy-pasting old code.

• GitHub: https://github.com/yashh503
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yash503
• Website: https://yarvix.space