create-mn-app

Scaffold Midnight Network applications on Preprod.

Quick Start

npx create-mn-app my-app
cd my-app
npm run setup

The setup command:

1. Starts proof server via Docker
2. Compiles the Compact contract
3. Deploys to Preprod (prompts for faucet funding)

Fund your wallet at faucet.preprod.midnight.network

Why create-mn-app?

• Zero Configuration - Start building immediately
• Preprod Ready - Deploys to Midnight Preprod network
• SDK 3.0 - Uses latest Midnight wallet and contract SDKs
• One Command Setup - Single npm run setup handles everything
• Auto-updates - Built-in notifier for new versions

Templates

Hello World (Default)

Basic message storage contract demonstrating state management.

npx create-mn-app my-app
cd my-app
npm run setup     # starts proof server, compiles, deploys
npm run cli       # interact with deployed contract

Counter

Increment/decrement counter with zkProofs. Cloned from midnightntwrk/example-counter.

npx create-mn-app my-app --template counter
cd my-app
npm install
# follow displayed instructions

Requires Compact compiler - the CLI will check and offer to install it.

Bulletin Board (Bboard)

Multi-user bulletin board with privacy patterns. Includes CLI and Web UI. Cloned from midnightntwrk/example-bboard.

npx create-mn-app my-app --template bboard
cd my-app
npm install
# follow displayed instructions

Requires Compact compiler and Lace wallet extension (for Web UI).

Coming Soon

• DEX - Decentralized exchange using FungibleToken
• Midnight Kitties - NFT-based full stack DApp

Requirements

| Requirement | Version | Notes | | ---------------- | ------- | -------------------------------------------- | | Node.js | 22+ | Required for all templates | | Docker | Latest | Runs proof server | | Compact Compiler | 0.23.0+ | Counter template only (auto-install offered) |

CLI Options

npx create-mn-app [project-name] [options]

| Option | Description | | ------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | | -t, --template <name> | Template: hello-world, counter | | --use-npm/yarn/pnpm/bun | Force package manager | | --skip-install | Skip dependency installation | | --skip-git | Skip git initialization | | --verbose | Show detailed output | | -h, --help | Show help | | -V, --version | Show version |

Project Structure

my-app/
├── contracts/
│   └── hello-world.compact    # Compact smart contract
├── src/
│   ├── cli.ts                 # Interact with deployed contract
│   ├── deploy.ts              # Deploy contract to Preprod
│   └── check-balance.ts       # Check wallet balance
├── docker-compose.yml         # Proof server config
├── package.json
└── deployment.json            # Generated after deploy (contains wallet seed)

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

Links

• Midnight Docs
• Discord Community
• GitHub
• Preprod Faucet

License

Apache-2.0 © 2025 Midnight Foundation