create-nodepress-app

Scaffold a self-hosted NodePress headless CMS in one command.

npx create-nodepress-app my-project

Before you start — install these first

You need three things installed on your computer before running the command above.

Already have all three? Skip to After running the command.

1. Node.js 18+

Already installed? Run node -v in your terminal. If it shows v18 or higher, skip to step 2.

Download from nodejs.org — install the LTS version.

2. Git

Already installed? Run git --version in your terminal. If it shows a version number, skip to step 3.

Download from git-scm.com/downloads — use the default options during install.

3. PostgreSQL 14+ (only if not using Docker)

Have Docker? Skip PostgreSQL installation — Docker will manage the database for you.

Already installed? Skip to After running the command. Make sure you remember the password you set for the postgres user during install.

Download from postgresql.org/download.

Tip: During installation, you will be asked to set a password for the postgres user. Write it down — you'll need it in the next step.

After running the command

The CLI sets up everything automatically. Then choose one of the two options below:

Option A — With Docker (easiest, no PostgreSQL needed)

Docker manages the database for you — no password changes required.

cd my-project
docker-compose up -d             # starts PostgreSQL + Redis

cd backend
npx prisma migrate dev           # create DB tables
npm run start:dev                # backend on :3000

Open a new terminal:

cd my-project/frontend
npm run dev                      # admin panel on :5173

Option B — Local PostgreSQL

Important: The CLI generates a random database password that won't match your local PostgreSQL. You must update it before running migrations or you'll get an authentication error.

Step 1 — Update the database password

Open my-project/backend/.env in any text editor and find:

DATABASE_URL="postgresql://postgres:RANDOM_PASSWORD@localhost:5432/YOUR_NODEPRESS_DATABASE"

Replace RANDOM_PASSWORD with the password you set when installing PostgreSQL:

DATABASE_URL="postgresql://postgres:YOUR_POSTGRES_PASSWORD@localhost:5432/YOUR_NODEPRESS_DATABASE"

Didn't set a password? Try: postgresql://postgres@localhost:5432/YOUR_NODEPRESS_DATABASE

Step 2 — Create the database tables

cd my-project/backend
npx prisma migrate dev

Still getting an authentication error? The password in DATABASE_URL doesn't match your PostgreSQL password. Double-check Step 1.

Step 3 — Start the backend

npm run start:dev

Backend runs at http://localhost:3000. Keep this terminal open.

Step 4 — Start the admin panel

Open a new terminal and run:

cd my-project/frontend
npm run dev

Admin panel runs at http://localhost:5173. Keep this terminal open too.

Create your admin account

Open http://localhost:5173 in your browser. You will be taken to the setup page automatically. Enter your site name, email, and password.

That's it — NodePress is running!

What the CLI does automatically

1. Downloads NodePress from GitHub into a new folder
2. Removes dev-only files (.claude, cli/, docs/, .github/, etc.)
3. Generates a fresh git repository
4. Creates backend/.env and frontend/.env.local with random secret keys
5. Runs npm install in both backend and frontend

Links

• Full docs: buildwithkode.github.io/nodepress
• Website: nodepress.buildwithkode.com
• GitHub: github.com/buildwithkode/nodepress
• Issues: github.com/buildwithkode/nodepress/issues

License

Copyright (c) 2026-present Karthik Paulraj / BuildWithKode.

NodePress is open source software licensed under the MIT License. You are free to use, modify, and distribute it.