create-pikku

A CLI tool for generating new Pikku projects from templates.

Installation

# Using npm create (recommended)
npm create pikku@latest

# Using npx
npx create-pikku

# Install globally
npm install -g create-pikku

Usage

Default Mode

Running without arguments now scaffolds the default starter template with Yarn, keeps the default frontend, installs dependencies, and runs Pikku setup:

npm create pikku@latest

By default this creates ./my-app. Use --name to override it.

Variations Mode

Use --variations to access the full template picker and interactive options:

npm create pikku@latest -- --variations

CLI Mode

Specify all options upfront to skip interactive prompts:

npm create pikku@latest -- --template express --name my-app --install --package-manager npm

CLI Options

| Option | Short | Description | Example | | ----------------------------- | ----- | ------------------------------------- | ---------------------------- | | --template <template> | -t | Template to use | --template express | | --name <name> | -n | Project name | --name my-app | | --install | -i | Install dependencies automatically | --install | | --package-manager <manager> | -p | Package manager to use | --package-manager yarn | | --version <version> | -v | Template version/branch | --version main | | --yarn-link <path> | | Link to local Pikku development | --yarn-link ../pikku | | --stackblitz | | Add StackBlitz configuration | --stackblitz | | --variations | | Show all template variations | --variations | | --frontend <frontend> | | Frontend to keep for starter template | --frontend nextjs-tailwind | | --help | -h | Display help information | --help |

Available Templates

Server Templates

| Template | Description | Features | | ---------------------- | ----------------------------- | ------------------------------- | | aws-lambda | AWS Lambda template | HTTP, Scheduled tasks | | aws-lambda-websocket | Serverless WebSocket template | Channels (WebSockets) | | cloudflare-workers | Cloudflare Workers template | HTTP, Scheduled tasks | | cloudflare-websocket | Cloudflare WebSocket template | Channels (WebSockets) | | express | Express.js server template | HTTP, Scheduled tasks, SSE | | express-middleware | Express middleware template | HTTP, Scheduled tasks, SSE | | fastify | Fastify server template | HTTP, SSE | | fastify-plugin | Fastify plugin template | HTTP, SSE | | uws | uWebSockets.js template | HTTP, Channels, Scheduled tasks | | ws | WebSocket server template | HTTP, Channels, Scheduled tasks |

Queue Templates

| Template | Description | Features | | --------- | --------------------------- | ---------------- | | bullmq | BullMQ Redis queue template | Queue processing | | pg-boss | PostgreSQL queue template | Queue processing |

Full-Stack Templates

| Template | Description | Features | | ------------------ | ---------------------------- | ---------------- | | nextjs | Next.js hello world template | HTTP, Full-stack | | nextjs-full | Next.js book application | HTTP, Full-stack | | starter-template | Opinionated starter template | HTTP, Full-stack |

Specialized Templates

| Template | Description | Features | | ------------ | ----------------------------- | -------- | | mcp-server | Model Context Protocol server | MCP |

Package Managers

Supported package managers:

• npm - Most popular package manager
• yarn - What Pikku usually uses
• bun - Experimental support
• pnpm - Not currently available

Examples

Basic Express App

npm create pikku@latest -- --template express --name my-express-app --package-manager npm --install

AWS Lambda with Scheduled Tasks

npm create pikku@latest -- --template aws-lambda --name my-lambda-app --package-manager yarn --install

Development with Local Pikku

npm create pikku@latest -- --template express-middleware --name test-app --package-manager yarn --yarn-link /path/to/pikku --install

StackBlitz Ready Project

npm create pikku@latest -- --template nextjs --name stackblitz-app --stackblitz --package-manager npm

Starter Template

npm create pikku@latest -- --template starter-template --frontend nextjs-tailwind --name my-app

Features

The CLI automatically filters files based on the template's supported features:

• HTTP: REST API endpoints and HTTP handlers
• Scheduled: Cron-like scheduled task execution
• Channels: WebSocket-like real-time communication
• SSE: Server-Sent Events for streaming
• Queue: Background job processing
• MCP: Model Context Protocol endpoints
• Full-stack: Complete web applications

Only files relevant to the selected template's features will be included in your project.

Development

For local development and testing:

# Build the package
yarn build

# Test with a specific template
node ./dist/index.js --template express-middleware --name test-app --install