🚀 Quick Start (Recommended)

Run the CLI instantly using npx instead of npm i:

npx create-setup-express-backend

🚀 create-setup-express-backend

A professional CLI tool to instantly scaffold a modern Express.js backend with optional MongoDB, Helmet security, recommended folder structure, auto environment setup, and optional demo APIs.

Built with ❤️ by Piyush Gupta to help developers ship backend projects faster, cleaner, and more efficiently.

📌 Table of Contents

• ✨ Overview
• 🔥 Features
• ⚙️ Installation
• 🚀 Usage
• 🎥 Demo (CLI GIF)
• 📁 Folder Structure
• 🧠 server.js Example
• 🛢️ MongoDB Setup
• 🛡️ Helmet Security
• 📝 Environment Variables
• 📘 Advanced Usage
• 🛠️ Troubleshooting
• 🏗️ Versioning Guide
• 🤝 Contributing
• 📄 License
• 👨‍💻 Author
• ⭐ Support

✨ Overview

create-setup-express-backend is a CLI tool that generates a full Express backend structure in seconds.

It eliminates repetitive setup work like:

• installing packages
• setting up environment files
• creating project folders
• configuring MongoDB
• adding security layers
• building demo routes + controllers

Generate a backend in less than 10 seconds.

🔥 Features

🟢 Always Included

| Feature | Description | | -------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | | 🚀 Express.js | Always installed, pre-configured with ESM | | 📦 CORS + Dotenv | Included by default | | 🔄 Nodemon | Auto-installed as dev dependency | | 📜 Auto server.js | Clean and ready-to-run | | ⚙️ Auto dependencies | Runs npm install automatically |

🟡 Optional (User Selects)

| Option | Description | | --------------------- | --------------------------------- | | 🛢️ MongoDB (Mongoose) | Auto-connects + generates db.js | | 🛡 Helmet Security | Adds secure headers | | 📁 Folder Structure | Creates MVC folders | | 🧩 Demo API Files | Adds example route + controller |

⚙️ Installation

Use via npx (recommended)

npx create-setup-express-backend

Install globally

npm install -g create-setup-express-backend
create-setup-express-backend

🚀 Usage

Run:

npx create-setup-express-backend

The CLI then asks:

Project name:
Do you want MongoDB (Mongoose)?
Do you want Helmet?
Create folder structure?
Write demo files?
Default port:

After creation:

cd project-name
npm run dev

Your backend is live at:

http://localhost:5000

🎥 Demo (CLI GIF)

You can add a GIF of your CLI here:

📁 Folder Structure

If folder structure is enabled:

my-api/
│
├── server.js
├── .env
│
├── config/
│   └── db.js
│
├── controllers/
│   └── homeController.js
│
├── routes/
│   └── index.js
│
└── models/

🧠 server.js Example

import dotenv from "dotenv";
dotenv.config();

import express from "express";
import cors from "cors";

const app = express();
app.use(cors());
app.use(express.json());

app.get("/", (req, res) => {
  res.json({
    message: "Server is running 🚀",
    createdBy: "Piyush Gupta (create-setup-express-backend)",
  });
});

const PORT = process.env.PORT || 5000;
app.listen(PORT, () => console.log(`🚀 Server running on port ${PORT}`));

🛢️ MongoDB Setup

When MongoDB is enabled, this file is generated:

config/db.js

import mongoose from "mongoose";

const connectDB = async () => {
  try {
    const conn = await mongoose.connect(process.env.MONGO_URI);
    console.log("🔥 MongoDB connected:", conn.connection.host);
  } catch (err) {
    console.error("❌ MongoDB Error:", err.message);
    process.exit(1);
  }
};

export default connectDB;

Automatically imported in server.js when selected.

🛡️ Helmet Security

If enabled:

import helmet from "helmet";
app.use(helmet());

Adds common security headers.

📝 Environment Variables

Generated .env:

PORT=5000
MONGO_URI=mongodb://127.0.0.1:27017/my_api
NODE_ENV=development

📘 Advanced Usage

Generate backend with MongoDB & structure:

npx create-setup-express-backend

Choose:

• MongoDB → YES
• Folder structure → YES
• Demo files → YES

Run dev server:

npm run dev

Server auto-restarts on file change.

📄 License

MIT License — free for personal & commercial use.

👨‍💻 Author

Piyush Gupta
Full-Stack Developer | Backend Engineer

📧 Email: [email protected]
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/piyush-gupta-06b020213/ 💻 GitHub: github.com/hackhub817

⭐ Support

If you like this package:

• ⭐ Star the GitHub repo
• 📦 Use it in your projects
• 🔗 Share it with other developers
• 💬 Post about it on LinkedIn

Made with ❤️ by Piyush Gupta