initgen

v2.1.0

Published

4 months ago

A beautiful, interactive CLI tool to scaffold modern web and backend projects with React, Next.js, Vue, Node.js, Python Flask/Django, shadcn/ui and more. Zero configuration, production-ready projects in seconds with Tailwind CSS v4!

🚀 InitGen v2.1.0

A powerful, interactive command-line tool to scaffold modern web and backend projects with zero configuration. Create production-ready projects with your preferred tech stack in seconds!

📖 Full Documentation & Interactive Demo

🎉 What's New in v2.1.0

🗄️ Database ORM Support - Added Prisma ORM and Drizzle ORM backend options with PostgreSQL
🚀 Auto Database Creation - Drizzle templates now include db:create script for seamless database setup
🔧 Enhanced Database Workflows - Complete database migration, schema management, and studio tools
⚡ Zero Configuration Databases - Database templates work out of the box with Docker PostgreSQL
🛠️ Robust Environment Loading - Fixed environment variable loading for reliable database connections

✨ Previous Features (v2.0)

🎨 shadcn/ui Integration - Ready-to-use setup for shadcn/ui with automatic configuration
🔧 Enhanced Next.js Templates - Improved file structure with proper .jsx/.tsx extensions
📦 Tailwind CSS v4 Support - Available in specific templates (Vite + Tailwind, shadcn variants)
🎯 Better JavaScript Support - Proper .jsx extensions for JavaScript projects
⚡ Automatic Setup - Pre-configured project structure and dependencies

✨ Features

🎨 Beautiful Interactive UI - Animated CLI with colorful prompts
🔧 12 Tech Stacks Supported - React, Next.js, Vue, Node.js, Python frameworks + shadcn/ui + Database ORMs
�️ Database ORM Integration - Prisma and Drizzle ORM with PostgreSQL support
�📦 Automatic Dependency Installation - npm install & pip install handled automatically
🎯 TypeScript Support - Choose JS or TS for React, Vue, Next.js, Node.js, and Database projects
🎨 Tailwind CSS v4 - Modern styling in Tailwind-specific templates
🧩 shadcn/ui Setup - Ready-to-use configuration for adding shadcn components
🚀 Database Tools - Migration, schema generation, database studio, and auto-creation scripts
📝 Auto-generated Files - README, .gitignore, and project structure
⚡ Ready to Run - Projects work immediately after creation
🔧 Smart File Extensions - Proper .jsx/.tsx extensions based on language choice

📋 Supported Stacks

Frontend Frameworks

React (Vite) - Lightning-fast React development with Vite
Vite + React + Tailwind v4 - React with modern Tailwind CSS
Vite + shadcn/ui - Complete React + Tailwind + shadcn component library
Next.js - The React framework for production with Tailwind v4
Next.js + shadcn/ui - Next.js with shadcn components and Tailwind v4
Vue (Vite) - Progressive JavaScript framework

Backend Frameworks

Node.js + Express - Fast, minimalist web framework
Node.js + Express + Prisma (PostgreSQL) - 🆕 Express with Prisma ORM and PostgreSQL database
Node.js + Express + Drizzle (PostgreSQL) - 🆕 Express with Drizzle ORM and PostgreSQL database
Python + Flask - Lightweight WSGI web framework
Python + Django - High-level Python web framework

🛠️ Installation

Quick Start (Recommended)

Use npx to run without installation:

npx initgen

Global Installation

Install once, use anywhere:

npm install -g initgen

Then run with:

initgen

Local Installation (for development)

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/PankajKumardev/initgen.git
cd initgen
npm install

Run locally:

node index.js

Link globally (optional):

npm link

🚀 Usage

Run the CLI

node index.js

Or if you've linked it globally:

initgen

Interactive Prompts

Choose your tech stack - Select from 7 different frameworks
Project name - Enter your project name
Choose language - Select JavaScript or TypeScript (where applicable)
Initialize git - Optionally set up git repository

Example

$ initgen

Project Structure Generator 🚀
  ___       _ _    ____
 |_ _|_ __ (_) |_ / ___| ___ _ __
  | || '_ \| | __| |  _ / _ \ '_ \
  | || | | | | |_| |_| |  __/ | | |
 |___|_| |_|_|\__|\____|\___|_| |_|

Welcome to InitGen CLI!

? Choose your tech stack: React (Vite)
? Project name: my-app
? Choose language: TypeScript
? Initialize git repository? Yes

🔨 Creating your project...
📦 Installing dependencies...
✓ Installed dependencies
✓ Project created successfully!

📁 Project: my-app
📍 Location: /path/to/my-app

🚀 Next steps:

   cd my-app
   npm run dev

✨ Happy coding! ✨

📦 What Gets Created

React (Vite) / Vue

my-app/
├── src/
│   ├── App.jsx/tsx
│   ├── App.css
│   └── main.jsx/tsx
├── public/
├── index.html
├── package.json
├── .gitignore
└── README.md

Vite + shadcn/ui

my-app/
├── src/
│   ├── components/
│   │   └── ui/
│   │       ├── Button.jsx/tsx
│   │       └── Card.jsx/tsx
│   ├── lib/
│   │   └── utils.js/ts
│   ├── App.jsx/tsx
│   └── main.jsx/tsx
├── public/
├── index.html
├── tailwind.config.js
├── components.json
├── package.json
├── .gitignore
└── README.md

Next.js

my-app/
├── src/
│   └── app/
│       ├── page.jsx/tsx
│       ├── layout.jsx/tsx
│       └── globals.css
├── public/
├── tailwind.config.js
├── package.json
├── .gitignore
└── README.md

Next.js + shadcn/ui

my-app/
├── src/
│   ├── components/
│   │   └── ui/
│   │       ├── button.jsx/tsx
│   │       └── card.jsx/tsx
│   ├── lib/
│   │   └── utils.js/ts
│   └── app/
│       ├── page.jsx/tsx
│       ├── layout.jsx/tsx
│       └── globals.css
├── public/
├── tailwind.config.js
├── components.json
├── package.json
├── .gitignore
└── README.md

Node.js + Express

my-app/
├── src/
│   ├── index.js
│   ├── routes/
│   ├── controllers/
│   └── models/
├── package.json
├── .env.example
├── .gitignore
└── README.md

Node.js + Express + Prisma (PostgreSQL) 🆕

my-app/
├── src/
│   └── index.js/ts
├── prisma/
│   └── schema.prisma
├── package.json
├── .env.example
├── .gitignore
└── README.md

Node.js + Express + Drizzle (PostgreSQL) 🆕

my-app/
├── src/
│   ├── index.js/ts
│   └── db/
│       ├── index.js/ts
│       ├── schema.js/ts
│       ├── create.js/ts
│       ├── migrate.js/ts
│       └── migrations/
├── drizzle.config.js
├── package.json
├── .env.example
├── .gitignore
└── README.md

Python + Flask

my-app/
├── app/
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── routes/
│   └── models/
├── run.py
├── requirements.txt
├── .gitignore
└── README.md

Python + Django

my-app/
└── my-app/
    ├── my-app/
    │   ├── settings.py
    │   ├── urls.py
    │   ├── wsgi.py
    │   └── asgi.py
    ├── app/
    │   ├── views.py
    │   └── urls.py
    ├── manage.py
    ├── requirements.txt
    └── .gitignore

🎨 Templates

All templates come with:

✅ Minimal Professional Design - Clean black background with gradient accents
✅ Responsive Layout - Works on all screen sizes
✅ Production Ready - Optimized configuration
✅ Pre-configured Routes - Basic API endpoints included
✅ Developer Experience - Hot reload, fast refresh, auto-restart
✅ Tailwind CSS v4 - Available in Tailwind-specific templates
✅ Smart File Extensions - Proper .jsx/.tsx based on language choice

Template Features

Frontend Templates

Full-width black background
Gradient hero text with Tailwind v4 styling
3-column feature grid with responsive design
Minimal footer with creator credit
Framework-specific optimizations
Automatic Tailwind configuration

shadcn/ui Templates

Ready-to-use shadcn/ui setup (no pre-installed components)
Automatic dependency management (clsx, tailwind-merge, class-variance-authority)
Proper TypeScript/JavaScript project structure
shadcn CLI configuration (components.json)
Tailwind v4 compatibility with CSS variables
Ready for npx shadcn@latest add commands

Backend Templates

RESTful API structure
Health check endpoint
Environment variable support
Development server configuration
Organized folder structure

Database Templates 🆕

Prisma ORM Templates

Complete Prisma setup with PostgreSQL
Auto-generated Prisma Client
Database migration support
Prisma Studio for database visualization
TypeScript/JavaScript support
Commented schema examples for quick start

Drizzle ORM Templates

Lightweight Drizzle ORM setup with PostgreSQL
Automatic database creation (db:create script)
Schema generation and migration tools
Drizzle Studio for database management
TypeScript/JavaScript support
Robust environment variable handling
Zero-config Docker PostgreSQL compatibility

🔧 Configuration

Stack Commands

Located in src/config/stackCommands.js

Gitignore Templates

Located in src/config/gitignoreTemplates.js

Template Files

Located in src/templates/

reactVite.js - React + Vite template
tailwind.js - Tailwind CSS v4 setup
shadcn.js - Vite + React + shadcn/ui template (New in v2.0)
nextjs.js - Next.js template with shadcn/ui support (Enhanced in v2.0)
vue.js - Vue template
manualProjects.js - Node.js, Flask, Django templates

📝 Scripts

{
  "scripts": {
    "start": "node index.js",
    "dev": "node index.js"
  }
}

🤝 Dependencies

CLI Tools

chalk - Terminal styling
gradient-string - Gradient text effects
chalk-animation - Animated text
figlet - ASCII art text
inquirer - Interactive prompts
nanospinner - Loading spinners

🔧 v2.0 Features Deep Dive

shadcn/ui Integration

InitGen v2.0 includes shadcn/ui setup with:

Ready-to-Use Configuration: Complete setup without pre-installed components
Dependency Management: All required packages (clsx, tailwind-merge, class-variance-authority, @radix-ui/react-slot) automatically installed
Tailwind v4 Compatibility: Custom CSS variables for seamless theming
TypeScript/JavaScript Support: Proper project structure for both languages
Components On-Demand: Add components with npx shadcn@latest add [component]

Enhanced Next.js Templates

Smart File Extensions: Automatically creates .jsx files for JavaScript projects, .tsx for TypeScript
Tailwind v4 Integration: All Next.js templates now use Tailwind CSS instead of custom CSS
shadcn/ui Ready: Next.js + shadcn/ui option for component-based development
Improved Structure: Better app router structure with proper layout files

File Extension Intelligence

InitGen v2.0 automatically handles file extensions:

JavaScript Projects: Creates .jsx files for React components
TypeScript Projects: Creates .tsx files for React components
Consistent Naming: Proper extensions across all framework templates

�🐛 Troubleshooting

shadcn/ui Component Issues

If shadcn components aren't working:

Check if all dependencies are installed:

npm list clsx tailwind-merge class-variance-authority

Verify Tailwind configuration is correct
Manual fallback components are included for reliability

Port Already in Use

If you get a port error, another process is using that port. Stop the other process or change the port in your project.

Python Dependencies Not Installing

Make sure you have pip installed:

python -m pip --version

Node Modules Not Installing

Make sure you have npm installed:

npm --version

TypeScript Errors

If you get TypeScript errors, make sure you have the latest version:

npm install -g typescript

File Extension Issues

If you're seeing .js files instead of .jsx in JavaScript projects, you're using an older version. Update to v2.1.0:

npm update -g initgen

Database Connection Issues 🆕

PostgreSQL "role does not exist" error:

# Make sure PostgreSQL is running and check your DATABASE_URL
# For Docker PostgreSQL without password:
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://postgres@localhost:5432/your_db_name"

Environment variables not loading:

Database templates in v2.1.0+ automatically load environment variables
If using older templates, manually add dotenv.config() to your database connection file

Drizzle database creation fails:

# Use the built-in database creation script:
npm run db:create

# Then proceed with schema setup:
npm run db:generate
npm run db:push

🌟 Examples

Create a React App with shadcn/ui (New in v2.0)

npx initgen
# Choose: Vite + shadcn/ui
# Name: my-shadcn-app
# Language: TypeScript
# Git: Yes

Create a Next.js App with shadcn/ui (Enhanced in v2.0)

npx initgen
# Choose: Next.js + shadcn/ui
# Name: my-nextjs-app
# Language: JavaScript (creates .jsx files)
# Git: Yes

Create a React App with Tailwind

npx initgen
# Choose: Vite + React + Tailwind v4
# Name: my-react-app
# Language: TypeScript
# Git: Yes

Create a Node.js API

npx initgen
# Choose: Node.js + Express
# Name: my-api
# Git: Yes

Create a Django Project

npx initgen
# Choose: Python + Django
# Name: my-django-app
# Git: Yes

Create a Node.js API with Prisma (PostgreSQL) 🆕

npx initgen
# Choose: Node.js + Express + Prisma (PostgreSQL)
# Name: my-prisma-api
# Language: TypeScript
# Git: Yes

# After creation:
cd my-prisma-api
npm run db:migrate
npm run dev

Create a Node.js API with Drizzle (PostgreSQL) 🆕

npx initgen
# Choose: Node.js + Express + Drizzle (PostgreSQL)
# Name: my-drizzle-api
# Language: JavaScript
# Git: Yes

# After creation:
cd my-drizzle-api
npm run db:create    # Auto-creates database
npm run db:generate  # Generates schema
npm run db:push      # Pushes to database
npm run dev

📄 License

MIT License - feel free to use this for personal or commercial projects!

👨‍💻 Author

Pankaj Kumar

Website: www.pankajk.tech
GitHub: @PankajKumardev

🙏 Acknowledgments

Built with love using Node.js
Inspired by create-react-app, create-next-app, and create-vite
Thanks to the open-source community

🚀 Roadmap

Completed in v2.1.0 ✅

[x] Database ORM support (Prisma, Drizzle) with PostgreSQL
[x] Automatic database creation for Drizzle templates
[x] Database migration and schema management tools
[x] Database studio integration for visual database management
[x] Robust environment variable handling for database connections

Completed in v2.0 ✅

[x] shadcn/ui setup for React and Next.js (configuration ready)
[x] Enhanced Next.js templates with proper file extensions
[x] Tailwind CSS v4 support in specific templates
[x] Smart JavaScript/TypeScript file extension handling

Future Plans

[ ] Add more database options (MySQL, SQLite, MongoDB)
[ ] Add authentication templates (NextAuth, Clerk, Supabase Auth)
[ ] Add more UI libraries (Ant Design, Material UI, Chakra UI)
[ ] Add more backend frameworks (FastAPI, Express with TypeScript)
[ ] Add CI/CD configuration files
[ ] Add Docker support and configuration
[ ] Add testing framework setup (Jest, Vitest, Playwright)
[ ] Add more frontend frameworks (Svelte, Solid)
[ ] Add mobile frameworks (React Native, Flutter)
[ ] Add API documentation generation (Swagger/OpenAPI)

💡 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Fork the project
Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
Open a Pull Request

⭐ Show Your Support

Give a ⭐️ if this project helped you!

Made with ❤️ by Pankaj Kumar

InitGen - Create projects at lightning speed!