MERN Advanced CLI

A production-ready, batteries-included CLI to scaffold advanced MERN stack (MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js) applications with modern best practices.
Generate a full-stack project with authentication, Tailwind CSS, Vite, and a clean MVC architecture in seconds!

✨ Features

• Full-Stack Generator: Instantly creates both backend (Express/MongoDB) and frontend (React/Vite/Tailwind) folders.
• Production-Ready Backend:
  • Express.js with ES Modules
  • MongoDB with Mongoose
  • JWT Authentication (Login, Signup, Auth Middleware)
  • MVC Structure (controllers, models, routes, middlewares, services, utils, configs)
  • CORS, Helmet, Rate Limiting, and Error Handling
  • Environment variable support with .env.example
• Modern Frontend:
  • React 18 + Vite for blazing fast development
  • React Router v6
  • Tailwind CSS v4.1.8
  • React Hot Toast for notifications
  • Context-based Auth with hooks
  • Ready-to-use components: Navbar, Footer, Homepage, Login, Signup
• Customizable Generation:
  • --frontend-only or --backend-only options
• NPM & NPX Friendly: Use globally or via npx with zero install
• Clean Code: ES Modules, logical separation, and clear project structure

🚀 Quick Start

1. Install Globally

npm install -g mern-advanced-cli

Or use directly with npx (no install needed):

npx mern-advanced-cli create my-app

2. Scaffold a New Project

mern-advanced create my-app
Options:

• --frontend-only : Generate only the React frontend
• --backend-only : Generate only the Express backend

3. Run Your App

cd my-app

Start backend cd backend npm install npm run dev

Start frontend (in a new terminal) cd ../frontend npm install npm run dev

🏗 Project Structure

my-app/
├── backend/
│ ├── package.json
│ ├── .env.example
│ └── src/
│ ├── app.js
│ ├── server.js
│ ├── constants.js
│ ├── config/
│ ├── controllers/
│ ├── db/
│ ├── middlewares/
│ ├── models/
│ ├── routes/
│ ├── services/
│ └── utils/
└── frontend/
├── package.json
├── vite.config.js
├── tailwind.config.js
├── postcss.config.js
├── index.html
└── src/
├── main.jsx
├── App.jsx
├── index.css
├── components/
├── context/
├── hooks/
├── pages/
├── services/
└── utils/

🔒 Authentication Workflow

• Signup: /api/auth/signup (backend) — creates user, hashes password, returns JWT
• Login: /api/auth/signin (backend) — verifies credentials, returns JWT
• Protected Routes: Auth middleware verifies JWT
• Frontend: AuthContext and hooks manage login state, store token in localStorage

⚙️ Backend Features

• Express.js with ES Modules
• MongoDB connection via Mongoose
• JWT Auth: Secure login/signup, protected routes
• MVC Structure: Clear separation of concerns
• CORS Config: Secure cross-origin requests
• Helmet & Rate Limiting: Security best practices
• Validation: Express-validator for input validation
• Error Handling: Centralized error middleware
• Environment Config: .env.example provided

🎨 Frontend Features

• React 18 with Vite for fast HMR
• Tailwind CSS 4.1.8: Utility-first styling
• React Router v6: Modern routing
• React Hot Toast: User-friendly notifications
• Auth Context: Global authentication state
• Ready-to-use Pages: Homepage, Login, Signup, Navbar, Footer
• API Service: Axios with JWT support
• Hooks: Custom useAuth for easy auth state management

📝 Usage Examples

Create a full-stack app

mern-advanced create my-app

Create only frontend

mern-advanced create my-frontend --frontend-only

Create only backend

mern-advanced create my-backend --backend-only

🛠 Customization

• Edit generated code as needed for your business logic.
• Add more models/routes to backend or pages/components to frontend.
• Configure environment variables in .env files.

🧑‍💻 Contributing

1. Fork this repo
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/awesome-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -am 'Add awesome feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/awesome-feature)
5. Open a pull request

📄 License

MIT

👤 Author & Credits

Created and maintained by Pratham Jain
GitHub: Pratham Jain

If you use this CLI or find it helpful, feel free to connect or reach out!

🙋 FAQ

Q: Can I use this with my own MongoDB URI?
A: Yes! Set MONGODB_URI and DB_NAME in your .env file in the backend folder.

Q: Can I use this on Windows/Mac/Linux?
A: Yes, it works cross-platform.

Q: How do I update the CLI?
A: Run npm install -g mern-advanced-cli@latest

Q: Can I use this CLI with Yarn or PNPM?
A: Absolutely! The generated projects are standard Node.js projects and work with npm, yarn, or pnpm.

Q: What if I only want the frontend or backend?
A: Use the --frontend-only or --backend-only flags when running the create command.

Q: How do I add new routes or models?
A: Simply add new files to the backend/src/routes or backend/src/models folders. The project uses a standard MVC structure for easy extensibility.

Q: Can I use a different CSS framework?
A: Yes. The frontend is set up with Tailwind CSS by default, but you can remove Tailwind and add any other CSS framework you prefer.

Q: How do I deploy my app to production?
A: The generated code is ready for deployment. You can deploy the backend to platforms like Heroku, Render, or DigitalOcean, and the frontend (after npm run build) to Vercel, Netlify, or any static hosting provider.

Q: Is TypeScript supported?
A: The generated code is JavaScript by default, but you can migrate to TypeScript if desired. Contributions for TypeScript templates are welcome!

Q: Where can I report bugs or request features?
A: Please open an issue on the GitHub repository.

Q: Can I contribute my own templates or improvements?
A: Yes! Fork the repo, make your changes, and submit a pull request.

Q: What should I do if I get a permissions error during install?
A: Try running the install command with elevated permissions or use a Node version manager like nvm to avoid global permission issues.

Q: Does the CLI support environment variable customization?
A: Yes, both frontend and backend come with .env.example files for easy environment variable management.

📫 Support

• Open an issue for bugs or feature requests.
• PRs welcome!

Happy hacking! 🚀