setup-node-api

setup-node-api scaffolds a minimal Node.js + Express API with sensible defaults.

Node.js 20.12.0 or newer is required.

Features

• Scaffold a ready-to-run Express API
• Choose JavaScript or TypeScript
• Use prompts interactively or pass CLI flags
• Accept defaults instantly with --yes
• Validate project names before generation
• Avoid overwriting existing folders without confirmation
• Optionally skip dependency installation
• Optionally enable CORS during generation
• Include basic API defaults like JSON parsing, request logging, /health, /echo, and common starter files

Quick start

npx setup-node-api my-api

Run it against the latest published version explicitly:

npx setup-node-api@latest my-api

Create a TypeScript project:

npx setup-node-api my-api --typescript

Skip package installation:

npx setup-node-api my-api --no-install

Set a custom port:

npx setup-node-api my-api --port 8080

Generate with defaults and skip prompts:

npx setup-node-api my-api --yes

Generate with CORS enabled:

npx setup-node-api my-api --cors

CLI usage

setup-node-api [project-name] [options]

Options

| Option | Description | | --- | --- | | --typescript | Generate the TypeScript template | | --no-install | Skip dependency installation | | --port <number> | Write a custom PORT value to .env | | --cors | Add CORS support to the generated API | | -y, --yes | Use defaults for any missing options | | -h, --help | Show help | | -V, --version | Show the installed CLI version |

If you omit some options, the CLI prompts for them in an interactive terminal.

Generated project

JavaScript template:

my-api/
|-- .gitignore
|-- .env
|-- package.json
|-- README.md
`-- src/
    `-- app.js

TypeScript template:

my-api/
|-- .gitignore
|-- .env
|-- package.json
|-- README.md
|-- tsconfig.json
`-- src/
    `-- app.ts

The generated project name in package.json is automatically set to the selected folder name, and the starter app includes request logging, JSON parsing, a /health endpoint, a /echo endpoint, a 404 handler, and a basic error handler.

Examples

Create a JavaScript project without installing dependencies:

setup-node-api my-api --no-install

Create a TypeScript project and set a custom port:

setup-node-api my-api --typescript --port 4000

Create a JavaScript API with CORS enabled and no prompts:

setup-node-api my-api --cors --yes

Ask the CLI to guide you interactively:

setup-node-api

Development

npm install
npm test
npm run check

CI

GitHub Actions runs the test suite on Node.js 20 and 22 across Linux, Windows, and macOS for pushes to main and pull requests.

Notes

• In a non-interactive environment, provide the project name as an argument.
• When using --yes, you still need to provide the project name as an argument.
• If the target folder already exists, the CLI stops unless you explicitly confirm overwrite in an interactive terminal.
• The JavaScript template includes a dev script using Node's built-in watch mode.
• prepublishOnly runs npm run check before publish.

License

MIT