@untools/starter

A powerful CLI tool to scaffold production-ready TypeScript projects with GraphQL, Express, MongoDB, and Next.js.


🚀 Overview

@untools/starter helps you jump-start development by quickly scaffolding fully-configured TypeScript projects with modern stack technologies. Choose between:

- API: Robust GraphQL API powered by Express and MongoDB
- Frontend: Feature-rich Next.js frontend with authentication and GraphQL client
- Fullstack: Integrated API and frontend combo with preconfigured connections

Skip the hours of project setup and dive straight into building what matters.

✨ Features

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- TypeScript: Full type safety with modern TypeScript configuration
- Express & Apollo Server: Industry-standard GraphQL server setup
- MongoDB Integration: Preconfigured with Mongoose models and connections
- Authentication System: Complete JWT-based auth with refresh tokens
- OAuth Integration: Ready-to-use Google authentication flow
- Role-Based Access Control: Built-in user permission system
- Email Services: Integrated Nodemailer and optional Resend.com support
- API Key Management: Secure key generation and validation system
- Password Reset Flow: Complete secure reset functionality
- Web Push Notifications: VAPID key generation and notification endpoints
- Payment Gateway: Optional payment processing integration
- AI Ready: Optional Google Gemini AI API configuration
- Smart Port Allocation: Consistent project-specific ports via @untools/port-gen
- Container Ready: Optional Docker and docker-compose configurations
- Environment Setup: Automatically configured .env files with secure generated secrets

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- Next.js 15: Modern React with App Router architecture
- TypeScript: End-to-end type safety with GraphQL codegen
- Authentication UI: Complete login/signup flows and protected routes
- Responsive Design: Mobile-friendly layouts using Tailwind CSS
- State Management: Preconfigured global state with Zustand
- File Uploads: Optional Cloudinary media integration
- Push Notifications: Browser notification support
- GraphQL Client: Apollo Client with automatic type generation

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- Monorepo Configuration: Preconfigured workspace for simultaneous development
- Connected Services: API and frontend pre-wired to work together
- Unified Commands: Single command to run both services
- Type Sharing: Full type safety between backend and frontend

📦 Installation

``bash


Install globally

npm install -g @untools/starter

Or use with npx (no installation needed)

npx @untools/starter my-project
`

🛠️ Usage

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`bash


Create an API project

@untools/starter starter --type api

Create a Next.js frontend

@untools/starter my-client --type frontend

Create a full-stack project

@untools/starter my-app --type fullstack
`

The CLI will guide you through configuration options with interactive prompts.

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`bash


Create with default settings


@untools/starter my-project --type api --yes
@untools/starter my-project --type frontend --yes
@untools/starter my-project --type fullstack --yes
`

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| Option | Alias | Description | Default |
|--------|-------|-------------|---------|
| --type | -t | Project type: api, frontend, or fullstack | api |
| --yes | -y | Skip all prompts and use defaults | false |

⚙️ Configuration Options

The interactive setup offers extensive customization:

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- Basic Configuration:
- Application name and port
- Docker integration toggle

- Feature Selection:
- MongoDB database configuration
- Email service integration
- Google OAuth authentication
- Payment gateway services
- Google Gemini AI integration
- Web Push notification support

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- API Connectivity:
- GraphQL API URL configuration
- API key generation

- Service Integration:
- Cloudinary for media uploads
- Google OAuth credentials
- Web Push notifications setup

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All of the above options plus integrated workspace configuration.

🔐 Security Features

@untools/starter automatically generates:

- Cryptographically secure random tokens for JWT authentication
- Webhook signature verification secrets
- API keys with secure generation patterns
- VAPID public/private keypairs for Push API
- Session secrets for Next.js
- MongoDB connection strings

🏗️ Generated Project Structure

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`bash
starter/
├── src/
│ ├── config/ # Configuration management
│ ├── graphql/ # GraphQL schema and resolvers
│ │ ├── typeDefs/ # GraphQL type definitions
│ │ ├── resolvers/ # GraphQL resolvers
│ ├── middlewares/ # Express middleware functions
│ ├── models/ # Mongoose data models
│ ├── services/ # Business logic layer
│ ├── utils/ # Helper functions
│ ├── index.ts # Application entry point
├── .env # Environment variables (pre-configured)
├── tsconfig.json # TypeScript configuration
├── package.json # Dependencies and scripts
├── README.md # Generated documentation
└── [Docker files] # Optional Docker configuration
`

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`bash
starter/
├── app/ # Next.js App Router structure
├── components/ # Reusable UI components
├── lib/ # Utility functions and hooks
├── graphql/ # GraphQL queries and mutations
├── styles/ # Global CSS and Tailwind config
├── public/ # Static assets
├── .env.local # Environment configuration
├── codegen.ts # GraphQL code generation config
├── package.json # Dependencies and scripts
└── README.md # Generated documentation
`

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`bash
starter/
├── my-app-api/ # API project (structure as above)
├── my-app-client/ # Frontend project (structure as above)
├── package.json # Workspace configuration
└── README.md # Project documentation
`

🧠 Philosophy

@untools/starter follows these principles:

1. Zero Configuration: Works out of the box with sensible defaults
2. Full Flexibility: Extensive customization when you need it
3. Production Ready: Security-focused with best practices built in
4. Developer Experience: Optimized for rapid development and maintenance

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! To contribute:

`bash


Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/miracleonyenma/untools-starter.git

Install dependencies

cd untools-starter
npm install

Run in development mode

npm run dev
``

📄 License

MIT © Miracle Onyenma

🙏 Acknowledgements

This project uses:

- miracleonyenma/express-ts-graphql-starter as the API template
- miracleonyenma/nextjs-starter-client for the Next.js template
- @untools/port-gen for consistent port allocation
- degit for template scaffolding