🚀 create-fullstack-setup

> A modern CLI tool to generate production-ready backend or full-stack applications with Express in seconds.

create-fullstack-setup streamlines project setup by automating repetitive tasks like folder structure creation, dependency installation, middleware configuration, and environment setup—so you can focus on building features, not boilerplate.

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🚀 Quick Start (Recommended)

The fastest way to use the CLI is with npx (no global install required):

``bash
npx create-fullstack-setup@latest
`

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✨ Features

- 🎯 Interactive Setup - Guided prompts for a personalized project
- ⚡ Fast Scaffolding - Ready-to-run projects in under a minute
- 🔧 Feature-Based - Only include what you need (JWT, MongoDB, Cloudinary, etc.)
- 📦 Multiple Frontends - Choose React, Next.js, or backend-only
- 🛠️ TypeScript & JavaScript - Full support for both languages
- 🌍 Cross-Platform - Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux
- 📝 Zero Configuration - Pre-wired middleware and utilities

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📋 Requirements

- Node.js v18 or higher
- npm v9 or higher

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🔧 Installation

Install the CLI globally via npm:

`bash
npm install -g create-fullstack-setup@latest
`

Verify the installation:

`bash
create-fullstack-setup --version
`

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🚀 Quick Start

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`bash
create-fullstack-setup@latest my-app
`

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`bash
create-fullstack-setup@latest .
`

The CLI will guide you through an interactive setup process.

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📖 Interactive Setup Guide

The CLI prompts you step-by-step to customize your project:

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Choose a name for your project folder.

`
? Project name: my-awesome-app
`

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Select a frontend framework or skip for a backend-only project:

- React - Modern UI library
- Next.js - Full-stack React framework
- None - Backend API only

`
? Choose frontend framework:
○ React
○ Next.js
● None
`

---

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Currently supported:

- Express - Fast, minimalist web framework

`
? Choose backend framework:
● Express
`

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Choose your preferred language:

- JavaScript - Classic, widely supported
- TypeScript - Type-safe, modern development

`
? Select language:
○ JavaScript
● TypeScript
`

---

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Enable features individually based on your needs:

| Feature | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| JWT Authentication | Token-based auth with middleware |
| Cloudinary | Cloud-based media management |
| CORS | Cross-Origin Resource Sharing |
| Cookie Parser | Parse cookies from requests |
| Dotenv | Environment variable management |
| MongoDB | NoSQL database with Mongoose ODM |
| Zod Validation | Schema validation library |
| Bcrypt | Password hashing utilities |
| Multer | File upload handling |

`
? Enable JWT Authentication? (Y/n)
? Enable Cloudinary? (Y/n)
? Enable CORS? (Y/n)
...
`

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📂 Generated Project Structure

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`
my-app/
├── server/
│ ├── src/
│ │ ├── app.ts # Express app configuration
│ │ ├── server.ts # Server entry point
│ │ ├── routes/ # API routes
│ │ ├── controllers/ # Request handlers
│ │ ├── middlewares/
│ │ │ └── auth.middleware.ts # JWT authentication
│ │ ├── utils/
│ │ │ └── Cloudinary.ts # Cloudinary setup
│ │ └── config/
│ │ └── db.ts # MongoDB connection
│ ├── .env.example # Environment template
│ ├── tsconfig.json # TypeScript config
│ ├── nodemon.json # Dev server config
│ └── package.json
└── client/ # (if frontend selected)
└── ...
`

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`
my-app/
├── server/
│ ├── app.js # Express app configuration
│ ├── server.js # Server entry point
│ ├── routes/ # API routes
│ ├── controllers/ # Request handlers
│ ├── middlewares/
│ │ └── auth.middleware.js # JWT authentication
│ ├── utils/
│ │ └── Cloudinary.js # Cloudinary setup
│ ├── .env.example # Environment template
│ └── package.json
└── client/ # (if frontend selected)
└── ...
`

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⚙️ Feature Details

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When enabled, the CLI generates:

- Authentication middleware for protected routes
- Support for both Authorization header and HTTP-only cookies
- Token verification utilities

Environment variable:
`env
ACCESS_TOKEN_SECRET=your_secret_key_here
`

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When enabled, the CLI generates:

- Pre-configured Cloudinary utility class
- Automatic connection on server startup
- Ready-to-use upload/delete methods

Environment variables:
`env
CLOUDINARY_NAME=your_cloud_name
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=your_api_key
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=your_api_secret
`

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When enabled, the CLI generates:

- Database connection utility
- Automatic connection with retry logic
- Connection error handling

Environment variable:
`env
MONGO_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/myapp
`

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Enables Cross-Origin Resource Sharing with sensible defaults.

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Parses cookies from incoming requests for session management.

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Utilities for hashing and comparing passwords securely.

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Middleware for handling multipart/form-data file uploads.

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Schema-based validation for request data.

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🔐 Environment Variables

All required environment variables are written to:

`
server/.env.example
`

Example file:

`env


Server

PORT=5000

Authentication

ACCESS_TOKEN_SECRET=your_jwt_secret_here

Cloudinary (if enabled)

CLOUDINARY_NAME=
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=

Database (if MongoDB enabled)

MONGO_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/myapp
`

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Copy .env.example to .env and fill in your actual values before running:

`bash
cp server/.env.example server/.env
`

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🏃 Running Your Project

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`bash
cd my-app/server
npm install
npm run dev
`

The server starts on http://localhost:5000 (or your configured PORT).

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`bash
cd my-app/client
npm install
npm run dev
`

- React: Runs on http://localhost:5173 (Vite default)
- Next.js: Runs on http://localhost:3000

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🎯 Use Cases

- 🚀 Rapid Prototyping - Get ideas running quickly
- 📚 Learning Express - Study well-structured projects
- 👥 Team Consistency - Standardize project scaffolding
- 🏗️ Production Starters - Begin with best practices

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🛠️ Design Principles

- ✅ Feature-Based Injection - Only include what you select
- 📝 Language Aware - Respects JavaScript vs TypeScript conventions
- 🔄 Idempotent Operations - No duplicate injections or overwrites
- 🌍 Cross-Platform - Works on all operating systems
- 📦 Template Resolution - Uses __dirname` for global CLI safety

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to:

- Report bugs
- Suggest new features
- Submit pull requests

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👨‍💻 Author

Uttam Yadav
Full-Stack Developer

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📄 License

MIT

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📝 Notes

- This CLI focuses on project setup, not application logic
- Generated code is fully customizable—modify as needed
- Templates follow industry best practices
- No vendor lock-in—standard Express/Node.js code

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🌟 Star this project

If you find this tool helpful, consider giving it a star on GitHub!

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Happy Coding! 🎉