express-ts-wizard

> Create production-ready Express.js + TypeScript projects in seconds

The fastest way to bootstrap an Express 5.0 API with TypeScript. Zero config, interactive CLI, multiple strictness levels.

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Install

``bash


Run directly with npx (recommended)

npx express-ts-wizard

Or install globally

npm install -g express-ts-wizard
express-ts-wizard
`

---

Why express-ts-wizard?

Setting up a new Express.js project with TypeScript involves a lot of boilerplate: configuring tsconfig.json, setting up hot-reload, adding proper types, handling graceful shutdown... express-ts-wizard does all of this for you in one command.

Features

- Express 5.0 - Latest version with improved async error handling
- TypeScript - Full type safety out of the box
- 3 Strictness Levels - Choose your TypeScript configuration: relaxed, moderate, or strict
- Hot Reload - Development server with instant restarts via tsx
- Production Ready - Graceful shutdown, health check endpoint, proper error handling
- Deterministic Builds - Generates package-lock.json for reproducible installs
- Git Ready - Optional Git initialization with initial commit
- Zero Config - Works immediately after creation, no setup required

Quick Start

`bash
npx express-ts-wizard
`

That's it! Answer 3 simple questions and your project is ready.

`bash
cd my-express-app
npm run dev


Server running at http://localhost:3000


`

Interactive Prompts

The wizard will ask you:

| Prompt | Description | Default |
|--------|-------------|---------|
| Project name | Directory name for your project | my-express-app |
| TypeScript strictness | How strict should TypeScript be? | moderate |
| Initialize Git? | Create a Git repo with initial commit | yes |

Generated Project Structure

`
my-express-app/
├── src/
│ └── index.ts # Express server with health check
├── package.json # Dependencies and scripts
├── package-lock.json # Lock file for deterministic installs
├── tsconfig.json # TypeScript configuration
└── .gitignore # Standard Node.js ignores
`

Available Scripts

After creating your project, you can run:

| Script | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| npm run dev | Start development server with hot-reload |
| npm run build | Compile TypeScript to JavaScript |
| npm start | Run the compiled production server |
| npm run type-check | Check types without compiling |

TypeScript Strictness Levels

Choose the level that fits your project:

$3

`json
{
"strict": false
}
`

Minimal type checking. Good for quick prototypes or migrating JavaScript projects.

$3

`json
{
"strict": true
}
`

Enables TypeScript's strict flag, which includes:
- strictNullChecks
- strictFunctionTypes
- strictBindCallApply
- strictPropertyInitialization
- noImplicitAny
- noImplicitThis
- alwaysStrict

$3

`json
{
"strict": true,
"noUncheckedIndexedAccess": true,
"exactOptionalPropertyTypes": true,
"noPropertyAccessFromIndexSignature": true,
"noImplicitReturns": true,
"noFallthroughCasesInSwitch": true,
"noImplicitOverride": true
}
`

Maximum type safety. Catches more potential bugs at compile time.

What's Included

The generated Express server comes with:

`typescript
// Health check endpoint
app.get("/health", (req, res) => {
res.json({ status: "ok", timestamp: new Date().toISOString() });
});

// Graceful shutdown handling
process.on("SIGTERM", () => gracefulShutdown("SIGTERM"));
process.on("SIGINT", () => gracefulShutdown("SIGINT"));
`

Requirements

- Node.js >= 18.0.0
- npm (comes with Node.js)
- Git (optional, for repository initialization)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feat/amazing-feature)
3. Make your changes
4. If your change affects users, add a changeset:
`bash
npm run changeset
`
5. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
6. Push to the branch (git push origin feat/amazing-feature)
7. Open a Pull Request

$3

Use the following prefixes for your branches:

| Prefix | Use case | Example |
|--------|----------|---------|
| feat/ | New features | feat/add-eslint-template |
| fix/ | Bug fixes | fix/tsconfig-path-issue |
| docs/ | Documentation only | docs/update-readme |
| refactor/ | Code refactoring | refactor/simplify-prompts |
| test/ | Adding or updating tests | test/add-action-tests |
| chore/ | Maintenance tasks | chore/update-dependencies` |

$3

Add a changeset if your PR:
- Adds a new feature
- Fixes a bug
- Changes existing behavior
- Updates dependencies that affect the generated project

Skip the changeset for:
- Documentation updates
- Code refactoring without behavior changes
- CI/workflow changes
- Test improvements

Comparison

| Feature | express-ts-wizard | express-generator | create-express-api |
|---------|-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
| TypeScript | Yes | No | Varies |
| Express 5.0 | Yes | No (4.x) | No |
| Interactive CLI | Yes | No | Varies |
| Strictness levels | 3 options | N/A | N/A |
| Hot reload | Yes (tsx) | No | Varies |
| Graceful shutdown | Yes | No | No |
| Zero config | Yes | No | Varies |

Related

- Express.js - Fast, unopinionated, minimalist web framework
- TypeScript - Typed JavaScript at any scale
- tsx - TypeScript execute with hot-reload

License

MIT © Simon Oyaneder

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