create-node-spark

🚀 create-node-spark

The fastest way to scaffold production-ready Node.js backends

Zero configuration • TypeScript ready • Multiple databases • Developer-friendly

📚 Documentation

Quick Start • Features • Documentation • Roadmap • Contributing

🎉 What's New in Phase 2

Phase 2 development is now underway! After successfully completing Phase 1 with all core features, we're excited to introduce powerful new capabilities:

• ✨ PostgreSQL + Prisma ORM - Modern database integration with full type safety
• ⚡ Fastify Framework - High-performance alternative to Express
• 🎨 Enhanced Customization - More control over your project structure
• 📦 Advanced Templates - Pre-configured project templates for common use cases

See full roadmap →

💡 What is create-node-spark?

create-node-spark is a powerful CLI tool that eliminates the tedious setup process for Node.js backend projects. Get from zero to production-ready REST API in under 30 seconds.

Inspired by industry leaders like Create React App and Vite, it provides instant scaffolding with modern best practices built-in — so you can focus on building features, not configuring boilerplate.

🎯 Perfect For

Use Case	Why Choose Us
🚀 Rapid Prototyping	Skip setup, start coding immediately
👨‍💻 Solo Developers	Professional structure without the complexity
🏢 Team Projects	Consistent architecture across all projects
📚 Learning	Industry-standard practices from day one
🔄 API Development	Pre-configured REST API patterns

🚀 Quick Start

Get up and running in under 30 seconds:

# Using npx (recommended - always latest version)
npx create-node-spark@latest

# Or install globally
npm install -g create-node-spark
create-node-spark

That's it! Follow the interactive prompts and you'll have a fully configured backend ready for development.

📹 See it in action

✨ Features

🛠️ Core Capabilities ✅ Language Choice: JavaScript or TypeScript ✅ Package Manager: npm or pnpm support ✅ Modern ES Modules: No CommonJS legacy ✅ Framework Options: Express.js (stable & popular) Fastify (high-performance) Vanilla Node.js (custom setup) ✅ Database Integration: MongoDB + Mongoose MySQL + Knex.js PostgreSQL + Prisma ✅ Docker Support: Production-ready containerization ✅ File Uploads: Optional Multer configuration

🔧 Developer Experience ✅ Smart ESLint: Balanced rules for productivity ✅ Prettier Integration: Consistent code formatting ✅ Environment Setup: .env configuration ready ✅ Organized Structure: Professional folder layout ✅ Docker Ready: Multi-stage builds & compose files ✅ Zero Config: Works out of the box ✅ Safety First: Prevents accidental overwrites ✅ Minimal Dependencies: Fast and lightweight ✅ Auto-reload: Development mode with hot reload

📦 Installation Methods

📱 Method 1: NPX (Recommended)

npx create-node-spark@latest

✅ Always uses the latest version
✅ No global installation required
✅ Perfect for one-time usage

🌍 Method 2: Global Installation

npm install -g create-node-spark
create-node-spark

✅ Available from anywhere
✅ Faster subsequent usage
✅ Ideal for frequent use

🔧 Method 3: Development Setup

git clone https://github.com/talhabilal-dev/create-node-spark.git
cd create-node-spark
npm install
npm link

✅ Full source code access
✅ Contributing ready
✅ Latest development features

🎮 Interactive Setup Process

The CLI guides you through a seamless setup with these choices:

Step	Options	Description
📝 Project Name	Custom name	Your project identifier
📦 Package Manager	npm, pnpm	Choose your preferred manager
💻 Language	JavaScript, TypeScript	Pick your language
🚀 Framework	Express, Fastify, None	Select your framework
🗄️ Database	MongoDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL, None	Choose database integration
⚙️ Features	ESLint, Multer, Docker	Optional enhancements

📁 Generated Project Structure

Every project follows a professional, scalable architecture:

my-awesome-api/
├── 📁 public/                 # Static assets & uploads
│   ├── css/                   # Stylesheets
│   ├── js/                    # Client-side scripts
│   ├── images/                # Image assets
│   └── temp/                  # Temporary files
│
├── 📁 src/                    # Source code (your work lives here)
│   ├── config/                # Configuration files
│   │   ├── database.js        # Database connection
│   │   └── environment.js     # Environment variables
│   │
│   ├── controllers/           # Route handlers & business logic
│   │   └── example.controller.js
│   │
│   ├── middlewares/           # Custom middleware functions
│   │   ├── auth.middleware.js
│   │   └── error.middleware.js
│   │
│   ├── models/                # Database models
│   │   └── example.model.js   # (Mongoose/Knex/Prisma)
│   │
│   ├── routes/                # API route definitions
│   │   └── example.routes.js
│   │
│   ├── services/              # Business logic services
│   │   └── example.service.js
│   │
│   ├── utils/                 # Utility functions & helpers
│   │   └── logger.js
│   │
│   └── index.js/.ts           # Application entry point
│
├── 📄 .env                    # Environment variables (DO NOT COMMIT)
├── 📄 .env.example            # Environment template
├── 📄 .eslintrc.js            # Code quality rules
├── 📄 .prettierrc             # Code formatting config
├── 📄 .gitignore              # Git ignore patterns
├── 📄 package.json            # Dependencies & scripts
└── 📄 README.md               # Project documentation

🎨 Structure Benefits

• Clear Separation: Each folder has a single, clear purpose
• Scalable: Grows naturally as your project expands
• Maintainable: Easy to find and modify code
• Team-Friendly: Consistent structure across developers
• Best Practices: Industry-standard organization

🗄️ Database Integration Options

🍃 MongoDB + Mongoose Best for: Flexible schemas, rapid prototyping // Pre-configured connection mongoose.connect(process.env.MONGODB_URI) // Ready-to-use models const User = mongoose.model('User', schema) Features: ✅ Async/await patterns ✅ Schema validation ✅ Middleware hooks ✅ Population & refs

🐘 PostgreSQL + Prisma Best for: Type safety, complex relations // Auto-generated client const prisma = new PrismaClient() // Full TypeScript support const users = await prisma.user.findMany() Features: ✅ Type-safe queries ✅ Auto-generated types ✅ Migration system ✅ Studio GUI

🐬 MySQL + Knex.js Best for: SQL control, migrations // Query builder ready const users = await knex('users') .where('active', true) Features: ✅ SQL query builder ✅ Transaction support ✅ Migration tools ✅ Connection pooling

🐳 Docker Support

NEW in v2.7.0 - Production-ready containerization out of the box!

When you enable Docker, create-node-spark automatically generates:

📦 What You Get

• Dockerfile - Multi-stage production build with Alpine Linux, security best practices, and health checks
• Dockerfile.dev - Development setup with hot-reload support
• .dockerignore - Optimized ignore patterns for minimal image size
• docker-compose.yml - Full-stack orchestration (when database selected)
• npm scripts - Ready-to-use Docker commands in package.json

🚀 Quick Usage

# Enable Docker during setup
npx create-node-spark --docker

# Or use flags for full automation
npx create-node-spark my-app --lang typescript --framework express --db mongodb --docker --yes

📜 Generated Docker Scripts

{
  "docker:build": "Build production image",
  "docker:run": "Run production container",
  "docker:dev": "Run dev container with hot-reload",
  "docker:up": "Start all services (app + database)",
  "docker:down": "Stop all services",
  "docker:logs": "View container logs"
}

✨ Features

• ✅ Multi-stage builds for optimal image size
• ✅ Security: Non-root user, Alpine-based images
• ✅ Database containers with health checks
• ✅ Volume persistence for data
• ✅ Network isolation for security
• ✅ Hot-reload in development mode

Learn more about Docker support →

🗺️ Development Roadmap

✅ Phase 1 - Foundation (COMPLETED)

🎉 All core features delivered

Feature	Status	Description
Multi-language Support	✅ Done	JavaScript & TypeScript
Package Managers	✅ Done	npm & pnpm support
Express Framework	✅ Done	Full Express.js integration
MongoDB Integration	✅ Done	Mongoose ORM setup
MySQL Integration	✅ Done	Knex.js query builder
Developer Tools	✅ Done	ESLint & Prettier
File Handling	✅ Done	Multer configuration
Modern Standards	✅ Done	ESM modules throughout
Environment Setup	✅ Done	Automatic .env generation

🚧 Phase 2 - Advanced Features (IN PROGRESS)

⚡ Current development focus

Feature	Status	Target	Description
PostgreSQL + Prisma	✅ Done	Q1 2025	Modern ORM with type safety
Fastify Framework	✅ Done	Q1 2025	High-performance alternative
Docker Integration	✅ Done	Q1 2025	Multi-stage builds & compose
Enhanced Customization	🔄 In Progress	Q1 2025	Granular project structure control
Template System	🔄 In Progress	Q2 2025	Pre-built project templates
Testing Setup	📋 Planned	Q2 2025	Jest/Vitest configuration
Authentication Templates	📋 Planned	Q2 2025	JWT, OAuth, Passport.js
API Documentation	📋 Planned	Q2 2025	Swagger/OpenAPI integration

Timeline: Q1-Q2 2025

🔮 Phase 3 - Enterprise & Ecosystem (PLANNED)

🚀 Future vision

🏗️ Advanced Architecture (Q3 2025)

Feature	Description	Impact
GraphQL Support	Complete GraphQL API scaffolding	High
Microservices Templates	Multi-service architecture	High
Message Queues	Redis, RabbitMQ integration	Medium
Caching Strategies	Redis, Memcached setup	Medium

🐳 DevOps & Deployment (Q3-Q4 2025)

Feature	Description	Impact
Kubernetes Configs	Production orchestration	High
CI/CD Templates	GitHub Actions, GitLab CI	High
Cloud Deployment	AWS, GCP, Azure templates	High
Advanced Monitoring	Logging & metrics setup	Medium

🔌 Extensibility (Q4 2025)

Feature	Description	Impact
Plugin System	Community plugin architecture	High
Custom Templates	User-defined project templates	High
Template Marketplace	Share and discover templates	Medium
CLI Extensions	Third-party command support	Medium

📦 Industry Templates (Q4 2025 - Q1 2026)

Pre-configured templates for common use cases:

• 🛒 E-commerce API - Product catalog, cart, orders, payments
• 📱 Social Media Backend - Posts, likes, comments, followers
• 📚 Content Management - CMS with media handling
• 🏦 Financial Services - Transactions, accounts, compliance
• 🏥 Healthcare - HIPAA-compliant templates
• 🎓 Education Platform - Courses, students, assessments
• 🎮 Gaming Backend - Leaderboards, matchmaking, chat

Timeline: Q3 2025 - Q1 2026

📊 Roadmap Progress

Phase 1: ████████████████████ 100% ✅
Phase 2: ██████████░░░░░░░░░░  50% 🚧
Phase 3: ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░   0% 📋

Want to influence our roadmap? Vote on features →

📖 Documentation

🎯 Quick Examples

🚀 TypeScript REST API with MongoDB

npx create-node-spark@latest my-api

# Interactive prompts:
# ✓ Language: TypeScript
# ✓ Framework: Express.js
# ✓ Database: MongoDB
# ✓ Features: ESLint + Prettier

cd my-api
npm run dev

What you get:

• ✅ TypeScript with strict mode
• ✅ MongoDB connection ready
• ✅ Express server configured
• ✅ ESLint rules active
• ✅ Auto-reload on changes

⚡ High-Performance API with Fastify + PostgreSQL

npx create-node-spark@latest fast-api

# Interactive prompts:
# ✓ Language: TypeScript
# ✓ Framework: Fastify
# ✓ Database: PostgreSQL
# ✓ Features: Prisma + ESLint

cd fast-api
npm run dev

What you get:

• ✅ Fastify for maximum performance
• ✅ PostgreSQL + Prisma ORM
• ✅ Full TypeScript type safety
• ✅ Auto-generated Prisma client
• ✅ Database migrations ready

🎨 Custom Node.js Server (Minimal Setup)

npx create-node-spark@latest custom-server

# Interactive prompts:
# ✓ Language: JavaScript
# ✓ Framework: None
# ✓ Database: None
# ✓ Features: Skip all

cd custom-server
npm start

What you get:

• ✅ Clean Node.js HTTP server
• ✅ Professional folder structure
• ✅ Environment variables setup
• ✅ Ready for custom implementation

🛒 E-commerce API with MySQL

npx create-node-spark@latest shop-api

# Interactive prompts:
# ✓ Language: TypeScript
# ✓ Framework: Express.js
# ✓ Database: MySQL
# ✓ Features: ESLint + Multer

cd shop-api
npm run dev

What you get:

• ✅ MySQL + Knex.js query builder
• ✅ File upload handling (Multer)
• ✅ Transaction support ready
• ✅ Migration system configured

🎮 Available Scripts

Every generated project includes these npm scripts:

# Development
npm run dev          # Start development server with auto-reload
npm start            # Start production server

# TypeScript (TS projects only)
npm run build        # Compile TypeScript to JavaScript
npm run type-check   # Check types without building

# Code Quality
npm run lint         # Check code with ESLint
npm run lint:fix     # Auto-fix ESLint issues
npm run format       # Format code with Prettier
npm run format:check # Check formatting without changes

# Database (if applicable)
npm run db:migrate   # Run database migrations
npm run db:seed      # Seed database with test data
npm run db:studio    # Open Prisma Studio (PostgreSQL only)

📚 Framework-Specific Guides

Express.js Projects

Starting your server:

// src/index.js
import express from 'express'
import routes from './routes/index.js'

const app = express()
app.use(express.json())
app.use('/api', routes)

app.listen(3000, () => console.log('Server running on port 3000'))

Adding a new route:

// src/routes/users.routes.js
import { Router } from 'express'
import { getUsers, createUser } from '../controllers/users.controller.js'

const router = Router()
router.get('/', getUsers)
router.post('/', createUser)

export default router

Fastify Projects

Starting your server:

// src/index.js
import Fastify from 'fastify'
import routes from './routes/index.js'

const fastify = Fastify({ logger: true })
fastify.register(routes, { prefix: '/api' })

await fastify.listen({ port: 3000 })

Adding a new route:

// src/routes/users.routes.js
export default async function (fastify, opts) {
  fastify.get('/', async (request, reply) => {
    return { users: [] }
  })
}

🚀 Why Choose create-node-spark?

💎 For Individual Developers ⚡ Save Hours: No more repetitive setup 🎯 Stay Focused: Jump straight to features 📚 Learn Best Practices: Industry-standard patterns 🔧 Full Control: Customize everything 💰 Free Forever: Open source, no hidden costs

🏢 For Teams & Organizations 🎨 Consistent Architecture: Same structure across all projects 👥 Faster Onboarding: New developers productive immediately 🔒 Security: Built-in best practices 📈 Scalable: Grows with your needs 🔄 Maintainable: Clean, organized codebase

📊 Comparison with Alternatives

Feature	create-node-spark	Manual Setup	Express Generator
TypeScript Support	✅ Built-in	❌ Manual config	❌ Not included
Modern ESM	✅ Yes	❌ Manual setup	❌ CommonJS
Database Integration	✅ 3 options	❌ Manual	❌ None
Multiple Frameworks	✅ Express, Fastify	❌ DIY	✅ Express only
Developer Tools	✅ ESLint, Prettier	❌ Manual	❌ Basic only
File Uploads	✅ Optional	❌ Manual	❌ None
Setup Time	⚡ 30 seconds	🐌 2-3 hours	⏱️ 5-10 minutes
Production Ready	✅ Yes	❓ Depends	⚠️ Basic

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions from developers of all skill levels! Here's how you can help make create-node-spark even better.

🎯 Ways to Contribute

🐛 Found a Bug? Check existing issues Create a detailed bug report Include reproduction steps Add system information Report a bug → ✨ Have a Feature Idea? Search existing requests Describe your use case Explain the benefits Suggest implementation Request a feature →

💻 Want to Code? Pick an issue or create one Fork the repository Create a feature branch Submit a pull request View good first issues → 📝 Improve Documentation? Fix typos or unclear sections Add examples or guides Translate to other languages Create video tutorials View docs →

🚀 Quick Contribution Setup

# 1. Fork & clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/create-node-spark.git
cd create-node-spark

# 2. Install dependencies
npm install

# 3. Create a feature branch
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature

# 4. Make your changes and test locally
npm run build
npm link
create-node-spark  # Test your changes

# 5. Run tests (when available)
npm test

# 6. Commit with a clear message
git add .
git commit -m "feat: add amazing feature"

# 7. Push and create a pull request
git push origin feature/amazing-feature

💡 Contribution Guidelines

✅ Do's

• Follow Code Style: Use ESLint and Prettier configurations
• Write Clear Commits: Follow Conventional Commits
• Test Thoroughly: Ensure your changes work across different configurations
• Update Documentation: Keep README and docs in sync
• Be Descriptive: Explain why, not just what
• Stay Respectful: Be kind and collaborative

❌ Don'ts

• Don't submit untested code
• Don't ignore linting errors
• Don't make unrelated changes in one PR
• Don't forget to update documentation
• Don't take things personally

🏆 Contributors

Thanks to all our amazing contributors!

🌟 Community & Support

💬 Get Help

📖 Documentation Read the Docs Complete guides and API reference

💬 Discussions GitHub Discussions Ask questions, share ideas

🐛 Issues GitHub Issues Report bugs, request features

📧 Contact

Creator & Maintainer: Talha Bilal

📧 [e-mail]
🐦 @talhabilal_dev
💼 LinkedIn
🌐 talhabilal.dev

📊 Project Stats

🙏 Acknowledgments

This project is built with ❤️ and powered by these amazing technologies:

Node.js Runtime Engine	TypeScript Type Safety	Express.js Web Framework	Fastify Fast Framework	Prisma Modern ORM
MongoDB NoSQL Database	MySQL SQL Database	PostgreSQL SQL Database	ESLint Code Quality	Prettier Code Formatting

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

⭐ Show Your Support

If create-node-spark helps you build amazing projects faster, please consider:

• ⭐ Starring the repository
• 🐦 Sharing on social media
• 📝 Writing about your experience
• 🤝 Contributing code or documentation
• 💬 Helping others in discussions

Every contribution, no matter how small, makes a difference!

Made with ❤️ by Talha Bilal

⭐ Star us on GitHub — it motivates us a lot!

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