mern-project-cli

MERN Project Generator CLI

Generate a complete MERN stack project with a single command! 🚀

MERN Project Generator CLI is a powerful command-line tool designed to jumpstart your MERN (MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js) stack projects. With just one command, you can scaffold a complete project structure for both backend and frontend, following best practices and including essential configurations.

Key Features

• Full MERN Stack Setup: Generate both backend and frontend projects in one go.
• Best Practices Built-in: The generated projects follow industry-standard best practices for MERN stack development.
• Dynamic MongoDB Integration: Easily set up MongoDB connection with automatic database naming.
• Customizable Database Names: Flexibility to use custom database names or automatic project-based naming.
• Environment Ready: Includes pre-configured .env.example files for both frontend and backend.
• Development Mode: Built-in development server configuration with nodemon.
• Instant Development Ready: Start coding your application logic immediately after generation.

Requirements

• Node.js 14.x or higher
• npm 6.x or higher
• MongoDB (local or remote)

Installation

Install the CLI globally using npm:

npm install -g mern-project-cli

Available Commands

Check all available commands and options:

devcli --help

This will show you:

Usage: devcli [options] [command]

A CLI tool to scaffold and manage MERN stack projects

Options:
  -V, --version                    output the version number
  -h, --help                       display help for command

Commands:
  create <projectName>             Create a new MERN project
  mongodb-connect [options]        Generate MongoDB connection code
  help [command]                   display help for command

Creating a New Project

Create a new MERN project:

devcli create your-project-name

This will:

1. Create the complete project structure
2. Initialize Git repository
3. Install all dependencies
4. Set up development scripts

Setting up MongoDB Connection

You have two options for setting up MongoDB connection:

1. Using Project Name as Database Name:

devcli mongodb-connect

This will create a database named your_project_name_db

1. Using Custom Database Name:

devcli mongodb-connect -p custom_name
# or
devcli mongodb-connect --project custom_name

This will create a database named custom_name_db

Generated Project Structure

your-project-name/
├── backend/
│   ├── controllers/
│   ├── db/
│   │   └── connection.js         # MongoDB connection configuration
│   ├── middlewares/
│   ├── models/
│   ├── routes/
│   ├── utils/
│   ├── .env.example             # DB_URL=mongodb://localhost:27017/your_db
│   ├── .gitignore              # Includes node_modules, .env, etc.
│   ├── constants.js
│   ├── package.json            # Includes express, mongoose, dotenv, etc.
│   ├── README.md
│   └── server.js              # Express server with MongoDB connection
└── frontend/
    ├── public/
    ├── src/
    ├── .env.example          # REACT_APP_API_URL=http://localhost:5000/api
    ├── package.json
    └── README.md

Getting Started After Generation

1. Navigate to your new project:

   cd your-project-name
   

2. Set up the backend:

   cd backend
   cp .env.example .env    # Copy and configure environment variables
   npm run dev            # Start development server with nodemon
   

3. Set up the frontend (in a new terminal):

   cd frontend
   cp .env.example .env   # Copy and configure environment variables
   npm start             # Start React development server
   

4. Set up MongoDB:

   devcli mongodb-connect   # From project root or backend directory
   

Environment Variables

Backend (.env)

PORT=5000
DB_URL=mongodb://localhost:27017/your_project_db  # Default if not specified

Frontend (.env)

REACT_APP_API_URL=http://localhost:5000/api

Development Scripts

Backend

npm run dev   # Start development server with nodemon
npm start     # Start production server

Frontend

npm start     # Start development server
npm build     # Create production build

Customization

The generated structure is designed to be easily customizable:

• Controllers: Add your API logic in backend/controllers/
• Models: Define MongoDB schemas in backend/models/
• Routes: Add API routes in backend/routes/
• Middlewares: Add custom middlewares in backend/middlewares/
• Frontend Components: Add React components in frontend/src/components/

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Give ⭐ to the repo mern-project-cli

---

Made with ❤️ by Manish Raj

Portfolio  GitHub  LinkedIn  Twitter