codygillespie / create-express-app

A helper script for getting an Express CRUD app setup

Node.js Project Setup with Express, TypeScript, Prisma, and MongoDB

This README outlines the usage of a PowerShell script designed to automate the setup of a Node.js project with Express, TypeScript, Prisma, dotenv, and a Dockerized MongoDB database. The project includes necessary configurations for development, including a .gitignore file, vercel.json, and a basic docker-compose.yml for MongoDB.

Prerequisites

Before running the script, make sure you have the following installed on your system:

• Node.js (v14 or higher)
• npm (comes with Node.js)
• Docker Desktop (for MongoDB containerization)
• PowerShell

Quick Start

Run the Script: Execute the script by typing ./CreateExpressApp.ps1 -projectName <project-name> in your terminal. Replace <project-name> with the name of your project.

What Does the Script Do?

Upon execution, the script will:

• Create a new directory for your Node.js project.
• Initialize a new npm project and install necessary dependencies, including Express, dotenv, and Prisma.
• Set up TypeScript for development.
• Configure Prisma to connect to MongoDB.
• Create initial files such as index.ts for a basic Express server, .env for environment variables, and .gitignore to exclude node modules and other non-essential files.
• Add a README.md file to your project directory with basic project information and setup instructions.
• Create a vercel.json for deploying with Vercel if needed.
• Set up a docker-compose.yml file to run a MongoDB database locally in a Docker container. This will use a simple username and password for authentication DO NOT USE IN PRODUCTION.
• Create a tools directory with powershell scripts to start the server and MongoDB container and to wipe the database.

Running Your Project

After setup:

• Run docker-compose up -d to start your MongoDB database.
• Navigate to your project directory and run npm install to install all dependencies.
• Use npm start to run your Express server.

Stopping the MongoDB Container

To stop and remove the MongoDB container, you can use:

docker-compose down