Baileys Starter

A scalable, type-safe WhatsApp bot template built with TypeScript and Baileys. Designed for maintainability and developer experience—no stress, just clean code.

Why Baileys Starter?

• Strict TypeScript - Full type safety with interfaces for commands, middlewares, and messages
• Modular Architecture - Easy to scale from a handful of commands to hundreds
• Middleware Pipeline - Reusable checks for auth, permissions, rate limiting
• Arona CLI - Scaffold new commands in seconds
• Low Cortisol Development - Clear patterns, predictable structure, no magic

Features

Here is a detailed list of the bot's commands and their functionalities:

General:

• menu: Display the main menu.
• ping: Check the bot's responsiveness.
• sticker: Create a sticker from an image.

Utility:

• afk: Set yourself as AFK (Away From Keyboard).

Middlewares:

• checkAfk: Automatically replies when a user is AFK.

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/fiandev/baileys-starter.git

2. Install FFmpeg (required for media processing):
   • Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt install ffmpeg
   • macOS: brew install ffmpeg
   • Windows: Download from ffmpeg.org
3. Install dependencies using your favorite package manager:

   npm install
   # or
   pnpm install
   # or
   yarn install
   # or
   bun install

Docker

1. Create a .env file from .env.example:

   cp .env.example .env

2. Build and run the container:

   docker-compose up --build

To stop the container:

docker-compose down

Usage

1. Build the project:

   npm run build

2. Start the bot:

   npm run start

   or with pnpm:

   pnpm start

   or with bun:

   bun run start:bun

Arona CLI

Arona is a CLI tool to quickly generate files for your bot.

Usage

bun arona make:<type> <Name>

Available Types

Type	Output Directory
command	src/commands
config	src/config
middleware	src/middlewares
helper	src/helpers
utils	src/utils

Examples

Create a new command:

bun arona make:command Ping

Create a new middleware:

bun arona make:middleware CheckOwner

Create a new config:

bun arona make:config ApiKey

Architecture

Registry (src/registry.ts)

All commands and middlewares must be registered in src/registry.ts:

export const commands = [ping, sticker, menu, afk];
export const middlewares = [checkAfk];

Commands are executed when a user sends a message matching the command name or aliases.

Middlewares are executed before every command. They can validate requests, modify data, or block execution by returning false. Useful for: authentication, permission checks, rate limiting, etc.

Creating Commands

Commands are defined using the Command interface:

import { type Command } from "../../types/Command";

export const myCommand: Command = {
  name: "mycommand",
  description: "Description here",
  usage: "<args>",
  cmd: ["mycommand", "alias"],
  category: "general",
  isMedia: false,
  isOnlyOwner: false,
  isOnlyGroup: false,
  isOnlyAdmin: false,
  isPremium: false,
  isAuth: false,
  async execute(sock, msg, args) {
    // Your logic here
  },
};

Creating Middlewares

Middlewares are defined using the Middleware interface:

import { type Middleware } from "../../types/Middleware";

export const myMiddleware: Middleware = {
  name: "mymiddleware",
  async execute(sock, msg) {
    // Return true to continue, false to block
    return true;
  },
  isAuth: false,
  isGroupOnly: false,
  isOnlyOwner: false,
  isOnlyAdmin: false,
};

Configuration

This template uses two configuration sources:

1. Environment Variables (.env)

1. Rename .env.example to .env.
2. Fill in the required environment variables.

2. Static Configuration (src/config/bot.ts)

The primary static configuration is located in src/config/bot.ts. Edit this file to customize your bot's behavior:

export const bot = {
  botName: "<your bot name>",
  authorName: "fiandev",
  prefix: /^(!|\/|\.|\$)/, // !, /, ., $
  argsSeparator: /(\,|\||\s)/, // , | space
  delayMessage: 1000, // 1s or 1000ms
  authors: ["<your phone number>"], // 629xxxxxxxxxx
  privateParticipants: ["xxxxxxxxxx@lid"], // xxxxxxxxx@lid
  privateGroups: ["xxxxxxxxxx@g.us", "xxxxxxxxxx@g.us"], // xxxxxxxxxx@g.us
  nsfw: false,
  notifyChannels: ["xxxxxxxxxx@g.us"], // xxxxxxxxxx@g.us
  premiums: ["<your phone number>"], // 629xxxxxxxxxx
  botNumber: "<your phone number>", // 629xxxxxxxxxx
  ephemeral: 86400, // 86400 = 1 day
};

Folder Structure

.
├── src
│   ├── commands       # Command handlers
│   ├── config         # Static configurations
│   ├── exceptions     # Custom exceptions
│   ├── helpers        # Helper functions
│   ├── includes       # Included modules
│   ├── lib            # Libraries
│   ├── middlewares    # Middleware handlers
│   ├── types          # TypeScript types
│   └── utils          # Utility functions
├── types              # Global type definitions
├── index.ts           # Entry point
└── ...

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to open an issue or submit a pull request.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file.