Better Next App

A modern, high-performance CLI tool for scaffolding Next.js projects, written in Go. This is a complete rewrite of create-next-app that provides faster startup times, single binary distribution, and feature parity with the original TypeScript implementation.

Why Go?

• Single Binary Distribution - No Node.js required to run the CLI
• Faster Startup - Native compilation means instant execution
• Cross-Platform - Compile once for Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Built-in Concurrency - Leverage Go's goroutines for parallel operations
• Template Embedding - All templates bundled in the binary using embed directive

Features

• ✨ Interactive or Non-Interactive - Use prompts or CLI flags
• 🎨 App Router Only - Focused on Next.js App Router with/without Tailwind
• 📦 Smart Package Manager Detection - Auto-detects npm, pnpm, yarn, or bun
• 🔧 Flexible Configuration - TypeScript, ESLint, Biome, React Compiler support
• 🌐 GitHub Examples - Download official examples or custom repositories
• 💾 Preference Persistence - Save your choices for future projects
• 🚀 Future Extensibility - Planned support for database integration, ORM, and more

Installation

Using Package Managers (Recommended)

# npm
npx create-better-next-app@latest

# pnpm
pnpm dlx create-better-next-app@latest

# bun
bunx create-better-next-app@latest

# yarn
yarn create better-next-app

Using Go Install

go install github.com/yeasin2002/better-next-app@latest

Direct Download

Download the latest binary for your platform from the releases page.

Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/yeasin2002/better-next-app.git
cd better-next-app
task build

Usage

Interactive Mode

npx create better-next-app@latest

On installation, you'll see the following prompts:

What is your project named? my-app
Would you like to use the recommended Next.js defaults?
    Yes, use recommended defaults - TypeScript, ESLint, Tailwind CSS, App Router, Turbopack
    No, reuse previous settings
    No, customize settings - Choose your own preferences

If you choose to customize settings, you'll see:

Would you like to use TypeScript? No / Yes
Which linter would you like to use? ESLint / Biome / None
Would you like to use React Compiler? No / Yes
Would you like to use Tailwind CSS? No / Yes
Would you like your code inside a `src/` directory? No / Yes
Would you like to customize the import alias (`@/*` by default)? No / Yes
What import alias would you like configured? @/*

Non-Interactive Mode

better-next-app my-app --typescript --tailwind --eslint

Using Examples

# Official Next.js example
better-next-app my-app --example with-tailwindcss

# Custom GitHub repository
better-next-app my-app --example https://github.com/user/repo

CLI Options

Project Configuration

• --typescript / --javascript - Language choice
• --tailwind / --no-tailwind - Include Tailwind CSS
• --src-dir / --no-src-dir - Use src/ directory
• --import-alias <string> - Custom import alias (default: @/*)
• --empty - Minimal template with no boilerplate

Note: This CLI only supports Next.js App Router. Pages Router is not supported.

Linting & Tools

• --eslint - Use ESLint
• --biome - Use Biome
• --no-lint - Skip linter setup
• --react-compiler / --no-react-compiler - Enable React Compiler

Bundler Options

• --turbo - Use Turbopack (default)
• --webpack - Use Webpack
• --rspack - Use Rspack

Package Manager

• --use-npm - Use npm
• --use-pnpm - Use pnpm
• --use-yarn - Use Yarn
• --use-bun - Use Bun
• --skip-install - Skip dependency installation

Git Options

• --skip-git - Skip git initialization

Example Mode

• --example <name-or-url> - Use an example template
• --example-path <path> - Path within repository (for monorepos)

Automation

• --yes - Skip all prompts and use defaults
• --reset-preferences - Clear saved preferences

Project Structure

better-next-app/
├── main.go                    # Entry point with signal handlers
├── cmd/                       # Cobra command definitions
├── internal/                  # Business logic (private)
│   ├── config/               # Configuration management
│   ├── prompt/               # Interactive prompts (Huh)
│   ├── validate/             # Validation logic
│   ├── template/             # Template installation
│   ├── example/              # GitHub example downloading
│   ├── install/              # Post-installation tasks
│   └── util/                 # Shared utilities
└── templates/                # Embedded template files

Dependencies

• Cobra - CLI framework
• Viper - Configuration management
• Huh - Interactive prompts
• Lipgloss - Terminal styling
• Doublestar - File globbing

Development

Prerequisites

• Go 1.21 or higher
• Task - Task runner (optional but recommended)

Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yeasin2002/better-next-app.git
cd better-next-app

# Setup development environment (installs tools and git hooks)
task setup

# Or manually
go mod download

Common Tasks

# Run locally
task dev

# Build for current platform
task build

# Build for all platforms
task build:all

# Run tests
task test

# Run all checks (format, lint, test)
task check

# Test release locally (no git tag required)
task release:snapshot

NPM Publishing

# Setup NPM publishing (first time)
task npm:setup

# Test NPM package locally
task npm:test

# Publish to NPM manually
task npm:publish

Documentation:

• Complete Guide: docs/npm-complete-guide.md
• Token Generation: docs/npm-token-guide.md

Releasing

This project uses GoReleaser for automated releases:

# Create and push a tag
git tag -a v0.1.0 -m "Release v0.1.0"
git push origin v0.1.0

# GitHub Actions will automatically build and release

See docs/releasing.md for detailed release instructions.

Documentation

• PROJECT-GUIDE.md - Comprehensive implementation guide
• docs/releasing.md - Release process and versioning
• docs/npm-complete-guide.md - Complete NPM publishing guide
• docs/npm-token-guide.md - NPM token generation guide
• Steering Rules - Development guidelines and patterns

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read the PROJECT-GUIDE.md for architecture details and implementation guidelines.

License

MIT

Roadmap

Future enhancements planned:

• Database integration options
• ORM setup (Prisma, Drizzle, etc.)
• Authentication scaffolding
• Additional tooling integrations

Acknowledgments

This project is inspired by and maintains feature parity with create-next-app from the Next.js team, with a focus on App Router and modern Next.js development.