create-meno-app
// Introduction

Introduction

What create-meno-app is, the problem it solves, and the philosophy behind the backends it generates.

create-meno-app is a CLI that scaffolds a production-ready MongoDB · Express · Node.js backend in seconds. Answer a handful of prompts and you get a complete, conventional API — not a toy starter, but the project you'd otherwise spend a day wiring by hand.

npx create-meno-app my-api

Why it exists

Every new Node backend starts with the same chores: folder structure, error handling, config validation, request logging, a route registry, auth, tests, linting, Docker. Most starters either give you too little (an app.js and a prayer) or too much (an opinionated framework you have to fight).

create-meno-app takes a different path. It generates plain, idiomatic Express code with a few high-leverage conventions baked in, then gets out of your way.

The one-liner

Scaffold a full backend in seconds, not hours — AI-friendly, with auto-generated docs that never drift.

What makes it different

  • Zero-boilerplate routing. Drop a *.routes.ts file in src/modules/ and it auto-mounts. No app.use(), no central registry. Async errors are wrapped for you.
  • Docs that derive from code. A single introspection engine reads your routes, Joi schemas and Mongoose models to power both Markdown docs and Swagger — so they can never drift.
  • AI-friendly by construction. Optional CLAUDE.md, Cursor and Kiro context files, plus a strict, repeatable module pattern that coding agents understand on the first try.
  • A real feature matrix. Auth, RBAC, email, uploads, rate limiting, logging, testing, Docker and CI are all opt-in toggles — JavaScript or TypeScript.

Who it's for

Anyone building a REST API on the MongoDB · Express · Node stack who wants to skip the setup ritual and start on features — solo developers, teams standardizing their services, and AI agents scaffolding backends on demand.

Next steps