create-cardano-dapp v0.1.6
Interactive CLI to quickly set up an opinionated, full stack, Cardano NextJS project.
Usage
npm
npx create-cardano-dapp@latestyarn
yarn create cardano-dapppnpm
pnpm dlx create-cardano-dapp@latestTable of contents
- About
- T3 Axioms
- Dev/Contributor Setup
- Contributors
What is this? Some kinda template?
Kind of. We love all of the technologies that create-cardano-dapp includes, but we do NOT believe every project needs all of them.
We made create-cardno-dapp to do one thing - simplify the complex boilerplate around the core Cardano Stack tech without compromising the modularity of the pieces.
This is NOT an all-inclusive template. We expect you to bring your own libraries as well.
We are selective about the packages we have included. We don't add libraries that are as simple as an npm install zustand. If you cut an issue asking us to add your preferred libraries, we will make fun of you.
What is the Cardano Stack?
The "Cardano Stack" is a web development stack made by Cardano Goat, focused on simplicity, modularity, and full-stack typesafety.
It consists of
T3 Axioms
I'll be frank - this is an opinionated project. We share a handful of core beliefs around building, and we treat them as the basis for our decisions.
1. Solve Problems
It's easy to fall in the trap of "adding everything" - we explicitly don't want to do that. Everything added to create-cardano-dapp should solve a specific problem that exists within the core technologies included.
This means we won't add things like state libraries (zustand, redux), but we will add things like NextAuth.js and integrate it with Prisma and tRPC for you
2. Bleed Responsibly
We love our bleeding edge tech. The amount of speed and, honestly, fun that comes out of new shit is really cool. We think it's important to bleed responsibly, using riskier tech in the less risky parts.
This means we wouldn't bet on risky new database tech (SQL is great!) - but we happily bet on tRPC (it's just functions, moving off it is trivial).
3. Typesafety Isn't Optional
Two of the three T's are typesafe (Typescript, tRPC). We take typesafety seriously in these parts. Any decision that compromises the full-stack typesafe nature of create-cardano-dapp is a decision that should be made in a different project.
Dev/Contributor Setup
Read the Contributing guidelines
To install dependencies
# Install pnpm
npm install -g pnpm
# Install dependencies
pnpm install
# Initial build
pnpm run build
# Start the package locally
pnpm startContributors
We 💖 contributors! Feel free to contribute to this project
Made with contrib.rocks.
Other Recommendations
We recognize that Next.js and TypeScript don't solve every problem. While we encourage you to use the primitives they provide as often as you can, there are other tools that will help simplify and improve your developer experience.
UI Essentials
Tailwind CSS - for your styles I hated the idea of Tailwind. Then I tried it.
It seems like Bootstrap. I promise it is not Bootstrap. It enables a "flow state" in UI dev I didn't know was achievable. (and yes we used it here)
Data Management
React Query - for your client This little library handles all your async React needs from data fetching to IO management. Hard to imagine doing React dev without it now. Might be able to replace your state management library too.
Prisma.io - for your DB Prisma is to SQL what TypeScript is to JS. Never thought I'd love an ORM, but man, trust me on this one.
tRPC - for defining and consuming APIs tRPC delivers on GraphQL's promise of seamless client development against a typesafe server without all of the boilerplate. It's a clever abuse of TypeScript that provides an incredible dev experience.
Analytics
Plausible - for user data Need analytics? Plausible is one of the quickest ways to get them. Super minimal. It even has a simple plugin for Next.js.
Authentication
NextAuth.js - for authentication Man this library makes auth easy. No ownership compromise, hooks up to your DB directly. So good that I ported two projects to Next to use it.
Note: Does not support React Native directly. Yet. 😉
Deployments, Infrastructure, Databases and CI
Vercel - for hosting your website Vercel took the hell of web deployments and made it a set-and-forget GitHub integration. We've scaled to hundreds of thousands of users without issue. AWS-powered, just a way better interface :)
PlanetScale - for databases without the worry PlanetScale is the best "serverless database platform" I've used by far. Insane scale, great developer experience, fantastic pricing. If you're using sql (and hopefully Prisma), this is hard to beat.
Railway - for hosting your infra "Modern Heroku". Easiest way to get a real server up and running. If Vercel and PlanetScale aren't enough, Railway probably is. Point it at a GitHub repo and go.
State Management
Editor's Note: State management libraries can be great, but often aren't necessary. Start with React Query and built-in React state, reach for these when you need more
Zustand - for never using Redux again The "modern, simple Redux" you didn't know you needed. Poimandres can always be trusted. I have built everything from video call apps to games to servers with this little library
Jotai - for never using Context again For a more atomic approach, Jotai is hard to beat. Also by Poimandres , Jotai lets you define singletons that feel like global useState. Great option for stateful behaviors that don't need a state machine just yet