Modules Overview

Modular by Design

better-ts-stack composes projects from independent modules. Each module contributes its own template files, npm dependencies, scripts, and environment variables. Only the modules you select are included.

Available Modules

Backend

Express.js server with TypeScript, routing, and middleware - the foundation of every backend app type project

Frontend

Next.js 16 or TanStack Start with React 19 and Tailwind CSS v4 - selected via the full-stack framework prompt

Database

PostgreSQL (Prisma or Drizzle) or MongoDB (Mongoose) - selected in a two-step prompt

Auth

JWT + bcrypt for Express, Better Auth for Next.js and TanStack Start (requires a database)

Docker

Multi-stage Dockerfile and docker-compose.yml - optional for any app type

How Modules Are Selected

The CLI prompts govern which modules are included:

Prompt answer	Module(s) activated
App type = `backend`	Express base module
App type = `fullstack` + framework = `nextjs`	Next.js base module
App type = `fullstack` + framework = `tanstack`	TanStack Start base module
Database = `postgresql` + ORM = `prisma`	Prisma module for the chosen framework
Database = `postgresql` + ORM = `drizzle`	Drizzle module for the chosen framework
Database = `mongodb` + ORM = `mongoose`	Mongoose module (Express, Next.js, TanStack)
Auth = `yes` (Express)	JWT auth module
Auth = `yes` (Next.js / TanStack, database selected)	Better Auth module
Docker = `yes`	Docker module

Better Auth is only prompted for Next.js and TanStack Start projects when a database has been selected. If database type is none, auth is skipped automatically.

How Module Merging Works

When you select multiple modules, the CLI merges their config.json configurations:

Dependencies: merged into a single package.json
Scripts: merged - later modules can add new scripts
Environment variables: merged into .env.example / .env
Template files: each module's files are copied into the project

Example: Express + PostgreSQL + Prisma + JWT Auth

The final package.json will include:

{
  "dependencies": {
    "express": "^5.2.1",
    "cors": "^2.8.6",
    "helmet": "^8.3.0",
    "morgan": "^1.12.0",
    "dotenv": "^17.4.2",
    "@prisma/client": "^7.10.0",
    "bcrypt": "^6.0.0",
    "jsonwebtoken": "^9.0.3"
  },
  "scripts": {
    "dev": "tsx watch src/index.ts",
    "build": "tsc",
    "start": "node dist/index.js",
    "lint": "eslint src",
    "format": "prettier --write \"src/**/*.ts\"",
    "type:check": "tsc --noEmit",
    "prisma:generate": "prisma generate",
    "prisma:migrate": "prisma migrate dev",
    "prisma:studio": "prisma studio",
    "prebuild": "prisma generate"
  }
}

Module Availability Matrix

Module	Backend (Express)	Full-stack (Next.js)	Full-stack (TanStack)
Express base	Always	-	-
Next.js base	-	Always	-
TanStack base	-	-	Always
PostgreSQL + Prisma	Yes	Yes	Yes
PostgreSQL + Drizzle	Yes	Yes	Yes
MongoDB + Mongoose	Yes	Yes	Yes
JWT Auth	Yes	-	-
Better Auth	-	Yes (requires DB)	Yes (requires DB)
Docker	Yes	Yes	Yes
NestJS	Coming soon	-	-

Extending After Generation

All generated code is plain TypeScript - edit any file freely.

Adding to the backend

New routes -> src/routes/
New middleware -> src/middleware/
New controllers -> src/controllers/

Adding to the frontend

Next.js: new pages -> app/, API routes -> app/api/, components -> components/
TanStack Start: new routes -> src/routes/ (Vite regenerates src/routeTree.gen.ts during dev/build), server functions -> createServerFn, components -> src/components/

Adding to the database

Prisma: edit prisma/schema.prisma, then run npm run prisma:migrate
Drizzle: edit lib/schema.ts, then run npm run db:generate && npm run db:migrate
Mongoose: add new model files to src/models/

Backend

Frontend

Database

Auth

Docker

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