Project Structure

Overview

The exact layout of a generated project depends on the options you select. This page shows the realistic structures for common combinations.

Backend API - Express

Base (no optional modules)

index.ts

package.json

tsconfig.json

.env

.env.example

.eslintrc.js

eslint.config.mjs

.prettierrc

.gitignore

The base Express template generates only src/index.ts and src/routes/health.ts. No app.ts, routes/index.ts, middleware/errorHandler.ts, types/, or README.md are created.

With PostgreSQL + Prisma + JWT Auth + Docker

schema.prisma

index.ts

Dockerfile

docker-compose.yml

.dockerignore

package.json

tsconfig.json

.env

.env.example

.gitignore

With MongoDB + Mongoose + JWT Auth

index.ts

package.json

tsconfig.json

.env

.env.example

.gitignore

Full-stack - Next.js

A full-stack project is a single Next.js application at the project root. There is no separate backend/ or frontend/ directory.

Base (no optional modules)

layout.tsx

page.tsx

globals.css

components.json

proxy.ts

next.config.ts

postcss.config.mjs

tsconfig.json

eslint.config.mjs

next-env.d.ts

package.json

.env

.env.example

.gitignore

With PostgreSQL + Prisma + Better Auth + Docker

layout.tsx

page.tsx

globals.css

auth.ts

auth-client.ts

auth-schema.ts

prisma.ts

utils.ts

schema.prisma

proxy.ts

prisma.config.ts

next.config.ts

postcss.config.mjs

tsconfig.json

eslint.config.mjs

Dockerfile

docker-compose.yml

.dockerignore

package.json

.env

.env.example

.gitignore

With PostgreSQL + Drizzle + Better Auth

layout.tsx

page.tsx

globals.css

auth.ts

auth-client.ts

auth-schema.ts

db.ts

schema.ts

utils.ts

proxy.ts

drizzle.config.ts

next.config.ts

package.json

.env

.env.example

.gitignore

A TanStack Start project is a single Vite-based application at the project root. File-based routing lives in src/routes/. The CLI includes an initial src/routeTree.gen.ts, and TanStack Router regenerates it during Vite development and builds.

Base (no optional modules)

routeTree.gen.ts

router.tsx

components.json

vite.config.ts

tsconfig.json

eslint.config.mjs

package.json

.env

.env.example

.gitignore

With PostgreSQL + Prisma + Better Auth + Docker

routeTree.gen.ts

router.tsx

components.json

vite.config.ts

prisma.config.ts

tsconfig.json

eslint.config.mjs

Dockerfile

docker-compose.yml

.dockerignore

package.json

.env

.env.example

.gitignore

Key File Descriptions

Backend

File	Purpose
`src/index.ts`	Entry point - configures Express, mounts routes, starts the server
`src/routes/health.ts`	`GET /health` endpoint
`src/lib/prisma.ts`	Prisma client singleton
`src/lib/db.ts`	Mongoose connection helper
`src/lib/jwt.ts`	JWT sign/verify utilities
`src/middleware/requireAuth.ts`	Bearer token validation middleware
`src/services/userStore.ts`	In-memory or DB-backed user lookup for auth
`src/controllers/authController.ts`	Register/login request handlers
`src/routes/auth.ts`	Auth router mounted at `/auth`
`prisma/schema.prisma`	Prisma schema - edit to add your models

Full-stack (Next.js)

File	Purpose
`app/layout.tsx`	Root layout with font and metadata
`app/page.tsx`	Home page
`app/globals.css`	Tailwind CSS v4 import + design tokens
`proxy.ts`	Dev proxy configuration (rendered from template)
`next.config.ts`	Next.js configuration
`postcss.config.mjs`	PostCSS setup for Tailwind
`components.json`	shadcn CLI-compatible component metadata
`lib/utils.ts`	Shared `cn()` helper for UI components
`lib/auth.ts`	Better Auth server configuration
`lib/auth-client.ts`	`createAuthClient()` for client components
`lib/auth-schema.ts`	Shared auth form validation and error parsing
`lib/prisma.ts`	Prisma client with `@prisma/adapter-pg`
`lib/db.ts`	Drizzle database connection
`lib/schema.ts`	Drizzle table definitions
`prisma.config.ts`	Prisma datasource URL configuration
`drizzle.config.ts`	Drizzle Kit configuration

Full-stack (TanStack Start)

File	Purpose
`src/routes/__root.tsx`	Root route with layout, CSS, and devtools
`src/routes/index.tsx`	Home page
`src/routeTree.gen.ts`	Generated route tree (regenerated by Vite dev/build)
`src/routes/api/auth/$.ts`	Better Auth route handler (`auth.handler(request)`)
`src/routes/sign-in.tsx`	Login route with `beforeLoad` session guard
`src/routes/sign-up.tsx`	Signup route with `beforeLoad` session guard
`src/routes/dashboard.tsx`	Protected route example
`src/router.tsx`	`createRouter()` + QueryClient + SSR query integration
`src/lib/auth.ts`	Better Auth server configuration
`src/lib/auth-client.ts`	`createAuthClient()` for client components
`src/lib/auth-functions.ts`	`getSession()` server function
`src/lib/auth-schema.ts`	Shared auth form validation and error parsing
`src/lib/prisma.ts`	Prisma client with `@prisma/adapter-pg`
`src/lib/db.ts`	Drizzle database connection
`src/lib/schema.ts`	Drizzle table definitions
`src/components/ui/*`	shadcn-style UI primitives (`~/*` imports)
`vite.config.ts`	`tanstackStart()` + tailwind + react plugins
`components.json`	shadcn CLI-compatible component metadata (`~/*`)
`prisma.config.ts`	Prisma datasource URL configuration
`drizzle.config.ts`	Drizzle Kit configuration

Environment Variables

Variables are written to .env.example (and .env) based on selected modules.

Backend - base

NODE_ENV=development
PORT=3000

+ PostgreSQL (Prisma or Drizzle)

DATABASE_URL="postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/postgres?schema=public"

+ MongoDB (Mongoose)

MONGODB_URI="mongodb://localhost:27017/myapp"

+ JWT Auth (Express)

JWT_SECRET=please-change-me
JWT_EXPIRES_IN=1h

+ Better Auth (Next.js / TanStack Start)

BETTER_AUTH_SECRET=please-change-me-to-a-random-string
BETTER_AUTH_URL=http://localhost:3000

Always copy .env.example to .env and replace placeholder values before starting the server. Never commit .env to git.

Overview

Backend API - Express

Base (no optional modules)

With PostgreSQL + Prisma + JWT Auth + Docker

With MongoDB + Mongoose + JWT Auth

Full-stack - Next.js

Base (no optional modules)

With PostgreSQL + Prisma + Better Auth + Docker

With PostgreSQL + Drizzle + Better Auth

Full-stack - TanStack Start

Base (no optional modules)

With PostgreSQL + Prisma + Better Auth + Docker

Key File Descriptions

Backend

Full-stack (Next.js)

Full-stack (TanStack Start)

Environment Variables

Backend - base

+ PostgreSQL (Prisma or Drizzle)

+ MongoDB (Mongoose)

+ JWT Auth (Express)

+ Better Auth (Next.js / TanStack Start)

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