Scaffold

Project scaffolding templates and boilerplate generation for common project types with best-practice defaults.

Project Type Decision Tree

What are you building?
│
├─ API / Backend Service
│  ├─ REST API
│  │  ├─ Python → FastAPI (async, OpenAPI auto-docs)
│  │  ├─ Node.js → Express or Fastify (Fastify for performance)
│  │  ├─ Go → Gin (ergonomic) or Echo (middleware-rich)
│  │  └─ Rust → Axum (tower ecosystem, async-first)
│  ├─ GraphQL API
│  │  ├─ Python → Strawberry + FastAPI
│  │  ├─ Node.js → Apollo Server or Pothos + Yoga
│  │  ├─ Go → gqlgen (code-first)
│  │  └─ Rust → async-graphql + Axum
│  └─ gRPC Service
│     ├─ Python → grpcio + protobuf
│     ├─ Go → google.golang.org/grpc
│     └─ Rust → tonic
│
├─ Web Application
│  ├─ Full-stack with SSR
│  │  ├─ React ecosystem → Next.js 14+ (App Router)
│  │  ├─ Vue ecosystem → Nuxt 3
│  │  ├─ Svelte ecosystem → SvelteKit
│  │  └─ Content-heavy / multi-framework → Astro
│  ├─ SPA (client-only)
│  │  ├─ React → Vite + React + React Router
│  │  ├─ Vue → Vite + Vue + Vue Router
│  │  └─ Svelte → Vite + Svelte + svelte-routing
│  └─ Static Site
│     ├─ Blog / docs → Astro or VitePress
│     └─ Marketing / landing → Astro or Next.js (static export)
│
├─ CLI Tool
│  ├─ Python → Typer (simple) or Click (complex)
│  ├─ Node.js → Commander + Inquirer
│  ├─ Go → Cobra + Viper
│  └─ Rust → Clap (derive API)
│
├─ Library / Package
│  ├─ npm package → TypeScript + tsup + Vitest
│  ├─ PyPI package → uv + pyproject.toml + pytest
│  ├─ Go module → go mod init + go test
│  └─ Rust crate → cargo init --lib + cargo test
│
└─ Monorepo
   ├─ JavaScript/TypeScript → Turborepo + pnpm workspaces
   ├─ Full-stack JS → Nx
   ├─ Go → Go workspaces (go.work)
   ├─ Rust → Cargo workspaces
   └─ Python → uv workspaces or hatch

Stack Selection Matrix

Project Type	Language	Framework	Database	ORM/Query	Deploy Target
REST API	Python	FastAPI	PostgreSQL	SQLAlchemy + Alembic	Docker / AWS ECS
REST API	Node.js	Fastify	PostgreSQL	Prisma or Drizzle	Docker / Vercel
REST API	Go	Gin	PostgreSQL	sqlx (raw) or GORM	Docker / Fly.io
REST API	Rust	Axum	PostgreSQL	sqlx	Docker / Fly.io
Web App	TypeScript	Next.js 14+	PostgreSQL	Prisma or Drizzle	Vercel / Docker
Web App	TypeScript	Nuxt 3	PostgreSQL	Prisma	Vercel / Netlify
Web App	TypeScript	Astro	SQLite / none	Drizzle	Cloudflare / Netlify
CLI Tool	Python	Typer	SQLite	sqlite3 stdlib	PyPI
CLI Tool	Go	Cobra	SQLite / BoltDB	sqlx	GitHub Releases
CLI Tool	Rust	Clap	SQLite	rusqlite	crates.io
Library	TypeScript	tsup	n/a	n/a	npm
Library	Python	hatch/uv	n/a	n/a	PyPI

Quick Scaffold Commands

Python (API)

# FastAPI with uv
mkdir my-api && cd my-api
uv init --python 3.12
uv add fastapi uvicorn sqlalchemy alembic psycopg2-binary pydantic-settings
uv add --dev pytest pytest-asyncio httpx ruff mypy

Node.js (Web App)

# Next.js 14+
npx create-next-app@latest my-app --typescript --tailwind --eslint --app --src-dir --import-alias "@/*"

# Vite + React
npm create vite@latest my-app -- --template react-ts

Go (API)

mkdir my-api && cd my-api
go mod init github.com/user/my-api
go get github.com/gin-gonic/gin
go get github.com/jmoiron/sqlx
go get github.com/lib/pq

Rust (CLI)

cargo init my-cli
cd my-cli
cargo add clap --features derive
cargo add serde --features derive
cargo add anyhow tokio --features tokio/full

Monorepo (Turborepo)

npx create-turbo@latest my-monorepo
# Or manual:
mkdir my-monorepo && cd my-monorepo
npm init -y
npm install turbo --save-dev
mkdir -p apps/web apps/api packages/shared

API Project Template

Directory Structure (FastAPI Example)

my-api/
├── src/
│   └── my_api/
│       ├── __init__.py
│       ├── main.py              # FastAPI app, lifespan, middleware
│       ├── config.py            # pydantic-settings configuration
│       ├── database.py          # SQLAlchemy engine, session
│       ├── dependencies.py      # Shared FastAPI dependencies
│       ├── routers/
│       │   ├── __init__.py
│       │   ├── health.py        # Health check endpoint
│       │   └── users.py         # User CRUD endpoints
│       ├── models/
│       │   ├── __init__.py
│       │   └── user.py          # SQLAlchemy models
│       ├── schemas/
│       │   ├── __init__.py
│       │   └── user.py          # Pydantic request/response schemas
│       └── services/
│           ├── __init__.py
│           └── user.py          # Business logic
├── alembic/
│   ├── alembic.ini
│   ├── env.py
│   └── versions/
├── tests/
│   ├── conftest.py              # Fixtures: test DB, client, factories
│   ├── test_health.py
│   └── test_users.py
├── pyproject.toml
├── Dockerfile
├── docker-compose.yml
├── .env.example
├── .gitignore
└── .dockerignore

Directory Structure (Express/Fastify Example)

my-api/
├── src/
│   ├── index.ts                 # Entry point, server startup
│   ├── app.ts                   # Express/Fastify app setup
│   ├── config.ts                # Environment config with zod validation
│   ├── database.ts              # Prisma client or Drizzle config
│   ├── middleware/
│   │   ├── auth.ts
│   │   ├── error-handler.ts
│   │   └── request-logger.ts
│   ├── routes/
│   │   ├── health.ts
│   │   └── users.ts
│   ├── services/
│   │   └── user.service.ts
│   └── types/
│       └── index.ts
├── prisma/
│   └── schema.prisma
├── tests/
│   ├── setup.ts
│   └── routes/
│       └── users.test.ts
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
├── Dockerfile
├── docker-compose.yml
├── .env.example
└── .gitignore

Web App Project Template

Directory Structure (Next.js App Router)

my-app/
├── src/
│   ├── app/
│   │   ├── layout.tsx           # Root layout
│   │   ├── page.tsx             # Home page
│   │   ├── loading.tsx          # Global loading UI
│   │   ├── error.tsx            # Global error boundary
│   │   ├── not-found.tsx        # 404 page
│   │   ├── globals.css          # Global styles + Tailwind
│   │   ├── (auth)/
│   │   │   ├── login/page.tsx
│   │   │   └── register/page.tsx
│   │   ├── dashboard/
│   │   │   ├── layout.tsx
│   │   │   └── page.tsx
│   │   └── api/
│   │       └── health/route.ts
│   ├── components/
│   │   ├── ui/                  # Reusable primitives
│   │   └── features/            # Feature-specific components
│   ├── lib/
│   │   ├── db.ts                # Database client
│   │   ├── auth.ts              # Auth helpers
│   │   └── utils.ts             # Shared utilities
│   └── types/
│       └── index.ts
├── public/
│   └── favicon.ico
├── tests/
│   ├── setup.ts
│   └── components/
├── next.config.ts
├── tailwind.config.ts
├── tsconfig.json
├── package.json
├── .env.local.example
└── .gitignore

CLI Tool Project Template

Directory Structure (Python / Typer)

my-cli/
├── src/
│   └── my_cli/
│       ├── __init__.py
│       ├── __main__.py          # python -m my_cli entry
│       ├── cli.py               # Typer app, command groups
│       ├── commands/
│       │   ├── __init__.py
│       │   ├── init.py          # my-cli init
│       │   └── run.py           # my-cli run
│       ├── config.py            # Config file loading (TOML/YAML)
│       └── utils.py
├── tests/
│   ├── conftest.py
│   └── test_commands.py
├── pyproject.toml               # [project.scripts] entry point
├── .gitignore
└── README.md

Directory Structure (Go / Cobra)

my-cli/
├── cmd/
│   ├── root.go                  # Root command, global flags
│   ├── init.go                  # my-cli init
│   └── run.go                   # my-cli run
├── internal/
│   ├── config/
│   │   └── config.go            # Viper config loading
│   └── runner/
│       └── runner.go            # Core logic
├── main.go                      # Entry point, calls cmd.Execute()
├── go.mod
├── go.sum
├── Makefile
└── .gitignore

Library Project Template

Directory Structure (npm Package)

my-lib/
├── src/
│   ├── index.ts                 # Public API exports
│   ├── core.ts                  # Core implementation
│   └── types.ts                 # Public type definitions
├── tests/
│   └── core.test.ts
├── package.json                 # "type": "module", exports map
├── tsconfig.json                # declaration: true, declarationMap: true
├── tsup.config.ts               # Build config: cjs + esm
├── vitest.config.ts
├── .npmignore
├── .gitignore
├── CHANGELOG.md
└── LICENSE

Directory Structure (PyPI Package)

my-lib/
├── src/
│   └── my_lib/
│       ├── __init__.py          # Public API, __version__
│       ├── core.py
│       └── py.typed             # PEP 561 marker
├── tests/
│   ├── conftest.py
│   └── test_core.py
├── pyproject.toml               # Build system, metadata, tool config
├── .gitignore
├── CHANGELOG.md
└── LICENSE

Monorepo Template

Turborepo + pnpm Workspaces

my-monorepo/
├── apps/
│   ├── web/                     # Next.js frontend
│   │   ├── src/
│   │   ├── package.json         # depends on @repo/shared
│   │   └── tsconfig.json        # extends ../../tsconfig.base.json
│   └── api/                     # Fastify backend
│       ├── src/
│       ├── package.json
│       └── tsconfig.json
├── packages/
│   ├── shared/                  # Shared types, utils, validators
│   │   ├── src/
│   │   ├── package.json         # "name": "@repo/shared"
│   │   └── tsconfig.json
│   ├── ui/                      # Shared React components
│   │   ├── src/
│   │   └── package.json         # "name": "@repo/ui"
│   └── config/                  # Shared configs
│       ├── eslint/
│       ├── typescript/
│       └── package.json
├── turbo.json                   # Pipeline: build, test, lint
├── pnpm-workspace.yaml          # packages: ["apps/*", "packages/*"]
├── package.json                 # Root devDeps: turbo
├── tsconfig.base.json           # Shared TypeScript config
├── .gitignore
└── .npmrc

Cargo Workspaces (Rust)

my-workspace/
├── crates/
│   ├── my-core/                 # Core library
│   │   ├── src/lib.rs
│   │   └── Cargo.toml
│   ├── my-cli/                  # CLI binary
│   │   ├── src/main.rs
│   │   └── Cargo.toml           # depends on my-core
│   └── my-server/               # API binary
│       ├── src/main.rs
│       └── Cargo.toml
├── Cargo.toml                   # [workspace] members = ["crates/*"]
├── Cargo.lock
├── .gitignore
└── rust-toolchain.toml

Common Additions Checklist

Project setup complete? Add these:
│
├─ Version Control
│  ├─ [ ] .gitignore (language-specific)
│  ├─ [ ] .gitattributes (line endings, binary files)
│  └─ [ ] Branch protection rules
│
├─ CI/CD
│  ├─ [ ] GitHub Actions workflow (test on PR, deploy on merge)
│  ├─ [ ] Matrix testing (OS, runtime versions)
│  └─ [ ] Release automation
│
├─ Docker
│  ├─ [ ] Multi-stage Dockerfile
│  ├─ [ ] docker-compose.yml (app + database + cache)
│  ├─ [ ] .dockerignore
│  └─ [ ] Health check endpoint
│
├─ Code Quality
│  ├─ [ ] Linter (ESLint, Ruff, golangci-lint, Clippy)
│  ├─ [ ] Formatter (Prettier, Black/Ruff, gofmt, rustfmt)
│  ├─ [ ] Pre-commit hooks (Husky, pre-commit)
│  └─ [ ] Type checking (TypeScript strict, mypy, go vet)
│
├─ Testing
│  ├─ [ ] Test framework configured (Vitest, pytest, go test)
│  ├─ [ ] Coverage reporting
│  ├─ [ ] Test database setup
│  └─ [ ] CI test pipeline
│
├─ Editor
│  ├─ [ ] .editorconfig
│  ├─ [ ] .vscode/settings.json
│  └─ [ ] .vscode/extensions.json
│
└─ Documentation
   ├─ [ ] README.md (project description, setup, usage)
   ├─ [ ] CONTRIBUTING.md
   └─ [ ] API documentation (OpenAPI, godoc, rustdoc)

Configuration File Templates

.editorconfig (Universal)

root = true

[*]
indent_style = space
indent_size = 2
end_of_line = lf
charset = utf-8
trim_trailing_whitespace = true
insert_final_newline = true

[*.{py,rs}]
indent_size = 4

[*.go]
indent_style = tab

[*.md]
trim_trailing_whitespace = false

[Makefile]
indent_style = tab

pyproject.toml (Python)

[project]
name = "my-project"
version = "0.1.0"
requires-python = ">=3.12"

[tool.ruff]
target-version = "py312"
line-length = 88

[tool.ruff.lint]
select = ["E", "F", "I", "UP", "B", "SIM"]

[tool.pytest.ini_options]
testpaths = ["tests"]
asyncio_mode = "auto"

[tool.mypy]
strict = true

tsconfig.json (TypeScript - Strict)

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "target": "ES2022",
    "module": "NodeNext",
    "moduleResolution": "NodeNext",
    "strict": true,
    "esModuleInterop": true,
    "skipLibCheck": true,
    "forceConsistentCasingInFileNames": true,
    "resolveJsonModule": true,
    "declaration": true,
    "declarationMap": true,
    "sourceMap": true,
    "outDir": "./dist",
    "rootDir": "./src"
  },
  "include": ["src"],
  "exclude": ["node_modules", "dist"]
}

Common Gotchas

Gotcha	Why It Happens	Prevention
Wrong .gitignore for language	Used generic template, missing language-specific entries	Use gitignore.io or GitHub's templates for your stack
Forgot .env.example	Team members don't know which env vars are needed	Create .env.example with every var (empty values) at project start
No lockfile committed	Inconsistent dependency versions across environments	Commit package-lock.json, uv.lock, go.sum, Cargo.lock
Hardcoded port/host in code	Works locally, breaks in Docker/cloud	Always read from env var with sensible default
Tests coupled to real database	Tests fail without running DB, CI setup is complex	Use test containers or in-memory SQLite for unit tests
Missing health check endpoint	Deployment orchestrator cannot verify readiness	Add /health endpoint that checks DB connectivity
No multi-stage Docker build	Image is 2GB instead of 200MB	Use builder stage for deps/compile, slim runtime stage
Mixing tabs and spaces	.editorconfig missing, editor defaults vary	Add .editorconfig to every project root
No .dockerignore	Docker context sends node_modules/venv, build takes minutes	Mirror .gitignore entries plus .git directory
Monorepo without workspace protocol	Packages resolve from registry instead of local	Use workspace:* (pnpm) or path deps (Cargo, Go)
TypeScript paths not in tsconfig	Module aliases work in dev but fail at build time	Configure paths in tsconfig AND build tool (tsup, vite)

Reference Files

File	Contents	Lines
references/api-templates.md	Complete API scaffolds: FastAPI, Express/Fastify, Gin, Axum with full file content	~700
references/frontend-templates.md	Web app scaffolds: Next.js, Nuxt 3, Astro, SvelteKit, Vite+React with config	~650
references/tooling-templates.md	CI/CD, Docker, linting, testing, pre-commit, editor config, git templates	~550

See Also

Skill	When to Combine
docker-ops	Container configuration, multi-stage builds, compose orchestration
ci-cd-ops	GitHub Actions workflows, deployment pipelines, release automation
testing-ops	Test framework setup, coverage configuration, CI test integration
python-env	Python virtual environments, dependency management with uv
typescript-ops	TypeScript configuration, strict mode, module resolution