# Rapid App & Library Development
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> [!NOTE]
> Stacks is in active development and usable today — every section below
> is real, runnable functionality. Expect occasional breaking changes
> while we cut the official 1.0. Feedback and issue reports are welcome.
Stacks is a rapid development framework, where the goal is to _help you_ create & maintain frontends, backends, and clouds—without having to worry about the boilerplate. _An all-in-one toolkit that meets all your full stack needs._
- Web & Desktop Applications _(including system tray apps)_
- Serverless & Traditional APIs
- Cloud Infrastructure Creation & Maintenance
- Interactive CLIs
- Framework-agnostic Component & Function Libraries
- Deployment & Release Manager _(CI & CD)_
## Convention Over Configuration
As a developer, Stacks helps you every step along the way—in beginner & expert-friendly ways, allowing you to focus on the _what & why_ of your project, all while enabling you to stay in control & ownership of your _(& your users’)_ data.
> “It is the framework’s responsibility to remove patterns that lead to boilerplate code. And Stacks is really good at that.” _- Chris_
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## Prerequisites
Stacks runs on [Bun](https://bun.sh). You'll need:
- **Bun ≥ 1.3.11** — install with `curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash`, or upgrade an existing install with `bun upgrade`.
- **macOS, Linux, or WSL** — Windows-native is on the roadmap; today the toolchain assumes a POSIX shell.
- **Node.js is NOT required.** Bun handles the JS/TS runtime, package management, and bundling.
That's it for the framework itself. Individual features (Postgres, Redis, AWS deploys, etc.) bring their own prereqs — each is called out where it matters in the docs.
## Get Started
The fastest path, assuming Bun is installed:
```bash
bunx buddy new my-project
```
A one-line installer (`curl -Ssf stacksjs.com/install | sh`) is also planned and will appear here once it lands; for now the `bunx` form above is the supported install path.
## Usage
Stacks ships with `buddy`, a single CLI for everything you'll do day to day. The handful below covers the common workflows; the full reference is collapsed underneath.
```bash
buddy dev # start the dev server (frontend, API, dashboard, …)
buddy build # build for production (CLI prompts for what to build)
buddy test # run tests
buddy migrate # run database migrations
buddy make:action UpdateUser # scaffold a new Action (also: model, view, job, …)
buddy --help # show every available command
```
For the full command reference, see the collapsible section below or the [Buddy CLI documentation](https://stacksjs.org/docs/cli).
<details>
<summary>View the complete Buddy Toolkit</summary>
```bash
buddy --version # get the Stacks version
buddy --help # view help menu
# please note: you may suffix any command with the
# `command --help` flag to review the help menu
buddy install # installs dependencies
buddy add # adds a stack or dependency
buddy fresh # fresh reinstall of all deps
buddy clean # removes all deps
buddy setup # sets up the project initially
buddy setup:oh-my-zsh # optional: sets up Oh My Zsh with auto-completions & "aliases"
buddy upgrade # upgrades all dependencies
buddy upgrade -i # prompts you to select which updates to apply (wip)
buddy upgrade:dependencies # auto-upgrades package.json deps
buddy upgrade:framework # auto-upgrades deps & the Stacks framework
buddy upgrade:search-engine # auto-upgrades configured search engine
buddy upgrade:shell # upgrades the shell integration
buddy upgrade:binary # upgrades the `stacks` binary
buddy upgrade:bun # upgrades to latest project-defined Bun version
buddy upgrade:all # auto-upgrades all of the above
# if you need any more info on any command listed here, you may suffix
# any of them via the "help option", i.e. `buddy ... --help`
buddy dev # starts the frontend dev server
buddy dev -i # prompts any of the dev servers (components, functions, views, docs, or api)
buddy dev:api # starts the API dev server
buddy dev:dashboard # starts the Admin/Dashboard dev server
buddy dev:desktop # starts the Desktop dev server
buddy dev:views # starts frontend dev server
buddy dev:components # starts component dev server
buddy dev:functions # stubs functions
buddy dev:docs # starts local docs dev server
buddy dev docs # also starts the local docs dev server (colon is optional for all commands)
buddy development # `buddy dev` alias
buddy share # creates a sharable link to your local project
# for Laravel folks, `serve` may ring more familiar than the `dev` name. Hence, we aliased it
buddy serve
buddy serve:components
buddy serve:desktop
buddy serve:views
buddy serve:functions
buddy serve:docs
# building for production (e.g. AWS, Google Cloud, npm, Vercel, Netlify, et al.)
buddy build # select a specific build (follow CLI prompts)
buddy build:views # builds SSG views
buddy build:desktop # builds Desktop application
buddy build:library # builds any or all libraries
buddy build:functions # builds function library
buddy build:components # builds Vue component library & Web Component library
buddy build:web-components # builds framework agnostic Web Component library (i.e. Custom Elements)
buddy build:all # builds all your code
# `buddy build` aliases
buddy prod
buddy prod:components
buddy prod:desktop
buddy prod:library
buddy prod:views
buddy prod:functions
buddy prod:web-components
buddy prod:all
buddy production # `buddy prod` alias
# sets your application key
buddy key:generate
buddy make:component HelloWorld # bootstraps a HelloWorld component
buddy make:function hello-world # bootstraps a hello-world function
buddy make:view hello-world # bootstraps a hello-word page
buddy make:model Car # bootstraps a Car model
buddy make:database cars # creates a cars database
buddy make:migration create_cars_table # creates a cars migration file
buddy make:factory cars # creates a Car factory file
buddy make:table cars # bootstraps a cars data table
buddy make:notification welcome-email # bootstraps a welcome-email notification
buddy make:lang de # bootstraps a lang/de.yml language file
buddy make:stack my-project # shares logic with `bunx --bun stacks new my-project`
buddy migrate # runs database migrations
buddy migrate:dns # sets the ./config/dns.ts file
buddy dns example.com # list all DNS records for example.com
buddy dns example.com --type MX # list MX records for example.com
buddy https example.com/api/hello
# http [flags] [METHOD] URL [ITEM [ITEM]]
buddy http --help
buddy http PUT example.com/api/put X-API-Token:123 name=John # Custom HTTP method, HTTP headers and JSON data
buddy http -v example.com/api/get # See the request that is being sent using one of the output options
buddy http POST example.com/api/post hello=World # submitting forms
buddy http -a USERNAME POST https://api.github.com/repos/user/repo/issues/83/comments body='Great feature! :heart:'
buddy http localhost:8000 Host:example.com
buddy lint # runs linter
buddy lint:fix # runs linter and fixes issues
buddy commit # follow CLI prompts for committing staged changes
buddy release # creates the releases for the stack & triggers the Release Action (workflow)
buddy changelog # generates CHANGELOG.md
# when deploying your app/s to a remote server or cloud provider
buddy deploy # select a specific deployment (follow CLI prompts)
# buddy deploy:docs # deploys docs to AWS (or other configured provider)
# buddy deploy:functions # deploys functions to AWS (or other configured provider)
# buddy deploy:views # deploys views to AWS (or other configured provider)
# buddy deploy:all # deploys all your code
buddy undeploy # be careful: "undeploys" removes/deletes your deployed resources
buddy cloud:remove # removes cloud setup
buddy cloud:cleanup # removes cloud setup & cleans up all potentially leftover resources
buddy cloud:add --jump-box # adds a jump box to your cloud setup
# select the example to run (follow CLI prompts)
buddy example # prompts you to select which example to run
buddy example:vue # runs the Vue example
buddy example:web-components # runs the Web Component example
# you likely won’t need to run these commands as they are auto-triggered, but they are available
buddy generate # prompts you to select which generator to run
buddy generate:types # generates types for your components, functions, & views
buddy generate:entries # generates entry files for components, functions, & views
buddy generate:web-types # generates Web Component types
buddy generate:vscode-custom-data # generates VSCode custom data
buddy generate:ide-helpers # generates IDE helpers
buddy generate:component-meta # generates component meta
buddy generate:all # runs all generators
# generates your application key
buddy key:generate # generates your application key
# manage your environment variables
buddy env:get # get an environment variable
buddy env:set # set an environment variable
buddy env:encrypt # encrypt an environment variable
buddy env:decrypt # decrypt an environment variable
buddy env:keypair # generate a keypair
buddy env:rotate # rotate a keypair
# generate your TypeScript declarations
buddy types:generate # generates types for your components, functions, & views
buddy types:fix # auto-fixes types for your components, functions, & views
buddy domains # alias for `buddy domains:list`
buddy domains:add stacksjs.com # adds a domain
buddy domains:remove stacksjs.com # removes a domain
buddy domains:list # lists all domains
buddy domains:update # apply ./config/dns.ts updates
buddy domains:purchase stacksjs.com # purchase a new domain
# test your stack
buddy test # runs test suite (unit & e2e)
buddy test:coverage # runs test coverage
buddy test:types # runs typecheck
# the CLI may be triggered in any
# of the following syntax
stx fresh
buddy fresh
bud fresh
```
</details>
Read more about the Buddy CLI in the [official docs](https://stacksjs.org/docs/cli) — every command, every flag, every prompt explained.
## Features
The Stacks framework is a harmony of several “engines” to build any web and/or desktop application, in highly scalable & privacy-friendly ways. It consists of the following engines:
### Frontend Development
_Develop dynamic UIs with helpers for atomic design, and much more._
- 🧩 **Components** _primitive to develop user interfaces_
- 🤖 **Functions** _primitive to develop business logic (and grant your UI superpowers)_
- 🎨 **UI Kit** _modern & deeply-integrated components_
- 🌐 **Web** _“a routing & templating engine that makes sense”_
- 🖥️ **Desktop** _transforms your web app into a desktop app, plus more_
- 📝 **Documentation** _markdown-based documentation, auto-generated_
- 📚 **Library** _auto-builds & manages component & function libraries_
- ⚡️ Powered by Bun, Craft, Headwind
### Backend Development
_Develop serverless (or server) functions with countless helpers to build scalable & fast APIs._
- 🪄 **AI** _deep AI integrations to simplify building agentic workflow_
- 🤖 **APIs** _scalability & maintainability built-in_
- 🏎️ **Cache** _unified caching for DynamoDB, Redis and more_
- ⚙️ **CLIs** _create beautiful CLIs for Linux, Windows, and Mac (dependency-free binaries)_
- 🛍️ **Commerce** _own & grow your own online business with ease (SaaS-optimized)_
- 📀 **Database** _DynamoDB, SQLite, MySQL, Postgres, and more_
- 👾 **Errors** _native type-safe error handling_
- 🗓️ **Events** _functional event (front & backend) communication_
- 📢 **Notifications** _emails, SMSs, direct, and push notifications & webhooks_
- 🗺️ **ORM** _automated schemas for scale & a pretty API_
- 💳 **Payments** _unified API for one-off & subscription billing methods for Stripe_
- ⚙️ **Queues** _run any heavy workload in the background_
- 🛠️ **Query Builder** _powerful, type-safe SQL query builder_
- 💬 **Realtime** _“everything you need to build dynamic real-time apps”_
- 🧭 **Router** _smart routing, file-based or Laravel-like_
- 🔎 **Search Engine** _smart searching, advanced filtering & sorting, pagination, headless UI_
- 💾 **Storage** _a secure-by-default File API that feels right_
- 🧪 **Tinker** _a powerful TypeScript REPL_
- 🌪️ **Validation** _e2e type-safety (true frontend & backend harmony)_
- 🎯 **X-Ray** _all you need to debug, log & analyze_
### Cloud Development
_Develop & maintain cloud infrastructure with ease. “Imagine Vercel, Vapor and Forge having been unified.”_
- ☁️ **Server** _local development server & production-ready servers out-of-the-box_
- ⛅️ **Serverless** _on-demand, auto-scaling, zero maintenance_
- ⏰ **Alarms** _built-in cloud infrastructure monitoring to avoid surprises_
- 🚏 **CDN** _zero-config, low-latency, request life-cycle hooks, optimized request compressions (Brotli & gzip)_
- 🔀 **Domain** _version-controlled & zero-config domain management (e.g. DNS management)_
- 🤖 **AI** _fine-tune a foundational model using your application data_
- 📧 **Email** _secure & zero-setup <easy-peasy@custom-domains.com> mailboxes_
- 🔐 **Firewall** _native web application firewall support_
- 📦 **Storage** _unlimited cloud storage & automatic backups_
- 🚜 **Maintenance** _maintain your cloud infrastructure with ease using Buddy & Stacks_
- 🚦 **Infrastructure as Code** _version-controlled cloud infrastructure (AWS, Google next?)_
### CI/CD
_Focus on coding, not publishing._
- 🚀 **Deployment Manager** _takes the sweat out of production deployments—zero-setup push-to-deploy_
- 0️⃣ **Zero Downtime** _deploy with confidence using a zero-downtime deployment strategy_
- 📫 **Release Manager** _libraries (component & function) auto-published to npm, git helpers, and more_
### Developer Experience (DX)
Convention over configuration, while staying wholly configurable. _No more boilerplate._
- 💎 **Automated Upgrades** _no need to worry about upgrading to the latest versions, Stacks upgrades you_
- 🦋 **Pretty Dev URLs** _your-project.localhost instead of localhost:3000_
- 💡 **IDE Integration** _auto-completions, inline docs & a powerful IDE setup_
- 🪄 **Zero-Config** _yet highly configurable—convention over configuration_
- 💅 **Linter & Formatter** _auto-configured & built into your IDE_
- 💪🏼 **Type Strong** _built-in e2e type-safety_
- ✨ **Git Workflows** _committing with ease_
- 🚗 **Auto Imports** _your components & functions, including date, string, array, & object helpers_
- ⏩ **Code Snippets** _goodbye to the boilerplate code—thank you Sarah Drasner_
- 🔤 **Spell Checker** _be notified once there are typos_
- 🛠️ **Essential Utilities** _powers at your fingertips. Collections, VueUse, and more_
- 👥 **Team Management** _manage your team & their permissions_
- 🧪 **Streamlined Testing** _unit & e2e tests powered by Bun, Vitest & Playwright_
No matter whether you are a beginner or an expert, the approachable Stacks design allows you to learn at your own pace, using our thorough documentation covering every aspect of the framework. Stacks is extremely beginner & expert-friendly.
Develop beautiful, reactive, composable UIs without learning a new set of languages. HTML, CSS, and minimal JavaScript—that’s all you need to dive in now! _Or TypeScript ✌🏼_
> _An actual rapid application development framework for all Full Stack needs. Next-level simplicity & DX._
## Testing
```bash
./buddy test
```
## Changelog
Please see our [releases](https://github.com/stacksjs/stacks/releases) page for more information on what has changed recently.
## Contributing
Please see the [Contributing Guide](https://github.com/stacksjs/contributing) for details.
## Community
For help, discussion about best practices, or any other conversation that would benefit from being searchable:
[Discussions on GitHub](https://github.com/stacksjs/stacks/discussions)
For casual chit-chat with others using this package:
[Join the Stacks Discord Server](https://stacksjs.com/discord)
## Postcardware
“Software that is free, but hopes for a postcard.” We love receiving postcards from around the world showing where Stacks is being used! We showcase them on our website too.
Our address: Stacks.js, 12665 Village Ln #2306, Playa Vista, CA 90094, United States 🌎
## Sponsors
We would like to extend our thanks to the following sponsors for funding Stacks development. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please reach out to us.
- [JetBrains](https://www.jetbrains.com/)
- [The Solana Foundation](https://solana.com/)
## Credits
- [Laravel](https://laravel.com) _many thanks to their community_
- [Chris Breuer](https://github.com/chrisbbreuer)
- [All Contributors](../../contributors)
And a special thanks to [Dan Scanlon](https://twitter.com/danscan) for donating the `stacks` name on npm ✨
## License
The MIT License (MIT). Please see [LICENSE](LICENSE.md) for more information.
Made with 💙
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