MossKit

MossKit is an opinionated Bun-first starter generator for full-stack apps built with Vite + React, Hono, Drizzle, and a shared TypeScript package.

Created by Joel Thompson.

bunx @joelthompson/create-mosskit my-app

Who It's For

MossKit is for solo builders and small teams who want a batteries-included full-stack monorepo without committing to a deployment platform up front.

It is a good fit if you want shared contracts, sensible defaults, and a starter you can actually shape into your own app instead of working around a hosted framework's assumptions.

Why MossKit

MossKit is for teams that want a clean monorepo with the frontend, backend, and shared contracts wired up from the start.

• Shared TypeScript + Zod contracts between frontend and backend
• Bun workspaces and Bun-first local tooling
• Vite + React with TanStack Router and TanStack Query
• Hono backend with Drizzle and PostgreSQL
• Optional Clerk auth and shadcn/ui
• No deployment platform required, with optional Railway example assets included in generated apps

What You Get

Always included:

• Bun workspaces monorepo
• frontend, backend, and shared packages
• Vitest, Oxlint, and Prettier
• Zod validation and shared types
• Docker Compose for local Postgres
• Seeded example tests in all workspaces

Optional features:

• auth: Clerk integration for frontend and backend
• shadcn: shadcn/ui setup with a small starter component set

Quickstart

1. Create a new app:

bunx @joelthompson/create-mosskit my-app

2. Enter the project:

cd my-app

3. Start the local database:

bun run db:start

4. Run the app:

bun run dev

The frontend runs on http://localhost:5173. The backend runs on http://localhost:3000.

Manage an Existing App

Generated apps include a root mosskit.json manifest. MossKit uses that file for project info and feature management.

bunx @joelthompson/create-mosskit info
bunx @joelthompson/create-mosskit features
bunx @joelthompson/create-mosskit add auth
bunx @joelthompson/create-mosskit add shadcn

Generated Project Shape

my-app/
├── frontend/   # Vite + React app
├── backend/    # Hono + Drizzle API
├── shared/     # shared types, schemas, and utilities
└── mosskit.json

Opinionated Defaults

MossKit chooses the local architecture and tooling for you:

• Bun as the runtime and workspace manager
• Vite + React on the frontend
• Hono on the backend
• Drizzle + PostgreSQL for the database layer
• shared contracts in a dedicated shared package

MossKit leaves these choices to you:

• deployment platform, even if you start from the optional Railway examples
• production hosting topology
• whether to include auth
• whether to include shadcn/ui

Status

MossKit is early-stage, but the generator is already scaffoldable and verified against fresh generated apps with install, dev, typecheck, test, and build checks.

For Maintainers

The generator package lives in packages/create-mosskit.

Generated app dependency versions are maintained from a single source:

• packages/create-mosskit/src/dependency-versions.js

Update workflow:

1. Change versions in packages/create-mosskit/src/dependency-versions.js
2. Sync template manifests:

node ./scripts/sync-template-package-versions.mjs

3. Refresh the packaged template copy:

node ./scripts/sync-templates.mjs

4. Run framework smoke tests:

node --test tests/*.test.mjs

5. Run full generated-app verification:

node ./scripts/verify-generated-apps.mjs

Verification layers:

• node --test tests/*.test.mjs: generator shape, overlays, manifests, and expected files
• node ./scripts/verify-generated-apps.mjs: fresh scaffold install, dev, typecheck, test, and build verification