Better-T-Stack: The TypeScript CLI That Actually Gets Modern App

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Better T-Stack

A faster, smarter way to start full-stack apps in 2025

If you’ve ever bootstrapped a Next.js app from scratch, you know the pain.

  • Setting up TypeScript?
  • Configuring Prisma, Tailwind, shadcn/ui, and Auth?
  • Creating your trpc backend structure manually?
  • Debating folder architecture again?

That setup phase eats hours — even days — before you can ship a single feature. That’s where the Better T Stack CLI changes the game.

Most CLI tools give you a basic setup and leave you to figure out the rest. But here's the thing - modern web development isn't basic anymore. You need type safety from your database to your frontend. You need authentication that doesn't make you want to cry. You need a setup that actually works in production.

What Actually Makes This Different

Look, I'm not going to tell you this is revolutionary. It's just a CLI tool that does what other CLI tools should have been doing all along.

It gives you real choices. Want Hono for your backend? Done. Prefer Express? Also done. Need Drizzle with PostgreSQL? You've got it, now do you want to use Prisma and SQLite too? No problem.

Everything is type-safe by default. Your API calls, your database queries, your forms - they all know about each other. Make a change to your database schema and your frontend immediately knows what broke.

The stack actually works together. I spent months making sure TanStack Router plays nice with tRPC, that Better Auth integrates smoothly with Drizzle, and that your API routes don't fight with your frontend routing.

Here's What You Get in 30 Seconds

bash
npx create-better-t-stack@latest

That's it. One command and you have:

  • Frontend: React with TanStack Router or Next.js
  • Backend: Hono, Express, or Fastify with full type safety
  • Database: Drizzle ORM with PostgreSQL, MySQL, or SQLite
  • API: tRPC for end-to-end type safety
  • Auth: Better Auth with multiple providers
  • Styling: Tailwind CSS with component libraries
  • Testing: Vitest ready to go
  • Deployment: Configured for Vercel, Railway, or Docker

better t-stack dev features

But here's the key part - it's not just installed, it's configured. The database talks to the API. The API talks to the frontend. Authentication works across everything. You can start building features immediately.

What I Love Most

I’ve used boilerplates before, but Better T Stack feels different:

  • It guides you with smart defaults — but doesn’t lock you in.
  • Every config is already dialed in — TypeScript, tailwind's config, next.config.js, and ESLint.
  • Better-auth is pre-integrated with credentials and social providers.
  • It’s not just “working” — it’s ready for real features.

Whether you’re building a SaaS app, dashboard, or dev tool — this gives you the foundation to launch fast without sacrificing quality.

Better T-Stack includes a real example:

  • A todo app - because sometimes you need to see the basics working

This example show you patterns you'll actually use. How to handle forms, manage state, structure your API, handle errors, and deploy to production.

Getting Started Without the Overwhelm

The interactive setup walks you through each choice and explains why you might want each option. No assumption that you already know the difference between every database or deployment platform.

Want to see what it looks like?

Final Thoughts

If you're tired of wasting time setting up the same stack over and over — use this once, and you'll never want to start from scratch again.

Try It

bash
npx create-better-t-stack@latest
bun create better-t-stack@latest
pnpm create better-t-stack@latest

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Better T-Stack is open source and free. If it saves you time, consider starring it on GitHub or sharing it with someone who's tired of project setup taking longer than building features.

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