create-mn-app

Scaffold Midnight Network applications.

Installation

Recommended (no install needed):

npx create-mn-app my-app
cd my-app
npm run setup

Or install globally:

npm i -g create-mn-app
create-mn-app my-app

Using npx is recommended - it always runs the latest version without needing updates.

Why create-mn-app?

• Zero Configuration: Start building immediately without complex setup
• Best Practices: Pre-configured TypeScript, hot reloading, and project structure
• Production Ready: Includes wallet generation, environment management, and deployment scripts
• Developer Experience: Interactive prompts, health checks, and helpful error messages
• Stay Updated: Built-in update notifier keeps you on the latest version

Features

• Interactive project setup with template selection
• Auto-detects package manager (npm/yarn/pnpm/bun)
• Smart dependency management:
  • Checks Node.js, Docker, and Compact compiler versions
  • Automatic Compact compiler updates when version mismatch detected
  • Prompts user before updating with clear explanations
• TypeScript with hot reloading
• Pre-configured Compact contracts
• Secure wallet generation
• Environment health checks

Quick Start

Interactive Mode

npx create-mn-app

CLI Mode

npx create-mn-app my-app --template hello-world
cd my-app
npm run setup

Templates

Hello World (Default)

Basic message storage contract demonstrating state management and deployment.

npx create-mn-app my-app

Counter DApp

Real-world example with increment/decrement state and zkProofs.

npx create-mn-app my-app --template counter

Cloned from Midnight Network's example-counter. Requires Node.js 22+, Docker, and Compact compiler.

After creation:

cd my-app
npm install
# Follow setup instructions displayed

Coming Soon

• Bulletin Board - Multi-user interactions with privacy patterns
• DEX - Decentralized exchange using FungibleToken
• Midnight Kitties - NFT-based full stack DApp

Requirements

• Node.js 22+ - Required for all templates
• Docker - Required for running the proof server
• npm/yarn/pnpm/bun - Package manager (auto-detected)
• Compact Compiler 0.23.0+ - Required for Counter template
  • Auto-update available: If you have an older version, the CLI will offer to update it automatically
  • Version compatibility checked before project creation
  • Manual installation: See Compact releases

CLI Options

npx create-mn-app [project-name] [options]

Options:
  -t, --template <name>     Template: hello-world, counter
  --use-npm                 Use npm
  --use-yarn                Use Yarn
  --use-pnpm                Use pnpm
  --use-bun                 Use bun
  --skip-install            Skip dependency installation
  --skip-git                Skip git initialization
  --verbose                 Show detailed output
  -h, --help                Help
  -V, --version             Version

Project Structure

create-mn-app/
├── bin/
│   └── create-midnight-app.js    # CLI entry point
├── src/
│   ├── cli.ts                     # Main CLI logic
│   ├── create-app.ts              # Project scaffolding
│   ├── installers/                # Package & proof server setup
│   └── utils/                     # Helpers & templates
├── templates/
│   └── hello-world/               # Bundled template
├── package.json
└── tsconfig.json

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

Links

• Midnight Docs
• Discord Community
• GitHub

License

Apache-2.0 © 2025 Midnight Foundation

See LICENSE for more information.