Installation

Prerequisites

Before using Better-T-Stack, ensure you have the following installed:

Node.js (Required)

Better-T-Stack requires Node.js v20 or higher.Installation:

Download from nodejs.org
Or use a version manager like nvm or fnm

Verify installation:

node --version
# Should output v20.0.0 or higher

Node.js 20+ is required because Better-T-Stack uses modern JavaScript features and ESM modules.

Git (Recommended)

Git is recommended for version control and automatic repository initialization.Installation:

Download from git-scm.com

Or use your system package manager:

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install git

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install git

# Windows (Chocolatey)
choco install git

Verify installation:

git --version
# Should output git version 2.x.x

If you skip Git installation, you can still use Better-T-Stack with the --no-git flag.

Bun (Optional)

Bun is a fast all-in-one JavaScript runtime and package manager. It’s optional but recommended for the best performance.Installation:

# macOS/Linux
curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash

# Windows
powershell -c "irm bun.sh/install.ps1 | iex"

Or visit bun.sh for more installation methods.Verify installation:

bun --version
# Should output 1.x.x

Bun is significantly faster than npm for package installation and can also be used as the runtime for your backend.

Better-T-Stack doesn’t require global installation. You run it directly using your package manager:

npx create-better-t-stack@latest

The CLI will always use the latest version when you run @latest. No need to install or update globally.

Version Check

To check which version of Better-T-Stack you’re using:

npx create-better-t-stack@latest --version

Current version: 3.22.0

Verification

Verify your installation by running the help command:

Run the help command

npx create-better-t-stack@latest --help

You should see the CLI usage information with all available options.

Check the version

npx create-better-t-stack@latest --version

Verify you’re running the latest version (3.22.0 or higher).

Test with a dry run

Create a test project to verify everything works:

npx create-better-t-stack@latest test-project --yes

This will create a project with default settings. You can delete the test-project folder afterwards.

Troubleshooting

Error: Node.js version is too old

Problem: Better-T-Stack requires Node.js v20 or higher.Solution:

Update Node.js to the latest LTS version:

# Using nvm
nvm install --lts
nvm use --lts

# Using fnm
fnm install --lts
fnm use lts-latest

Or download from nodejs.org
Verify the version:
```
node --version
```

Error: Command not found

Problem: npx or pnpm command is not recognized.Solution:

For npx: Update npm to the latest version:
```
npm install -g npm@latest
```
For pnpm: Install pnpm globally:
```
npm install -g pnpm
```
For bun: Follow the installation instructions at bun.sh

Error: Network timeout or connection issues

Problem: Package download fails due to network issues.Solution:

Check your internet connection

If behind a proxy, configure npm/pnpm/bun:

# npm
npm config set proxy http://proxy.example.com:8080
npm config set https-proxy http://proxy.example.com:8080

# pnpm
pnpm config set proxy http://proxy.example.com:8080
pnpm config set https-proxy http://proxy.example.com:8080

Try using a different registry:

# npm
npm config set registry https://registry.npmjs.org/

Error: Permission denied

Problem: Insufficient permissions to create files or install packages.Solution:

On Linux/macOS, avoid using sudo with npm. Instead, configure npm to use a different directory:

mkdir ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'
echo 'export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

On Windows, run your terminal as Administrator (not recommended) or install Node.js in a user directory.

Slow package installation

Problem: Package installation is taking too long.Solution:

Use Bun for significantly faster installation:
```
bun create better-t-stack@latest my-app
```

Or use pnpm, which is faster than npm:

pnpm create better-t-stack@latest my-app

If using npm, clear the cache:
```
npm cache clean --force
```

TypeScript errors in generated project

Problem: TypeScript shows errors after project creation.Solution:

Make sure dependencies are installed:

cd my-app
npm install  # or pnpm install, or bun install

Restart your IDE/editor to reload TypeScript
Check that you’re using a compatible TypeScript version (5.x+):
```
npx tsc --version
```

Environment-Specific Notes

macOS
Linux
Windows

Additional tools:

Install Xcode Command Line Tools (required for native dependencies):
```
xcode-select --install
```

Use Homebrew for easy package management:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
brew install node git

Additional tools:

Install build essentials (required for native dependencies):

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential

# Fedora/RHEL
sudo dnf groupinstall "Development Tools"

Use your package manager to install Node.js:

# Ubuntu/Debian (via NodeSource)
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install -y nodejs

Additional tools:

Install Node.js from the official installer (includes npm)
Consider using Windows Terminal for a better CLI experience
Consider using WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux) for better compatibility:
```
wsl --install
```
If not using WSL, install Visual Studio Build Tools (required for native dependencies):
- Download from visualstudio.microsoft.com
- Select “Desktop development with C++“

Next Steps

Now that Better-T-Stack is installed, you’re ready to create your first project!

Quickstart Guide

Create your first Better-T-Stack project in under 2 minutes

Getting Started

CLI Reference

Configuration

Guides

Stack Options

Installation

Prerequisites

Installation

Version Check

Verification

Troubleshooting

Environment-Specific Notes

Next Steps

Quickstart Guide

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Getting Started

CLI Reference

Configuration

Guides

Stack Options

Documentation Index

​Prerequisites

​Installation

​Version Check

​Verification

​Troubleshooting

​Environment-Specific Notes

​Next Steps

Quickstart Guide

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Prerequisites

Installation

Version Check

Verification

Troubleshooting

Environment-Specific Notes

Next Steps