Initialize Blockend

The init command bootstraps Blockend by analyzing your project and generating a blockend.json configuration file tailored to your application's structure.

Run the following command from the root of your project:

npx blockend init

The initialization process is interactive and only needs to be completed once.

What init Does

During initialization, Blockend automatically:

• Detects your backend framework
• Detects whether your project uses TypeScript or JavaScript
• Discovers your import aliases from tsconfig.json or jsconfig.json
• Detects Redis support
• Configures where generated blocks will be placed
• Creates a blockend.json configuration file

This eliminates manual configuration and ensures generated blocks follow your project's conventions.

Interactive Setup

Framework Detection

Blockend scans your project and attempts to detect the framework automatically.

Supported frameworks include:

• Express.js
• Fastify
• Next.js (App Router)
• Hono

If detection is correct, simply press Enter. Otherwise, choose the appropriate framework.

Blocks Import Alias

Next, Blockend asks where generated blocks should be imported from.

Example:

@/blocks

or

~/blocks

The alias is resolved automatically to the correct physical directory using your project's path mappings.

Redis Support

If Redis is detected, Blockend will ask whether Redis-enabled block variants should be generated.

Redis detected.
Enable Redis-backed block variants automatically?

Choosing Yes enables Redis integrations for supported blocks.

Generated Configuration

After setup, Blockend creates a blockend.json file in your project's root.

Example:

{
  "$schema": "https://blockend.dev/schema.json",
  "environment": "express",
  "language": "typescript",
  "includeRedis": true,
  "aliases": {
    "blocks": "@/blocks"
  },
  "paths": {
    "blocks": "./src/blocks"
  }
}

Configuration Fields

$schema

Specifies the JSON schema used by editors for validation and autocomplete.

environment

The backend framework Blockend should target.

Supported values:

• express
• fastify
• next
• hono

language

The language used by your project.

Supported values:

• typescript
• javascript

includeRedis

Controls whether Redis-enabled block templates should be generated.

aliases.blocks

The import alias used when generating blocks.

Example:

@/blocks

paths.blocks

The filesystem location where Blockend will generate new blocks.

Example:

./src/blocks

Existing Configuration

If a blockend.json file already exists, Blockend will ask how you want to proceed.

Available options:

Example

$ npx blockend init

✔ Project structure detected
✔ Detected Express environment
✔ Import strategy mapped

? Confirm framework environment
❯ Express.js

? Configure blocks import alias
❯ @/blocks

? Redis detected.
Enable Redis-backed block variants automatically?
❯ Yes

✔ blockend.json ready

Blockend initialized successfully.
Run: npx blockend add <block>

Next Steps

Once initialization is complete, you can start generating backend blocks.

npx blockend add <block>

For example:

npx blockend add auth

npx blockend add pagination

npx blockend add upload

Related Commands