Developer Tools
React/Next Folder Generator with JS/TS: Simplify Your Project Setup with react-cli-builder
Use scaffolding to encode a clear project convention, while keeping framework rules and generated code under review.
The first hour of a project often disappears into familiar decisions: where components belong, which files to create, and how to name the first feature. A folder generator can remove that repetition. It is most useful when the team already understands the convention being generated.
A tool such as react-cli-builder belongs in this conversation because scaffolding is a form of executable documentation. The output tells a new contributor how the project expects work to be organized. That makes the quality of the template as important as the convenience of the command.
Inspect the tool before adopting its structure
The published react-cli-builder package describes generators for common React and Next.js folders, with JavaScript and TypeScript support. Its package metadata and README are the place to check the currently documented commands. Review the installed version rather than assuming an older tutorial matches the package you are about to use.
Try any generator in a disposable directory first. Compare the generated files with the framework's own project conventions, inspect dependency changes, and check whether existing files would be replaced. Pin a reviewed version in a team workflow so a new release does not silently change every developer's starting point. A scaffolding command should produce a small, reviewable diff.
Distinguish framework conventions from team preferences
Some folders have framework-defined meaning; others are ordinary organizational choices. In the Next.js App Router, route segments and special files such as page and layout affect application behavior. A generic pages folder is not interchangeable with an app route tree. Choose the routing model first, then generate files that fit it.
Names such as features, services, or components are team conventions unless a specific tool assigns them meaning. Document why each directory exists. A useful rule might be that feature-specific UI stays with its feature while genuinely shared primitives live in components. That is easier to apply than a large tree full of empty directories created for hypothetical future needs.
Build small templates with safe defaults
A good template exposes decisions rather than hiding them. Include the smallest working component, explicit exports, and the project's normal styling approach. Avoid generating global state, authentication, and an API abstraction for every new feature unless the feature actually needs them. Boilerplate is still code that someone must maintain.
If a team builds a small internal generator, refusing to overwrite files is a useful default. Node's filesystem APIs support recursive directory creation and exclusive file creation with the wx flag. The following example illustrates that behavior for a fixed, trusted location; accepting arbitrary user paths would require additional path validation and a clearly defined output root.
import { mkdir, writeFile } from 'node:fs/promises';
await mkdir('src/features/catalog', { recursive: true });
await writeFile(
'src/features/catalog/index.ts',
'export {};\n',
{ flag: 'wx' }
);Judge the result by the next change
After generating the structure, implement one realistic feature. Add a loading state, a failed request, and a small behavior test. Notice whether the convention helps a contributor find the relevant files without opening unrelated directories. If it does not, simplify the template before it becomes the default for many projects.
Maintain the generator alongside the application conventions it encodes. A framework upgrade can change routing, configuration, or server and client boundaries. Review templates during that upgrade rather than waiting for the next project to discover the mismatch. Scaffolding succeeds when it makes a sound decision repeatable while leaving the resulting code ordinary, understandable, and easy to change.