gogen

A fast and simple CLI tool for generating Go project boilerplates.

Installation

Quick Install

# Build from source
git clone https://github.com/luigimorel/gogen.git
cd gogen
make build

Using Go Install

go install github.com/luigimorel/gogen@latest

Using the CLI (Self-Install)

After building or downloading the binary, gogen can install itself to your system PATH:

# Auto-detect best installation method for your system
./gogen install

# Force reinstallation if already installed
./gogen install --force

The install command supports:

• Linux/macOS: Installs to ~/.local/bin with PATH configuration help
• Windows: Installs to %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\gogen with PATH setup instructions
• Auto-detection: Automatically chooses the best method for your system

Usage

Global Commands and Flags

gogen --help                # Show all available commands
gogen -h                    # Short form of help
gogen --version             # Show version information
gogen -v                    # Short form of version

Global Flags (Available for all commands)

Flag	Short	Description	Default
--help	-h	Show help for the command	false
--version	-v	Show version information	false
--verbose		Enable verbose output	false

Create a New Project

The new command creates a new Go project with proper structure and initialization.

Basic Usage

Generate an API server (default):

gogen new --name my-project

Generate a CLI application:

gogen new --name my-cli --template cli

Generate a web server:

gogen new --name my-web-app --template web

Advanced Usage

Create a web project with React frontend:

gogen new --name my-fullstack --template web --frontend react

Create a web project with Vue.js and TypeScript:

gogen new --name my-vue-app --template web --frontend vue --ts

Create an API with Chi router:

gogen new --name my-api --template api --router chi

Create a fullstack project with Chi router, docker, bun runtime and React for the frontend:

gogen new --name my-app --docker --template web --router chi --ts

Specify custom module name and directory:

gogen new --name my-project --module github.com/username/my-project --dir custom-dir

New Command - All Flags

gogen new --help

Flag	Short	Description	Default
--name	-n	Project name
--module	-m	Go module path	project name
--template	-t	Project template (api, web, cli)	"api"
--router	-r	Router type (stdlib, chi, gorilla, httprouter)	"stdlib"
--frontend	--fe	Frontend framework (react, vue, svelte, etc.)
--dir	-d	Directory name for the project	project name
--typescript	--ts	Use TypeScript for frontend projects	false
--docker		Create dockerfiles and dockercompose	false

Available Templates

• api (default) - REST API server with JSON responses
• cli - CLI application using urfave/cli/v2
• web - HTTP web server with optional frontend integration

Available Routers

• stdlib (default) - Go standard library http.ServeMux
• chi - Chi lightweight router with middleware support
• gorilla - Gorilla Mux with advanced routing features
• httprouter - High-performance HttpRouter

Available Frontend Frameworks

• react - React with Vite build tool
• vue - Vue.js with Vite
• svelte - Svelte with Vite
• solidjs - SolidJS with Vite
• angular - Angular with Angular CLI

Install gogen to System PATH

The install command automatically installs gogen to your system PATH for easy access from anywhere.

# Auto-detect best installation method
gogen install

# Force reinstallation
gogen install --force

# Specify installation method
gogen install --method binary

Router Features

• stdlib - Go standard library http.ServeMux with pattern matching
• chi - Lightweight router with built-in middleware (Logger, Recoverer, RequestID)
• gorilla - Full-featured router with path variables and advanced matching
• httprouter - Ultra-fast router with zero memory allocation and path parameters

Frontend Framework Details

• react - React 18+ with Vite, hot reloading, and modern tooling
• vue - Vue 3 with Composition API, Vite, and TypeScript support
• svelte - Svelte with SvelteKit and Vite integration
• solidjs - SolidJS with fine-grained reactivity and Vite
• angular - Angular with CLI, TypeScript, and modern build tools

Examples

Full-Stack Web Application

Create a complete full-stack application with Go backend and React frontend:

# Create web project with React frontend and all features
gogen new --name my-app --template web --frontend react --typescript \
  --router chi --cors --auth --logging --tailwind --testing

cd my-app

# Start the API server (in one terminal)
cd api
go run main.go

# Start the frontend dev server (in another terminal)
cd frontend
npm run dev

Microservice API

Create a high-performance API service with comprehensive features:

# Create API project with full microservice setup
gogen new --name my-service --template microservice --router gin \
  --module github.com/company/my-service --middleware --cors \
  --metrics --rate-limit --swagger --docker

cd my-service
go run main.go

# Test the API
curl http://localhost:8080/
curl http://localhost:8080/health

CLI Application

Create a comprehensive CLI tool:

gogen new --name my-cli --template cli --module github.com/company/my-cli

cd my-cli
go run main.go --help

Quick Reference

Commands

Command	Description	Example
gogen new	Create a new project	gogen new -n my-app -t web --fe react
gogen install	Install gogen to PATH	gogen install --force

Templates

Template	Description	Use Case
api	REST API server	Microservices, APIs, backends
web	Web server	Full-stack applications, websites
cli	CLI application	Command-line tools, utilities

Routers

Router	Description	Best For
stdlib	Go standard library	Simple applications, learning
chi	Lightweight with middleware	Most web applications
gorilla	Full-featured router	Complex routing requirements
httprouter	High-performance	High-throughput APIs

Frontend Frameworks

Framework	Description	TypeScript	Build Tool	State Management
react	React 18+	✅	Vite	Redux, Zustand
vue	Vue 3	✅	Vite	Pinia, Vuex
svelte	Svelte/SvelteKit	✅	Vite	Svelte stores
solidjs	SolidJS	✅	Vite	Built-in stores
angular	Angular	✅	Angular CLI	NgRx, Services

Development

Prerequisites

• Go 1.21.13 or later
• Make (optional, for build automation)
• Node.js and npm (required for frontend features)

Building from Source

git clone https://github.com/luigimorel/gogen.git
cd gogen
make build

Development Workflow

# Run in development mode with hot reloading
make dev

# Run tests
make test

# Format and lint code
make check

# Build for all platforms
make build-all

Available Make Commands

• make build - Build the application
• make run - Build and run the application
• make dev - Start development server with hot reloading
• make test - Run tests
• make fmt - Format code
• make lint - Lint code
• make vet - Vet code
• make check - Run all code quality checks
• make clean - Clean build artifacts
• make build-all - Build for multiple platforms

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Make your changes
4. Run tests and checks (make check test)
5. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
6. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
7. Open a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.