Configuration

NeatNode templates come preconfigured, but you can still adjust the generated project through config files, environment variables, and template-aware project settings.

Project Config

Use a project config file to control the template, feature flags, validation stack, and source layout.


export default {
	template: "rest-api",
 
	features: {
		resourceGenerator: true,
	},
 
	language: "typescript",
	architecture: "modular",
 
	database: {
		provider: "mongodb",
		client: "mongoose",
	},
 
	validation: "zod",
	srcDir: "src",
};

Configuration Fields

Field	Purpose
`template`	Selects the template family to generate.
`features.resourceGenerator`	Enables resource generation in supported templates.
`language`	Chooses JavaScript or TypeScript output.
`architecture`	Selects the folder architecture when a template supports multiple layouts.
`validation`	Chooses the validation library or strategy.
`srcDir`	Sets the source directory root.
`database.provider`	Declares the database backend.
`database.client`	Selects the database client or ORM.

[!NOTE] Unsupported fields are ignored by templates that do not recognize them.

Environment Variables

Each template includes a .env.example file. Copy and rename it:


cp .env.example .env

Common variables:

Variable	Description	Default
`PORT`	Server port	`5000`
`NODE_ENV`	Environment mode	`development`
`DB_URL`	Database connection string	-
`JWT_SECRET`	Secret for JWT tokens	-

Config Files

File	Location	Purpose
`db.js`	`src/config/`	Database connection logic
`logger.js`	`src/config/`	Winston or console logger
`socket.js`	`src/config/`	Socket.IO initialization
`cors.js`	`src/config/`	CORS options

TypeScript Config

TypeScript templates include a tsconfig.json with:

Strict mode enabled
ES module output
Path aliases configured
Source maps for debugging

Customizing Config

All config files are in src/config/. You can:

Modify existing files directly
Add new config modules (Redis, mail, etc.)
Import them in server.js or app.js

See Customization Guide for detailed examples.