Fresh App Factory

Fresh App Factory automatically generates template repositories from popular open-source app frameworks.

Why?

This project aims to make it easier for developers to get started with new app frameworks. To understand how, let’s compare the different approaches:

Approach	Pros and cons
Manually-maintained repos	➕ Can easily create a new repo by clicking on “Use this template” button. ➕ Can easily be used with tools like Codesandbox, Gitpod, or Stackblitz. ➖ Can easily become out-of-date ➖ Maintainers may forgot to mark repository as a template repository.
Folder in monorepo	➕ Easier for maintainers to keep up-to-date. ➕ Can easily be used with tools like Codesandbox, Gitpod, or Stackblitz. ➖ Cannot use the “Use this template” button. ➖ Requires an extra step to copy a subdirectory into a new repo.
Generator CLIs	➕ Can support a lot of combinations. ➕ Gives you an up-to-date app. ➖ Requires installing an extra CLI tool, whose installation process may be slow. ➖ Cannot easily use with Codesandbox, Gitpod, or Stackblitz. ➖ Cannot use the “Use this template” button.
Fresh App Factory	➕ Up-to-date as the templates are generated from generator CLIs daily. ➕ Can easily create a new repo by clicking on “Use this template” button. ➕ Can easily be used with tools like Codesandbox, Gitpod, or Stackblitz. ➖ Supports only a few configurations.

Development

Prerequisites

• Node.js and Corepack
• Docker

Setup

# Install dependencies
pnpm install

# Build docker image
bin/build

# Run a generator
# Tip: when opening a generator in VS Code, you can press Cmd+Shift+B to run it
bin/run fresh-vite-app

# Run an interactive shell to inspect runner state
bin/inspect

# Run the factory on GitHub Actions
gh --repo fresh-app/factory workflow run manual.yml -f generator=fresh-vite-app