NodeStruct V2
Generate. Structure. Develop. Faster.
A VS Code extension that simplifies Node.js, Express, and EJS project setup through an interactive project-generation wizard.
✨ Overview
NodeStruct V2 is a developer productivity extension for Visual Studio Code that helps you generate structured Node.js web applications without manually creating every folder and configuration file.
Choose a supported project architecture, enter your project details, select a destination, and let NodeStruct create the initial project scaffold for you.
Whether you're starting a small web application or a more organized MVC project, NodeStruct helps you spend less time on repetitive setup and more time writing code.
🚀 Features
- Interactive project wizard — create a project through a guided workflow.
- Multiple architectures — choose between Simple and MVC templates.
- Organized project structure — keep routes, controllers, models, views, and utilities separated.
- Frontend asset organization — dedicated locations for CSS, JavaScript, images, and favicons.
- Configuration files — generate essential files such as
package.json, .gitignore, and .env.example.
- Custom project details — provide a project name and owner name when prompted.
- EJS templating — start building server-rendered pages with EJS.
- Reusable boilerplate — avoid repeatedly creating the same project structure by hand.
🧰 Technology Stack
| Technology |
Purpose |
| Node.js |
JavaScript runtime |
| Express.js |
Web application framework |
| EJS |
Server-side HTML templating |
| MongoDB / Mongoose |
Database integration in templates that support it |
| Visual Studio Code |
Development environment |
The generated dependencies and available functionality depend on the selected template.
📦 Installation
Install from the VS Code Marketplace
- Open Visual Studio Code.
- Open the Extensions panel with
Ctrl + Shift + X.
- Search for NodeStruct V2.
- Select the extension and click Install.
Install from a VSIX package
If you have downloaded the .vsix file:
- Open the Extensions panel.
- Select the
... menu.
- Choose Install from VSIX....
- Select the NodeStruct V2 package.
🏗️ Create Your First Project
- Open Visual Studio Code.
- Open the Command Palette with
Ctrl + Shift + P.
- Search for NodeStruct: Create Project.
- Enter the requested project details.
- Select an available architecture.
- Choose the parent directory for your project.
- Let NodeStruct generate the scaffold.
- Open the generated project and install its dependencies.
In the generated project's terminal, run:
npm install
Start the application using the script defined in its package.json, for example:
npm run dev
The available commands depend on the generated template.
📁 Example Project Structure
A generated project may resemble the following structure:
my-app/
├── config/
├── controllers/
├── middleware/
├── models/
├── public/
│ ├── favicon/
│ ├── images/
│ ├── javascripts/
│ └── stylesheets/
├── routes/
├── utils/
├── views/
│ └── index.ejs
├── .env
├── .env.example
├── .gitignore
├── app.js
├── package.json
└── README.md
The exact structure varies according to the selected architecture.
Folder responsibilities
config/ — application configuration.controllers/ — request-handling logic.middleware/ — reusable Express middleware.models/ — database models.public/ — static frontend assets.routes/ — application routes.utils/ — reusable helper functions.views/ — EJS templates.app.js — application entry point.
⚙️ Environment Configuration
Some generated applications may require environment variables for services such as MongoDB or Cloudinary.
Example configuration:
PORT=3000
MONGODB_URI=
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=
SESSION_SECRET=
JWT_SECRET=
Configure only the variables required by your application.
Security best practices:
- Never commit
.env files containing real credentials.
- Keep
.env.example free of secrets.
- Use strong, unique secrets in production.
- Configure external services before using features that depend on them.
🧑💻 Development
Want to contribute to NodeStruct V2 or modify its source code?
Set up the extension locally
Open the extension's source directory.
Install the dependencies:
npm install
Run the tests:
npm test
Open the project in VS Code.
Press F5 to launch the Extension Development Host.
Run NodeStruct: Create Project in the new window.
Package the extension
Generate an installable VSIX file using:
npx vsce package
The resulting .vsix file can be installed in VS Code for local testing.
🗺️ Future Improvements
Potential areas for future development include:
- Additional project architectures and templates.
- More configurable project-generation options.
- Optional integrations for databases and authentication.
- Improved validation and error handling.
- Expanded automated test coverage.
🤝 Contributing
Suggestions, bug reports, and contributions are welcome.
When submitting a bug report, include your VS Code version, relevant error messages, and steps to reproduce the issue. Do not include API keys, passwords, or other confidential information.
📄 License
NodeStruct V2 is released under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.
👨💻 Author
Tejwardeep Singh
Developer of NodeStruct V2, focused on building practical developer tools and improving everyday development workflows.
NodeStruct V2
Less boilerplate. Better structure. Faster development.
