Guide

Installation

This guide covers different ways to install and set up LaraNode in your project.

Installation

This guide covers different ways to install and set up LaraNode in your project.

Using Create LaraNode (Recommended)

The fastest way to start a new project:

pnpm create vest my-app
cd my-app
pnpm install

This scaffolds a complete application with all recommended packages.

Installing Individual Packages

You can install LaraNode packages individually:

# Core (required)
pnpm add @lara-node/core

# Database
pnpm add @lara-node/db

# Routing
pnpm add @lara-node/router

# Authentication
pnpm add @lara-node/auth

# Validation
pnpm add @lara-node/validator

# Cache
pnpm add @lara-node/cache

# Queue
pnpm add @lara-node/queue

# Events
pnpm add @lara-node/events

# Mail
pnpm add @lara-node/mail

# Middlewares
pnpm add @lara-node/middlewares

# Date handling
pnpm add @lara-node/carbon

# Console CLI
pnpm add @lara-node/console

# Monitoring
pnpm add @lara-node/horizon @lara-node/telescope

Peer Dependencies

Most LaraNode packages require @lara-node/core as a peer dependency. Make sure to install it:

pnpm add @lara-node/core reflect-metadata

Required Dependencies

LaraNode requires these base packages:

pnpm add express cors reflect-metadata

TypeScript Configuration

LaraNode uses decorators and requires specific TypeScript settings:

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "experimentalDecorators": true,
    "emitDecoratorMetadata": true,
    "moduleResolution": "node"
  }
}

Environment Setup

Create a .env file in your project root:

# Application
NODE_ENV=development
APP_KEY=base64:your-generated-key-here
APP_PORT=3000

# Database
DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_USER=root
DB_PASSWORD=
DB_NAME=vest_app

# Cache
CACHE_DRIVER=file

# Queue
QUEUE_CONNECTION=sync

# Mail
MAIL_DRIVER=log

Generate an application key:

pnpm exec artisan key:generate

Verify Installation

Create a simple test:

import { Application, Container } from "@lara-node/core";

const container = new Container();
const app = new Application(container);

await app.boot();
console.log("LaraNode is working!");

Next Steps

Project Structure -- Understand the directory layout
Configuration -- Configure your application
Core Package -- Learn about the core container

Getting Started

This guide will help you create your first LaraNode application from scratch.

Introduction

LaraNode is a Laravel-inspired Node.js framework built on top of Express.js. It brings the elegant developer experience of Laravel to the Node.js ecosystem, with a focus on developer productivity, clean architecture, and convention over configuration.