Awesome Nest Boilerplate
#Awesome NestJS Boilerplate v11
An enterprise-grade NestJS starter built for teams that care about code structure at scale. Ships with CQRS, strict TypeScript, JWT auth (RS256), and multi-runtime support — all wired with zero configuration drift.
#Quick Start
# 1. Clone npx degit NarHakobyan/awesome-nest-boilerplate my-nest-app cd my-nest-app # 2. Configure cp .env.example .env # Set DB_HOST, DB_PORT, DB_USERNAME, DB_PASSWORD, DB_DATABASE # Paste your JWT_PRIVATE_KEY and JWT_PUBLIC_KEY (see .env.example for examples) # 3. Install & run pnpm install pnpm start:dev
Open http://localhost:3000. The API docs are at /documentation.
Prefer a database out of the box?
docker-compose up -d postgresfirst.
#What's Inside
| CQRS — Commands, queries, handlers | JWT Auth (RS256) — Login, register, RBAC | TypeORM + PostgreSQL — Entities, migrations |
Strict TypeScript — No any, ESM, verbatim modules |
i18n — Multi-language (en_US, ru_RU) | Swagger — Auto-generated API docs |
| Vite HMR — Instant dev reload | UUID v7 — Time-sortable primary keys | Biome + ESLint — Linting & formatting |
| Helmet + Rate Limiting — Built-in security | CORS — Configurable origins | Validation — Custom decorators, DTO guards |
| Node / Bun / Deno — Multi-runtime | OpenAPI MCP — AI assistants call your API |
#Taste of the Codebase
A typical CQRS flow — command, handler, and service wired through NestJS DI:
// ── Command ────────────────────────────────────────────── export class CreatePostCommand extends Command { constructor( public readonly userId: Uuid, public readonly dto: CreatePostDto, ) { super(); } } // ── Handler ────────────────────────────────────────────── @CommandHandler(CreatePostCommand) export class CreatePostHandler { constructor( @InjectRepository(PostEntity) private repo: Repository<PostEntity>, ) {} async execute({ userId, dto }: CreatePostCommand): Promise<PostEntity> { return this.repo.save(this.repo.create({ ...dto, userId })); } } // ── Service ────────────────────────────────────────────── @Injectable() export class PostService { constructor(private commandBus: CommandBus) {} @Transactional() create(userId: Uuid, dto: CreatePostDto): Promise<PostEntity> { return this.commandBus.execute(new CreatePostCommand(userId, dto)); } }
#Architecture
flowchart LR
A[Request] --> B[Guard]
B --> C[Controller]
C --> D[Command / Query Bus]
D --> E[Handler]
E --> F[Service]
F --> G[Repository]
G --> H[(PostgreSQL)]
Every feature module follows this structure:
src/ ├── common/ # Shared DTOs, base entity ├── constants/ # Enums, role types ├── database/ # Migrations, TypeORM config ├── decorators/ # @AuthUser, @UUIDParam, @UseDto ├── filters/ # Global exception filters ├── guards/ # Auth guards (JWT, roles) ├── i18n/ # Translation files (en_US, ru_RU) ├── interceptors/ # Language, translation interceptors ├── modules/ │ ├── auth/ # JWT auth (RS256), login/register │ ├── user/ # User CRUD, RBAC │ ├── post/ # Post CRUD, CQRS example │ ├── agent/ # AI agent (ai-sdk v6) │ └── chat/ # Chat history (JSONB) ├── shared/ # Global services, config └── validators/ # Custom validation decorators
#Environment Variables
Copy .env.example → .env. Most variables come pre-configured with working defaults. You only need to change these:
| Variable | What to set |
|---|---|
DB_HOST, DB_PORT, DB_USERNAME, DB_PASSWORD, DB_DATABASE |
PostgreSQL connection (or use docker-compose up -d postgres — defaults match) |
JWT_PRIVATE_KEY |
RS256 private key — generate your own or use the example PEM in .env.example |
JWT_PUBLIC_KEY |
RS256 public key — matching public key |
Every other variable in .env.example has a working default for local development. Optional features (NATS, S3, Email, AI providers) are off by default — enable them when you need them.
#Multi-Runtime Support
| Node.js | Bun | Deno |
|---|---|---|
pnpm start:dev |
bun start:dev:bun |
deno task start |
pnpm test |
bun test |
deno task test |
pnpm build:prod |
bun build:bun |
deno task buildr |
Node is the primary runtime. Bun and Deno support is included for teams that prefer them.
#Making It Your Own
- Rename the project — update
nameinpackage.json - Update
.env— replace the JWT keys and DB credentials with your own - Update
LICENSE— change the author name - Customize this README — replace it with your project's docs
#Documentation
- Architecture — CQRS, repository pattern, DI, entity-DTO mapping
- Setup & Development — first-time setup, scripts, debugging
- Code Generation — NestJS schematics for scaffolding
- Naming Cheatsheet — file, class, and variable conventions
- Linting — Biome + ESLint setup
- OpenAPI MCP — AI assistants calling your API