Express Generator is a command-line tool that scaffolds a ready-to-run Express application skeleton — folders, a default view engine, basic middleware — in a single command.
Why use it
- Generates a working project structure in one go.
- The generated layout is modular and easy to adapt.
- Lets you pick a view engine (EJS, Pug, Handlebars) at generation time.
Step 1: Install globally
npm install express-generator -g
Step 2: Generate a project
express catalog-service
This creates a folder called catalog-service with routes, views, and a default app.js
already wired together.
A look at the generated app.js
const createError = require("http-errors");
const express = require("express");
const path = require("path");
const cookieParser = require("cookie-parser");
const logger = require("morgan");
const indexRouter = require("./routes/index");
const usersRouter = require("./routes/users");
const app = express();
app.set("views", path.join(__dirname, "views"));
app.set("view engine", "jade");
app.use(logger("dev"));
app.use(express.json());
app.use(express.urlencoded({ extended: false }));
app.use(cookieParser());
app.use(express.static(path.join(__dirname, "public")));
app.use("/", indexRouter);
app.use("/users", usersRouter);
app.use(function (req, res, next) {
next(createError(404));
});
app.use(function (err, req, res, next) {
res.locals.message = err.message;
res.locals.error = req.app.get("env") === "development" ? err : {};
res.status(err.status || 500);
res.render("error");
});
module.exports = app;
Step 3: Install dependencies and start
npm install
npm start
Visit http://localhost:3000 — the default port — to see the generated app running, complete
with logging (morgan), cookie parsing, and static file serving already configured.