⚒️ Cargo-Forge

An interactive Rust project generator with templates and common features

Generate Rust projects with templates and optional features

🚀 Quick Start

# Install cargo-forge
cargo install cargo-forge

# Create a new project interactively
cargo-forge new

# Or specify project type directly
cargo-forge new my-api --project-type api-server

# Initialize in current directory
cargo-forge init --project-type library

📖 Detailed Installation Guide - Including shell completions, pre-built binaries, and platform-specific instructions.

✨ Features

🎯 Project Types

Cargo-Forge supports 7 project types with templates:

🛠️ Core Features

Current features available in v0.1.3:

Project Structure

• Clean Templates: Well-organized project structures for each type
• Dependency Management: Appropriate dependencies for each project type
• Documentation: README files with project-specific instructions
• Testing Setup: Basic test structure and configuration

Development Tools

• Dry Run Mode: Preview project structure before creation
• Non-interactive Mode: CI-friendly project generation
• Name Validation: Ensures valid Cargo package names
• Shell Completions: Bash, zsh, fish, and PowerShell support

Future Features (Planned)

• CI/CD Integration: GitHub Actions and GitLab CI templates
• Database Support: PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQLite integration
• Authentication: JWT, OAuth, and password authentication
• Docker: Multi-stage Dockerfile and docker-compose setup
• Advanced Templates: Feature-rich project templates

📋 Comparison with cargo-generate

🎮 Usage Examples

Command-Line Mode (Current)

# Create an API server with PostgreSQL and JWT auth
cargo-forge new my-api \
  --project-type api-server \
  --author "Jane Doe" \
  --description "My awesome API"

# Create a CLI tool in non-interactive mode (great for CI)
cargo-forge new my-cli \
  --project-type cli-tool \
  --non-interactive

# Initialize a library in current directory
cargo-forge init --project-type library

# Dry run to preview what will be created
cargo-forge new my-project --dry-run

# Use saved configuration
cargo-forge new my-project --from-config ~/.forge/defaults.toml

Advanced Usage

# Create a workspace with multiple crates
cargo-forge new my-workspace --project-type workspace

# Generate a game with Bevy engine
cargo-forge new my-game --project-type game-engine

# Create an embedded project for STM32
cargo-forge new my-firmware --project-type embedded

📁 Generated Project Structure

Example: API Server

my-api/
├── src/
│   ├── main.rs           # Application entry point
│   ├── handlers.rs       # HTTP handlers (basic structure)
│   ├── routes.rs         # Route definitions (basic structure)
│   └── models.rs         # Data models (basic structure)
├── config/
│   └── default.toml      # Configuration template
├── tests/                # Test directory
├── .gitignore            # Git ignore file
├── Cargo.toml            # Project manifest with Axum dependencies
└── README.md             # Project documentation

🔧 Configuration

Command-Line Options

Cargo-Forge supports various command-line options:

# Non-interactive mode (great for CI/CD)
cargo-forge new my-project --project-type api-server --non-interactive

# Dry run to preview what will be created
cargo-forge new my-project --project-type library --dry-run

# Initialize in current directory
cargo-forge init --project-type cli-tool

Project Customization

After project creation, you can customize:

• Add dependencies to Cargo.toml
• Modify source files to fit your needs
• Update configuration files as needed
• Add additional features and integrations

📊 Template Syntax

Cargo-Forge uses Tera templates with custom helpers:

// Conditional compilation based on features
{% if database %}
use sqlx::{PgPool, postgres::PgPoolOptions};
{% endif %}

// Smart defaults with fallbacks
const PORT: u16 = {{ port | default(value=3000) }};

// Case transformations
mod {{ name | snake_case }};
struct {{ name | pascal_case }};

// Feature combinations
{% if auth and database %}
// Authentication with database backend
{% endif %}

🧪 Testing

Generated projects include comprehensive test setups:

# Run all tests
cargo test

# Run with coverage
cargo tarpaulin

# Benchmarks (if enabled)
cargo bench

# Property tests (if enabled)
cargo test --features proptest

🚢 CI/CD Integration

All project types can include CI/CD configuration:

GitHub Actions

• Multi-platform testing (Windows, Mac, Linux)
• Rust version matrix (stable, beta, nightly)
• Security audits and dependency checks
• Release automation with cargo-release
• Code coverage with Codecov

GitLab CI

• Cached dependencies for faster builds
• Parallel job execution
• Deploy stages for different environments
• Container registry integration

🐳 Docker Support

Generated Dockerfiles use multi-stage builds for optimal image size:

# Build stage
FROM rust:1.70 as builder
WORKDIR /app
COPY . .
RUN cargo build --release

# Runtime stage
FROM debian:bookworm-slim
COPY --from=builder /app/target/release/app /usr/local/bin/
CMD ["app"]

🔒 Security

Cargo-Forge security features:

• No hardcoded secrets in templates
• Secure default configurations
• Environment variable usage for sensitive data
• Security audit integration in CI
• OWASP compliance for web projects

🤝 Contributing

We love contributions! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Development Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/cargo-forge
cd cargo-forge

# Run tests
cargo test

# Run with coverage
cargo tarpaulin

# Build for release
cargo build --release

📈 Performance

Cargo-Forge is optimized for speed:

• Project generation: <0.1 seconds (extremely fast!)
• Template rendering: <10ms
• Name validation: <1ms
• Cross-platform: Works on Windows, Mac, and Linux

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Q: Command not found after installation

# Ensure cargo bin directory is in PATH
export PATH="$HOME/.cargo/bin:$PATH"

Q: Permission denied errors

# Check directory permissions
ls -la .
# Use sudo if needed (not recommended)

Q: Template rendering fails

# Validate your input
cargo-forge new --dry-run
# Check for special characters in project name

Getting Help

• 📖 Documentation
• 🐛 Issue Tracker

📚 Documentation

• Quick Reference - Command cheat sheet and quick examples
• Project Types Guide - Detailed guide for each project type
• Template Syntax - Tera template documentation
• FAQ - Frequently asked questions
• Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions
• Contributing - Development guidelines
• Changelog - Version history and roadmap

📜 License

Licensed under either of:

• Apache License, Version 2.0 (LICENSE-APACHE)
• MIT license (LICENSE-MIT)

at your option.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• The Rust community for feedback
• Contributors who help make Cargo-Forge better
• Similar projects: cargo-generate, create-react-app

Built with ❤️ by the Rust community

Documentation • Crates.io