MERN Starter: MongoDB + Express + React Router + Node.js
React Router, Express, Node.js, MongoDB, Mongoose, and oRPC form a split app configuration where the frontend and backend are generated as separate primary parts. Better Fullstack can scaffold this exact compatibility-checked selection.
01 / selection
Stack at a glance
| Role | Technology | Repository description | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frontend | React Router | Declarative routing for React | Primary frontend |
| Backend | Express | Popular Node.js framework | Primary backend |
| Runtime | Node.js | JavaScript runtime environment | Scoped to Express |
| Database | MongoDB | NoSQL document database | Project-wide |
| ORM | Mongoose | Elegant object modeling tool | Scoped to Express |
| API | oRPC | Typesafe APIs Made Simple | Scoped to Express |
| Authentication | Better-Auth | The most comprehensive authentication framework for TypeScript | Scoped to Express |
| CSS | Tailwind CSS | Utility-first CSS framework | Scoped to React Router |
| UI library | shadcn/ui | Re-usable components built with Radix and Tailwind | Scoped to React Router |
02 / architecture
How the pieces fit
- The frontend and backend are separate primary stack parts.
- Node.js is scoped to Express.
- Mongoose is scoped to Express.
- oRPC is scoped to Express.
- Better-Auth is scoped to Express.
- Tailwind CSS is scoped to React Router.
- shadcn/ui is scoped to React Router.
- Tailwind CSS and shadcn/ui are selected together.
03 / output
What gets generated
The virtual generator produced 68 files across 23 directories. The output is a workspace.
Top-level entries
- ./.gitignore
- ./AGENTS.md
- ./CLAUDE.md
- ./README.md
- ./apps
- ./bunfig.toml
- ./package.json
- ./packages
- ./tsconfig.json
- ./turbo.json
Representative files
- README.md
- apps/server/package.json
- apps/web/package.json
- package.json
- packages/api/package.json
- packages/auth/package.json
- packages/config/package.json
- packages/db/package.json
04 / create
Create command
This is the canonical Bun command generated for the selection.
bun create better-fullstack@latest my-app --ecosystem typescript --frontend react-router --css-framework tailwind --ui-library shadcn-ui --shadcn-base radix --shadcn-style nova --shadcn-icon-library lucide --shadcn-color-theme neutral --shadcn-base-color neutral --shadcn-font inter --shadcn-radius default --backend express --runtime node --api orpc --auth better-auth --payments none --email none --file-upload none --logging none --observability none --feature-flags none --integrations none --ecommerce none --realtime none --job-queue none --caching none --rate-limit none --bot-protection none --i18n none --search none --vector-db none --file-storage none --cms none --effect none --ai none --state-management none --forms react-hook-form --validation zod --testing vitest --animation none --web-mcp none --database mongodb --orm mongoose --db-setup none --package-manager bun --git --web-deploy none --server-deploy none --install --part workspaceRunner:universal:turborepo --examples none --ai-docs claude-md agents-md05 / builder
Open in the builder
- fe-w
- react-router
- rt
- node
- be
- express
- db
- mongodb
- orm
- mongoose
- api
- orpc
06 / checks
Compatibility notes
Compatibility checked against Better Fullstack types version 2.8.0.
The generated record has 0 graph issues and 0 disabled selected options. This is a compatibility check, not a claim that this exact scaffold received a runtime smoke verification.
- The selected shadcn/ui setup is paired with Tailwind CSS.
07 / fit
When to choose this shape
Choose this shape when the browser frontend and API server should remain separate generated parts.
08 / next
Related stacks and guide
09 / faq
Questions
Is this combination supported?
It passes the repository's compatibility analysis, selected-option checks, stack graph validation, project schema parsing, and virtual generation. That result is described here as compatibility checked.
Does it generate one app or separate parts?
The frontend and backend are generated as separate primary parts. The actual generated output uses a workspace layout.
How can I customize the selection?
Open the generated builder link above. Its query parameters reproduce this selection, and the builder can change compatible options before generating a new command.