boilr
A command-line tool to create projects from boilerplate templates using Go's templating engine.
What is boilr?
Boilr is a command-line boilerplate template manager that generates files or directories from template repositories. It solves the problem of repeatedly performing the same setup steps for new programming projects by allowing developers to create and use reusable project templates.
Developers and teams who frequently start new projects and want to automate the creation of consistent project structures, configurations, and boilerplate code.
Developers choose Boilr for its simplicity, lack of external dependencies, and powerful Go-based templating, which makes it easy to create, share, and apply templates interactively from the command line.
Overview
:zap: boilerplate template manager that generates files or directories from template repositories
Use Cases
Best For
- Quickly bootstrapping new projects with pre-configured structures
- Standardizing license files across multiple repositories
- Creating consistent configuration files for Docker or Kubernetes
- Generating Electron app boilerplates
- Automating the setup of development environments
- Sharing project templates across teams to enforce best practices
Not Ideal For
- Teams requiring GUI-based template management or visual previews
- Projects deeply integrated with JavaScript/Node.js ecosystems where template tools like Yeoman are standard
- Organizations needing enterprise features such as template versioning, audit logs, or role-based access controls
- Developers who prefer tools with vast, community-maintained template repositories like Cookiecutter
Pros & Cons
Pros
Boilr is a single statically linked binary with no need for Node.js or Python interpreters, simplifying installation and reducing system clutter, as highlighted in the README's feature list.
It leverages Go's text/template package for dynamic generation, supporting conditionals and loops, which allows for flexible and complex template logic without external tools.
Creating templates is straightforward, exemplified by the license template that can be applied with one command, encouraging reuse and standardization across projects.
During template use, Boilr guides users with interactive prompts and default values from project.json, making variable input intuitive and error-resistant.
Cons
With a version at v0.3.0, Boilr may have instability, incomplete features, and breaking changes, as indicated by the release badge and reliance on user feedback for improvements.
The available templates are sparse compared to alternatives, requiring users to create most templates from scratch, which can offset the time-saving benefits for niche use cases.
Advanced template creation demands familiarity with Go's text/template syntax, posing a barrier for developers not versed in Go, unlike more language-agnostic tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
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