Skip to content

create-next-app

The easiest way to get started with Next.js is by using create-next-app. This CLI tool enables you to quickly start building a new Next.js application, with everything set up for you.

You can create a new app using the default Next.js template, or by using one of the official Next.js examples.

Interactive

You can create a new project interactively by running:

Terminal
npx create-next-app@latest
Terminal
yarn create next-app
Terminal
pnpm create next-app
Terminal
bunx create-next-app

You will then be asked the following prompts:

Terminal
What is your project named?  my-app
Would you like to use TypeScript?  No / Yes
Would you like to use ESLint?  No / Yes
Would you like to use Tailwind CSS?  No / Yes
Would you like to use `src/` directory?  No / Yes
Would you like to use App Router? (recommended)  No / Yes
Would you like to customize the default import alias (@/*)?  No / Yes

Once you've answered the prompts, a new project will be created with the correct configuration depending on your answers.

Non-interactive

You can also pass command line arguments to set up a new project non-interactively.

Further, you can negate default options by prefixing them with --no- (e.g. --no-eslint).

See create-next-app --help:

Terminal
Usage: create-next-app <project-directory> [options]
 
Options:
  -V, --version                        output the version number
  --ts, --typescript
 
    Initialize as a TypeScript project. (default)
 
  --js, --javascript
 
    Initialize as a JavaScript project.
 
  --tailwind
 
    Initialize with Tailwind CSS config. (default)
 
  --eslint
 
    Initialize with ESLint config.
 
  --app
 
    Initialize as an App Router project.
 
  --src-dir
 
    Initialize inside a `src/` directory.
 
  --import-alias <alias-to-configure>
 
    Specify import alias to use (default "@/*").
 
  --use-npm
 
    Explicitly tell the CLI to bootstrap the app using npm
 
  --use-pnpm
 
    Explicitly tell the CLI to bootstrap the app using pnpm
 
  --use-yarn
 
    Explicitly tell the CLI to bootstrap the app using Yarn
 
  --use-bun
 
    Explicitly tell the CLI to bootstrap the app using Bun
 
  -e, --example [name]|[github-url]
 
    An example to bootstrap the app with. You can use an example name
    from the official Next.js repo or a public GitHub URL. The URL can use
    any branch and/or subdirectory
 
  --example-path <path-to-example>
 
    In a rare case, your GitHub URL might contain a branch name with
    a slash (e.g. bug/fix-1) and the path to the example (e.g. foo/bar).
    In this case, you must specify the path to the example separately:
    --example-path foo/bar
 
  --reset-preferences
 
    Explicitly tell the CLI to reset any stored preferences
 
  -h, --help                           output usage information

Why use Create Next App?

create-next-app allows you to create a new Next.js app within seconds. It is officially maintained by the creators of Next.js, and includes a number of benefits:

  • Interactive Experience: Running npx create-next-app@latest (with no arguments) launches an interactive experience that guides you through setting up a project.
  • Zero Dependencies: Initializing a project is as quick as one second. Create Next App has zero dependencies.
  • Offline Support: Create Next App will automatically detect if you're offline and bootstrap your project using your local package cache.
  • Support for Examples: Create Next App can bootstrap your application using an example from the Next.js examples collection (e.g. npx create-next-app --example api-routes) or any public GitHub repository.
  • Tested: The package is part of the Next.js monorepo and tested using the same integration test suite as Next.js itself, ensuring it works as expected with every release.