The new way to generate a Strapi application

In the latest Monthly Update, we told you about create-strapi-app, the new supported way to generate an application with Strapi. Let's dig a bit deeper into this and explain why we modified the way an app is generated with Strapi.

The new create-strapi-app CLI package

A new package was developed to replace the step of installing Strapi globally. This new package is a simpler and lighter step to getting your projects started in a more streamlined and less complicated way. By installing Strapi with this new CLI, we avoid problems with added and unnecessary dependencies, and we also avoid issues with versioning across different projects. 

Before, Strapi users had first to install Strapi globally, and then install and build the Strapi project itself. Basically, two separate steps:

Install Strapi globally using:

npm install strapi@beta -g
strapi new my-project --quickstart

Now, Strapi users need one step and one command to install Strapi (even with no prior installations of Strapi): 

yarn create strapi-app my-project --quickstart

Additional benefits include a much faster installation when compared to the installation of Strapi globally.

Many of you are developing multiple, Strapi based projects, at the same time. Managing versions in any project is often a tedious matter of careful attention to detail and the use of back-ups. With a fast-moving project like Strapi, it can be even more challenging to manage versions. Strapi has new updates and releases nearly every week and major upgrades as a result of regular community feedbacks.

You no longer have to worry about older projects breaking when you update Strapi. You can perform the migration steps at a time when it suits you.  

For creating new projects, we now recommend using yarn or npx. In brief, you can now use either of these commands to create a new Strapi project or app. 

Using the yarn create command:

yarn create strapi-app my-project

Using the npx create command:

npx create-strapi-app my-project

No need to install Strapi globally

There is no need to install Strapi globally, and we don’t recommend doing so. From now on, managing your projects with yarn or npx installs the latest and lightest version possible of Strapi. The benefits of this are real and tangible.

1. If you don’t have Strapi installed globally, you can now install Strapi by using npx or yarn. Creating a Strapi app with npx or yarn only installs the necessary files for a local project — not a global installation.
2. You can now pull your project from GitHub without worrying about incompatibilities with the globally installed version of Strapi. However, only if you installed your project with npx or yarn.
3. You can try out Strapi without installing it globally with npx or yarn. 
4. When you use npx or yarn to create a new project, these automatically install the latest Strapi version. If you use strapi new you install whatever version of Strapi is on your computer.

After installing Strapi with either npx or yarn, we now recommend you use yarn to execute the basic project management commands:

• yarn develop 
• yarn start
• yarn build
• yarn strapi

Note: If you don’t have yarn installed on your system, the dependencies install with npm and commands run using, npm run [cmd].

Now when you use yarn or npx to create projects, you want to stay consistent in how you install projects. Use yarn or npx and then stay consistent with which command you use in the installation of additional packages.

The documentation explains each command when using yarn, npm, or with using Strapi installed globally. The documentation also explains all the available options for each command.

Now when you read the docs, you see how to force the use of npm (rather than yarn, if you prefer npm). You learn how to disable the starting of a quickstart app. Moreover, you see how to delete a globally installed version of Strapi (and therefore take advantage of the new yarn commands).

We hope you will enjoy this new approach to creating an application with Strapi. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!