TDK CLI — generate and run your whole tech stack without the setup pain.
Go from an empty folder to a running tech stack with one command. Built for agents. Define each service once in `service.json`, then run `tdk up`. No Kubernetes, no Compose file to maintain. Production stays on Helm.
Docker runs the containers. Tilt runs the dev loop. TDK CLI writes that config.
Use TDK CLI when you are an engineer or tech lead already running several services and are tired of local Compose, Dockerfiles, and a week of setup. If Compose already works for you, skip TDK CLI.
Website · Awesome TDK CLI · Quickstart · Examples · Demo
npm install -g @tdk-landscape/tdk-cli-core
tdk project --yes # set up the project
tdk resource orders-api --type backend --stack shop # scaffold a service
tdk up shop # run it with hot reload⭐ If TDK CLI helps you start your local services, star tdk-cli-core. Stars help other developers find it.
| Compose | Local Kubernetes | Tilt | TDK CLI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scaffold a new service in one command | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Hot reload on file change | ✅ | ✅ | ||
| Health-checked startup order | ✅ | ✅ | ||
| Proxy, Postgres, monitoring included | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Needs a cluster | No | Yes | Optional | No |
| Start one stack of a large system | ✅ tdk up <stack> |
Fixture benchmark only: a generated /health fixture with 100 services, all healthy in 112 s, 1.6 GiB total memory, 0 OOM kills on a 16 GB machine. This is a scale fixture, not the TDK CLI product example. See the benchmark →
| Repo | What it is |
|---|---|
| ⭐ tdk-cli-core | The CLI. Starts your services on your machine from one service.json, then tdk up. Not a deploy, not a Compose file. No Kubernetes. |
| tdk-website | Docs for TDK CLI. Start services locally. Not a deploy tool. |
| tdk-landscape.github.io | Install script for TDK CLI, then tdk up. |
| create-tdk-stack | Landing page to start a TDK CLI project. Same commands as the quickstart. |
| tdk-cli-releases | Prebuilt TDK CLI binaries for Linux and macOS, with checksums. |
| tdk-demo-animation | Recorded walkthrough: install TDK CLI, generate a service, open the local health URL. |
| Repo | What it is |
|---|---|
| tdk-example | Smallest TDK CLI example: two stacks, four services, started locally. |
| tdk-saas-starter | Local SaaS dashboard and a checkout button. Not a billing deploy. |
| tdk-restaurant-example | Reservations, kitchen, menu, and floor, started locally. |
| tdk-user-management | Identity admin, portal, and compliance stacks on your machine. Not a hosted IdP. |
| tdk-ecommerce-example | Vue 3 storefront and a Hono catalog API on your machine. |
| tdk-auth-queue-email-example | Local OIDC, NATS JetStream, and Mailpit. Not production auth or email. |
| tdk-docker-compose-example | Run the TDK CLI inside Docker Compose so the host needs no install. The product is still a local stack. |
| tdk-erp-system | Scale fixture: 100 generated health services. Not an ERP product. |
| tdk-labs | Lessons for TDK CLI. Each lesson starts a local stack. |
| Repo | What it is |
|---|---|
| awesome-tdk-framework | Curated links for TDK CLI examples and docs. Not a runtime. |
| tdk-skills | Agent skills for the service.json contract. Agents run tdk up locally. |
Project one repo, one local landscape
Stack a business slice: shop, identity, kitchen… → tdk up <stack>
Resource one API, frontend, worker, or database
service.json what it is and what it depends on
.autogenerated/ generated local development wiring
Generated files are plain local plumbing you can read, not a hidden platform.
Issues labeled good first issue are the best place to start. See CONTRIBUTING.md. Built something with TDK CLI? Open an issue and we'll add it here.
TDK CLI — start services on your machine.
