Getting Started

Installation

Get up and running with Grit in minutes. Install the CLI, choose your architecture, and scaffold a production-ready full-stack application.

System Requirements

Install the Grit CLI

# macOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://gritframework.dev/install.sh | sh

# Windows (PowerShell)
iwr -useb https://gritframework.dev/install.ps1 | iex

grit new my-app

? Select architecture:
  > Triple — Web + Admin + API (Turborepo)
    Double — Web + API (Turborepo)
    Single — Go API + embedded React SPA
    API Only — Go API (no frontend)
    Mobile — API + Expo (React Native)

? Select frontend framework:
  > Next.js — SSR, SEO, App Router
    TanStack Router — Vite, fast builds, small bundle

cd my-app
docker compose up -d

pnpm install
grit migrate
grit seed
grit start

Architecture shortcuts

Skip the interactive prompts with flags:

# Triple (default) with Next.js
grit new my-app --triple --next

# Single app with TanStack Router (Vite)
grit new my-app --single --vite

# Double (web + api) with TanStack Router
grit new my-app --double --vite

# API only (no frontend)
grit new my-app --api

# Desktop app (Wails)
grit new-desktop my-app

Default services

Running without Docker

Docker is the default, but it is entirely optional. On low-spec machines, or when you just want the leanest possible setup, you can run Grit without any containers.

Option A — SQLite, no services

Point the API at a local SQLite file instead of PostgreSQL and skip docker compose entirely. GORM auto-migrates the SQLite file on first run, so there is nothing else to provision. Redis and MinIO are optional — the cache falls back to in-memory and file storage falls back to the local disk when their env vars are unset.

# Use a local SQLite file instead of PostgreSQL
DATABASE_URL=sqlite:./app.db

# Leave REDIS_URL / storage vars unset to run without Redis and MinIO

# No 'docker compose up' needed
grit start server   # auto-migrates app.db on first run

# In another terminal, start the frontend(s)
pnpm install
grit start client

Option B — managed cloud services

Prefer PostgreSQL, Redis, and object storage without running them locally? Point the same env vars at managed services — all have generous free tiers. Set them in .env and run the API and frontends directly (no docker compose).

Grit scaffolds a .env.cloud.example file with these variables pre-filled as placeholders — copy it to .env and drop in your keys. The same setup doubles as your production infrastructure.