Features

Features are installable modules selected during crank init or added later with crank add.

crank init myapp --features=base,auth,redis
crank add temporal --project ./myapp

The base feature is always included. GORM is the default ORM unless you select Bun.

Feature selection rules

base is always present

Even if you omit it, crank includes base because every generated project needs the common layout, HTTP server, configuration, validation, logging, and development files.

GORM is the default ORM

These two commands create a GORM-backed project:

crank init myapp --features=base
crank init myapp --features=base,auth

To use Bun:

crank init myapp --features=base,auth --use-bun
# or
crank init myapp --features=base,auth,bun

If you pass only base, the current CLI still adds the default ORM (gorm). This keeps generated projects database-ready by default.

GORM and Bun are mutually exclusive

A project cannot contain both gorm and bun. Pick one per service.

Some features have requirements

outbox requires an ORM-backed project, so it needs gorm or bun.

Temporal generators require the temporal feature:

crank add temporal --project ./myapp
crank make workflow OrderFulfillment --project ./myapp

Available features

Feature Description Typical use
base DDD layout, Echo HTTP server, config, validation, logging, Swagger plumbing, in-memory adapters, Dockerfile, .air.toml, and Makefile. Every generated project.
gorm PostgreSQL persistence with GORM, database factory, user repository, migrations, and golang-migrate integration. Default relational database option.
bun PostgreSQL persistence with Bun, database factory, user repository, migrations, and golang-migrate integration. Use when you prefer Bun/uptrace.
auth JWT auth, bcrypt password hashing, auth endpoints, JWT middleware, protected /me route, token service, and password/email value objects. APIs with login/session requirements.
crypto AES-256-GCM encryption/decryption helper backed by config-driven secret. Encrypt sensitive values before storage or transport.
redis Redis cache port and go-redis client wired into the composition root. Caching, sessions, rate limiting, distributed coordination.
mongodb MongoDB client wired into the composition root. Document storage or workloads that fit MongoDB.
qdrant Qdrant vector database client. Semantic search, embedding storage, vector retrieval.
temporal Temporal client, worker wiring, logging bridge, and workflow/activity adapter layout. Durable workflows, background orchestration, retries.
otel OpenTelemetry tracing with stdout exporter by default and Echo middleware spans per request. Local tracing and observability foundations.
outbox Transactional outbox table and worker pattern for publishing domain events after commit. Requires gorm or bun. Reliable event publishing with PostgreSQL-backed transactions.
views React SPA with Vite, embedded frontend served by the Go binary with dev-mode hot reload. APIs that also serve a frontend UI.

Adding features after project creation

Use crank add:

crank add redis --project ./myapp

crank add does four things:

  1. Loads .crank.yaml to understand the project.
  2. Renders feature templates into the project.
  3. Injects config sections into existing config files using marker comments.
  4. Installs Go dependencies and updates the manifest.

Config injection is designed to preserve user edits. Existing files are not blindly overwritten.

Choosing an ORM

Choose When
gorm You want the default, familiar Go ORM with broad ecosystem support.
bun You prefer Bun’s query builder style and uptrace ecosystem.
generated in-memory adapters Use the in-memory adapters for tests, prototypes, or code paths that should not touch the database.

Both ORM features use PostgreSQL and golang-migrate for SQL migrations.

crank init api --features=base

crank init api --features=base,auth

crank init api --features=base,auth,redis --use-bun

crank init worker-api --features=base,auth,temporal

crank init events-api --features=base,auth,outbox,otel

Because GORM is the default ORM, outbox has an ORM available in this example.