darto_cli 1.0.2

Official CLI for the Darto framework — scaffold projects, generate modules, run dev server.

darto_cli

Official CLI for the Darto framework. Scaffold projects, run a development server, compile to a native binary, and generate typed API clients.

---

Installation

dart pub global activate darto_cli

Make sure ~/.pub-cache/bin is on your PATH.

---

Usage

darto <command> [arguments]

darto --help     # Show help
darto --version  # Show version

---

Commands

darto create <name>

Scaffold a new Darto project with a ready-to-run directory structure and a starter user module.

darto create my_api

Generated structure:

my_api/
  bin/
    server.dart
  lib/
    app.dart
    modules/
      user/
        user_controller.dart   ← handlers + route registration
        user_service.dart      ← business logic
  pubspec.yaml
  analysis_options.yaml

Runs dart pub get automatically after scaffolding.

---

darto create <name> --blank

Scaffold a minimal project with no starter module — just the server entry point and a /health route.

darto create my_api --blank
darto create my_api -b

Generated structure:

my_api/
  bin/
    server.dart
  lib/
    app.dart    ← GET /health only
  pubspec.yaml
  analysis_options.yaml

---

darto dev [entrypoint]

Start the server in development mode with automatic hot restart on file changes.

darto dev
darto dev bin/server.dart

• Watches lib/, bin/, and src/ recursively for .dart changes.
• Batches multiple simultaneous saves into a single restart (350 ms debounce).
• Shows which files changed and how long the restart took.
• Kills the previous process with SIGTERM (300 ms grace period) then SIGKILL.
• Default entrypoints tried in order: bin/server.dart, bin/main.dart, lib/main.dart.

---

darto build [entrypoint]

Compile the server to a native self-contained executable and generate Docker deployment artifacts.

darto build
darto build bin/server.dart --output build/my_server
darto build --no-docker   # skip Dockerfile generation

Flag	Description
--output, -o	Output path (default: build/server)
--no-docker	Skip Dockerfile and .dockerignore generation

Docker artifacts generated (only if not already present):

• Dockerfile — optimized multi-stage image: compiles inside Docker using dart:stable, then copies to a minimal scratch image with only the Dart /runtime/ libraries (~25–35 MB final image).
• .dockerignore — excludes source and dev files from the Docker build context.

# Build and run with Docker
docker build -t my_app .
docker run -p 3000:3000 my_app

---

darto start [binary]

Run a pre-compiled binary.

darto start
darto start build/my_server

Default binary path: build/server.

---

darto gen client flutter

Generate a typed, modular Dart/Flutter HTTP client from your Darto server's route metadata.

darto gen client flutter
darto gen client flutter --output lib/src/api_client.dart --base-url https://api.example.com

Flag	Default	Description
--input, -i	lib/app.dart	File that exports createApp() returning a Darto instance
--output, -o	lib/api_client.dart	Where to write the generated file
--base-url, -b	http://localhost:3000	Default base URL embedded in the client
--class	ApiClient	Root class name

The http package is added to pubspec.yaml automatically if not already present.

What is generated:

• A root ApiClient class with setToken / clearToken helpers.
• One sub-module class per route group (e.g. UsersModule, AuthModule).
• Typed async methods for every route.
• An ApiException class for HTTP error responses.

Example output usage:

final api = ApiClient(baseUrl: 'https://api.example.com');
api.setToken(accessToken);

final users = await api.users.getAll();
final user  = await api.users.getById('42');
await api.users.create(body: {'name': 'Alice', 'email': '[e-mail]'});
await api.auth.login(body: {'email': '[e-mail]', 'password': 'secret'});

---

Example workflow

# 1. Create a new project
darto create shop_api
cd shop_api

# 2. Start the dev server (auto-restarts on file changes)
darto dev

# 3. Generate a Flutter client
darto gen client flutter --base-url http://localhost:3000

# 4. Compile for production (also generates Dockerfile)
darto build

# 5. Run the compiled binary
darto start

# Or deploy with Docker
docker build -t shop_api .
docker run -p 3000:3000 shop_api

---

See also

• darto — core framework

---

Support 💖

If you find Darto CLI useful, please consider supporting its development 🌟Buy Me a Coffee.🌟 Your support helps us improve the package and make it even better!