CedarJS

About

CedarJS is an opinionated, full-stack React framework that makes building web applications fast and enjoyable. It includes everything you need: React for the frontend, GraphQL for the API, Prisma for the database, and built-in support for authentication, testing, and deployment.

cedar has become a powerful symbol of strength and revitalization\

_— https://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/cedar/_

See https://cedarjs.com for a modern overview of CedarJS

Why Cedar?

Whether you're building a startup MVP, a departmental tool, or a full production application, here's what you get with Cedar:

Fast Setup. Get from zero to deployed application with a database in minutes,

not days.

An extensive CLI with generator and setup commands for most things you want to

do. A dedicated CLI is faster and cheaper than asking AI to do it for you, and 100% predictable.

Team empowerment. Keep your entire stack in TypeScript/JavaScript. No context

switching between languages or separate teams for frontend and backend. Everyone is empowered to contribute across the entire application.

Architectural decisions made for you, so you don't get stuck in analysis

paralysis or get decision fatigue. But it doesn't lock you in. You have full control over your code, your auth, your database, and your deployment.

A single convenient cedar() Vite plugin that covers the 99% use case. And

for the times you need more, every Cedar-specific building block it's made of is exported too, so you can compose your own plugin pipeline with full control.

Ready made integrations for hosting on Vercel, Netlify, AWS, Render, or your

own servers. Switch providers easily without major rewrites.

A production ready framework. Used by companies in production with a mature

ecosystem and comprehensive documentation.

You start with a working app that includes routing, database setup, and

testing – all configured and ready to go. And if there's more you need, like authorization, there's most likely a setup command or a generator for it.

Who Is Cedar For?

Startups that need to move fast and iterate quickly. Solo developers who want to build full-stack apps without managing complex tooling. **Development teams that value standardization and clear conventions. Companies** transitioning from RedwoodJS or looking for an actively maintained full-stack framework with a dedicated API layer. Or just about anyone who wants to focus on building features rather than configuring build tools and infrastructure

Roadmap

[x] Make all packages ESM only where possible and ESM+CJS where needed to

keep compatibility with existing RW apps. Packages still to convert: - [x] @cedarjs/cli - [x] @cedarjs/fastify-web - [x] @cedarjs/api-server - [x] @cedarjs/api - [x] etc. Full list: https://github.com/cedarjs/cedar/issues/19

[x] Future major version: Make all packages ESM only or dual mode ESM/CJS
[ ] Future major version: Make new Cedar apps ESM only
[x] Future major version: Make it possible to switch existing Cedar apps to

ESM