deno init, start a new project

Starting a new project with Deno has always been incredibly simple: you just need a single file to get going. No need for any configuration files, dependency manifests, or build scripts.

Users coming from other ecosystems are often not used to this simplicity - they often look for a tool to scaffold out a basic project structure to get them started on the right path. deno init subcommand scaffolds a basic Deno project.

$ deno init
✅ Project initialized
Run these commands to get started

  // Run the program
  deno run main.ts

  // Run the program and watch for file changes
  deno task dev

  // Run the tests
  deno test

$ deno run main.ts
Add 2 + 3 = 5

$ deno test
Check file:///dev/main_test.ts
running 1 test from main_test.ts
addTest ... ok (6ms)

ok | 1 passed | 0 failed (29ms)

This subcommand will create two files (main.ts and main_test.ts). These files provide a basic example of how to write a Deno program and how to write tests for it. The main.ts file exports a add function that adds two numbers together and the main_test.ts file contains a test for this function.

You can also specify an argument to deno init to initialize a project in a specific directory:

$ deno init my_deno_project
✅ Project initialized

Run these commands to get started

  cd my_deno_project

  // Run the program
  deno run main.ts

  // Run the program and watch for file changes
  deno task dev

  // Run the tests
  deno test