Boilerplate vs. Other

There are many project generators and scaffolding tools available. Here’s how Boilerplate compares.

Quick Comparison

Tool	Language	Interactive Prompts	Non-Interactive	Template Engine	Dependencies	Single Binary
Boilerplate	Go	Yes	Yes	Go templates + Sprig	Yes	Yes
cookiecutter	Python	Yes	Yes	Jinja2	No	No
yeoman	JavaScript	Yes	Limited	EJS	No	No
plop	JavaScript	Yes	Limited	Handlebars	No	No
giter8	Scala	Yes	Yes	ST4	No	No
Copier	Python	Yes	Yes	Jinja2	No	No
Hugo	Go	No	Yes	Go templates	N/A	Yes

Boilerplate is the only tool that combines a single binary with zero runtime dependencies, full non-interactive mode with var files and environment variables, and template dependencies.

Detailed Comparisons

cookiecutter

cookiecutter is a Python-based tool that uses Jinja2 templates with a cookiecutter.json config file. It has strong community support with a large library of community templates.

Advantages over Boilerplate: Larger template ecosystem, Jinja2 familiarity for Python developers.

Boilerplate advantages:

• No Python/pip dependency — Boilerplate is a single binary you download and run. No virtual environments, no dependency conflicts.
• Template dependencies — Compose complex project structures from smaller, reusable template modules. Cookiecutter has no built-in composition system.
• Richer variable types — Lists, maps, and enums with real-time validations (required, regex, email, semver, etc.). Cookiecutter variables are limited to what JSON can express.
• Hooks with variable interpolation — Boilerplate hooks can reference template variables in commands, args, and environment variables. Cookiecutter hooks are plain scripts.
• Environment variable support — BOILERPLATE_VAR_<NAME> lets CI/CD pipelines inject values without modifying templates.
• Code snippet embedding — The snippet helper keeps documentation in sync with source code.
• Runbooks integration — Turn any Boilerplate template into an interactive web UI with zero additional code.

yeoman

yeoman is a JavaScript-based scaffolding tool with a good UI and large community. Generators are npm packages written in JavaScript.

Advantages over Boilerplate: Larger ecosystem of generators, richer interactive UI with sub-generators.

Boilerplate advantages:

• No Node.js dependency — Single binary vs. requiring Node.js, npm, and managing generator packages.
• Dramatically simpler template authoring — A Boilerplate template is just a YAML config file and some template files. A Yeoman generator is a full JavaScript class with lifecycle methods, prompt definitions, and file-writing logic.
• Template dependencies — Compose templates declaratively in YAML. Yeoman’s composition API (composeWith) requires writing JavaScript.
• First-class non-interactive mode — --non-interactive with --var, --var-file, and environment variables. Yeoman has no built-in non-interactive mode.

plop

plop is a JavaScript micro-generator framework focused on small code generation tasks within existing projects.

Advantages over Boilerplate: Good for small in-project generation tasks, Handlebars familiarity.

Boilerplate advantages:

• No Node.js dependency — Single binary with no runtime requirements.
• Template dependencies — Build complex multi-directory project structures from reusable modules. Plop is designed for single-file or small-scale generation.
• Richer variable types with validations — Seven built-in types with real-time validation feedback. Plop relies on Inquirer.js prompts with custom validation functions.
• Var files and environment variables — --var-file loads variables from YAML files, and BOILERPLATE_VAR_<NAME> injects values from the environment. Plop supports passing arguments on the command line but has no equivalent to var files.
• Remote template support — Fetch templates from Git repos, S3, GCS, or HTTP via go-getter URLs.

giter8

giter8 is a Scala-based template tool primarily used in the JVM ecosystem.

Advantages over Boilerplate: Tight integration with sbt and the Scala ecosystem.

Boilerplate advantages:

• Instant startup — Single binary starts immediately. giter8 requires loading the JVM and Scala libraries.
• Template dependencies — Compose templates declaratively. giter8 has no composition mechanism.
• Richer variable types — Seven types with validations. giter8 variables are strings with basic transformations.
• Hooks — Run arbitrary commands before/after generation with variable interpolation.
• Var files — Load variables from YAML files for repeatable, automated generation.
• Language-agnostic — giter8 is heavily tied to the JVM/Scala ecosystem. Boilerplate generates any type of project.

Copier

Copier is a Python-based tool similar to cookiecutter but with built-in template update/migration support.

Advantages over Boilerplate: Built-in template update/migration support (re-apply a template after it’s been updated), Jinja2 templates.

Boilerplate advantages:

• No Python dependency — Single binary with no runtime requirements.
• Template dependencies — Compose complex templates from smaller modules with variable inheritance, conditional skipping, and loop-based rendering. Copier has no dependency system.
• Code snippet embedding — The snippet helper extracts code from source files into generated docs.
• Hooks with variable interpolation — Full Go template syntax in hook commands, args, and env vars.
• Runbooks integration — Turn templates into interactive web UIs with auto-generated forms.

Hugo / Jekyll

Hugo and Jekyll are static site generators that use Go templates and Liquid templates respectively.

Not directly comparable — these are website generators, not general-purpose code scaffolding tools. However, if you’re looking for Go template-based code generation beyond websites, Boilerplate is the more flexible choice since it can generate any type of file and supports interactive prompts, dependencies, and non-interactive CI/CD workflows.

When to Use Boilerplate

Boilerplate is a good fit when you need:

• A single binary with no runtime dependencies (Python, Node.js, JVM, etc.)
• Template composition via dependencies so you can build complex templates from smaller, reusable modules
• Non-interactive mode for CI/CD pipelines with --var, --var-file, and environment variables
• Rich variable types including lists, maps, and enums with built-in validations
• Code snippet embedding to keep documentation in sync with source code
• Cross-platform support with the same binary on macOS, Linux, and Windows
• Integration with Runbooks to turn templates into interactive web UIs