CLI local dev

[artemdemo]

Note

Description

Adds a local development mode via the base44 dev command that enables running Base44 applications entirely offline without backend connectivity. The implementation includes an Express-based API server that emulates Base44's backend, an in-memory NeDB database for entity storage, and a sophisticated Deno runtime manager that spawns isolated worker processes for each function with dynamic port allocation.

Related Issue

None

Type of Change

• Bug fix (non-breaking change which fixes an issue)
• New feature (non-breaking change which adds functionality)
• Breaking change (fix or feature that would cause existing functionality to not work as expected)
• Documentation update
• Refactoring (no functional changes)
• Other (please describe):

Changes Made

• Added base44 dev CLI command for starting local development server
• Created Express-based dev server (src/dev-server/main.ts) running on port 3000 with CORS support
• Implemented in-memory entity database using @seald-io/nedb for session-scoped storage with full CRUD operations
• Built FunctionManager class that spawns and manages isolated Deno worker processes with automatic port allocation (starting from 4001)
• Implemented entity API routes (/api/apps/:appId/entities) emulating Base44's entity endpoints (list, get, create, update, delete, query)
• Created HTTP proxy layer for routing function invocations to Deno workers
• Developed Deno runtime wrapper (deno-runtime/main.ts) that patches Deno.serve to inject dynamic ports for function isolation
• Added integration routes for custom integrations and endpoints (placeholder implementations)
• Updated build system (infra/build.ts) to bundle CLI and Deno runtime separately, changed CLI output to dist/cli/index.js
• Added .base44/ to gitignore templates for both backend-and-client and backend-only project types
• Added dependencies: express, cors, @seald-io/nedb, get-port and their TypeScript type definitions

Testing

• I have tested these changes locally
• I have added/updated tests as needed
• All tests pass (bun test)

Checklist

• My code follows the project's style guidelines
• I have performed a self-review of my own code
• I have commented my code, particularly in hard-to-understand areas
• I have made corresponding changes to the documentation (if applicable)
• My changes generate no new warnings
• I have updated AGENTS.md if I made architectural changes

Additional Notes

Architecture Overview:

The dev server follows a clean separation of concerns:

• src/dev-server/ - Express server with routing logic and API emulation
• deno-runtime/ - Deno-side wrapper that intercepts Deno.serve() calls to inject allocated ports
• Database class - Isolated entity CRUD operations with in-memory NeDB storage
• FunctionManager class - Function lifecycle management (spawn, port allocation, readiness detection, cleanup)

Current capabilities:

• Loads entities and functions from project configuration at startup
• In-memory entity operations persist for the server session
• Each function runs in an isolated Deno process with dynamically allocated port (starting from 4001)
• HTTP proxy routes function invocations to the correct Deno worker
• Graceful shutdown handling cleans up all spawned processes
• Fixed port (3000) for the dev server itself (intentional for client alignment)

Known limitations:

• No hot-reloading for code changes (requires server restart)
• No site/static file serving yet
• Integration routes are placeholder implementations
• CLAUDE.md not yet updated to document the new architecture
• No automated tests for dev server functionality

Future enhancements:

• Hot-reloading support for entities and functions
• Enhanced error handling and structured logging
• Static site serving integration
• Frontend build workflow integration
• Automated tests for dev server functionality

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_{🤖 Generated by Claude | 2026-02-05 14:15 UTC}

[github-actions]

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Install this PR's preview build with npm:

npm i @base44-preview/cli@0.0.28-pr.195.8b03abf

Prefer not to change any import paths? Install using npm alias so your code still imports base44:

npm i "base44@npm:@base44-preview/cli@0.0.28-pr.195.8b03abf"

Or add it to your package.json dependencies:

{
  "dependencies": {
    "base44": "npm:@base44-preview/cli@0.0.28-pr.195.8b03abf"
  }
}

• 📦 Preview Package: @base44-preview/cli@0.0.28-pr.195.8b03abf
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