# Introduction (/docs)

> Assemble modular full-stack TypeScript monorepos with Stanza.

**Stanza** is a [shadcn/ui](https://ui.shadcn.com)-style CLI for assembling modular full-stack TypeScript monorepos. Pick a framework, UI, database, ORM, and auth — Stanza vendors idiomatic code directly into your repo, with no additional runtime dependencies to maintain afterwards.

<Callout title="Stanza is in early alpha!" type="warn">
  Expect breaking changes, rough edges, and incomplete modules. Take extra care when pointing
  `stanza-cli` at an existing project; commit your work first, and review the output thoroughly
  before keeping it.
</Callout>

## Why Stanza [#why-stanza]

* **`add` works after `init`.** Run `stanza add` on an existing project. It reads your `stanza.json` manifest, resolves peer constraints, and picks the right adapter for your stack — so adding auth to a Next + Drizzle app writes different code than adding it to a TanStack Start + Prisma app.
* **Your code, vendored.** Generated files land in your repo verbatim. There's no `@stanza/runtime` package to install, and nothing to upgrade out from under you — the code is yours to edit.
* **Open registry.** Modules are plain static JSON. The CLI ships with a default registry, but you can point it at your own host with `STANZA_REGISTRY` and serve custom modules.

## How it fits together [#how-it-fits-together]

You choose modules across a small set of **categories** — `framework`, `ui`, `db`, `orm`, `auth`, `tooling`, `testing`, [and more](/docs/registry). Stanza scaffolds a clean monorepo, vendoring each module's templates, dependencies, and environment variables into the right place: app shell code into your app, data and auth layers into their own workspace packages. Later, `stanza add` and `stanza remove` layer modules in and out without you hand-editing the wiring.

## Next steps [#next-steps]

* **[Getting started](/docs/getting-started)** — create your first project and add a module.
* **[Concepts](/docs/concepts)** — the mental model: categories, vendoring, peers, and the manifest.
* **[CLI reference](/docs/cli)** — every verb, flag, and environment variable.
* **[Agents](/docs/agents)** — drive Stanza from Claude Code, Codex, or any coding agent.

Or skip ahead and assemble a stack visually with the [builder](/).