Documentation

Learn how to run services locally without Kubernetes and use tdk doctor and tdk up in place of a setup wiki. Onboarding time has not been measured on a hiring cohort.

Quick Start

Follow the quickstart to create a local stack and check its health URL.

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Configuration

The complete service.json schema, field by field.

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package.json Scripts

The dev/build/start scripts each appType requires, and how tdk doctor checks them.

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Examples & Repos

Explore tdk-example, tdk-user-management, tdk-erp-system (100 services), the restaurant operations stack, and the SaaS starter.

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Deploy with Helm

Carry TDK generated services into a Kubernetes chart you own.

Read the Helm guide →

Compare tools

TDK against Garden, Skaffold, Codespaces and the rest with transparent pricing.

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What is TDK CLI?

TDK CLI starts services on your machine. It is not a deploy and not a Compose file: describe each service in service.json, then run tdk up. Production deployment stays with Helm, Argo CD, or Kustomize. Start with the quickstart, then see how TDK works alongside Helm.

Describe each service in service.json, then use TDK to generate the local Docker and Tilt setup. See the Helm handoff for cluster deployment.

  • Dockerfile with optimized L1-L4 golden layering
  • Vite and TypeScript configuration per app type, for React (default) or Vue 3 frontends
  • nginx reverse proxy rules and Traefik routes
  • Environment files and .npmrc wired to the local registry
  • Tiltfile for local orchestration
  • An AGENTS.md in each .autogenerated/ folder that tells coding assistants not to edit generated files

Why it matters for the business

TDK is designed so tdk doctor and tdk up replace a setup wiki. Onboarding time has not been measured on a hiring cohort. See the illustrative scenario.

Key capabilities

Manifest-driven

Single source of truth with simple JSON configuration.

Docker only

No Kubernetes required for local development.

Auto-generation

Docker + Tilt files for the local development loop.

Golden images

Production-ready Docker layering, L1 through L4.

Auto-discovery

Finds services in your directory structure automatically.

Built on Tilt

9.4k GitHub stars. Battle-tested stability.