Archetype
Production project scaffolding to launch secure, enterprise-grade software on day one without configuration delays.
Opinionated CLI toolkit and code generators providing enterprise-grade security headers, typed RPC interfaces, and production Docker configurations.
The architectural challenge
Setting up a modern, enterprise-ready full-stack application typically requires weeks of boilerplate configuration: configuring TypeScript strict mode, setting up ESLint and formatting, hardening HTTP security headers (CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options), creating multi-stage Docker builds, configuring CI/CD pipelines, and establishing test harnesses. Small mistakes in early configurations compound into severe technical debt.
Maintaining cross-platform compatibility across macOS, Linux, and Windows environments.
Adapting configurations seamlessly across differing framework versions without fragile regex string replacements.
Balancing strict security defaults with developer ergonomics during local development.
Scarif Labs' role & execution
Scarif Labs designed, developed, and open-sourced Archetype as our standard studio scaffolding toolkit to guarantee architectural consistency across all builds.
- ↳Created an interactive, terminal-based wizard interface with zero-dependency CLI prompts and instant feedback.
- ↳Designed clean, self-documenting starter codebases with thorough README guides and architecture decision records (ADRs).
- ↳Built automated audit commands that inspect live codebases against OWASP security and performance benchmarks.
- ↳Engineered Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) transformers that programmatically inject configurations into existing files without corrupting syntax.
- ↳Built optimized multi-stage Dockerfiles achieving minimal image sizes (<100MB) with non-root security execution.
- ↳Configured production security defaults including strict Content Security Policy, HSTS preload, and permissions policy headers.
System architecture & solution
Archetype operates as a modular CLI engine. When invoked, it evaluates project parameters, synthesizes configuration templates, applies AST transformations to target package manifests and config files, and initializes verified GitHub Actions workflows, Docker environments, and security headers.
Used Babel and TypeScript compiler APIs for structural AST transformations, ensuring all injected code respects existing project indentation, comments, and syntax standards.
Verified results & benchmarks
Reduced project initialization and security hardening time from 2 weeks down to under 5 minutes.
100% compliance with OWASP Top 10 web application security guidelines achieved out-of-the-box on new builds.
Used across all Scarif Labs production builds to guarantee architectural uniformity and zero configuration drift.
“Developer tools must be opinionated in their defaults but transparent in their output. Never hide configuration behind runtime magic; generate readable, standard files that developers own completely.”
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