anchor init

Initialize a new Anchor workspace with programs, tests, and configurations

Overview

The anchor init command creates a new Anchor workspace with all necessary files and directories, including program templates, test configurations, and package management setup.

Command Syntax

anchor init <name> [OPTIONS]

Arguments

name · string · required

Workspace name. Must be a valid Rust identifier (no reserved words, cannot start with a digit).

Options

--javascript · flag · default: "false"

Use JavaScript instead of TypeScript for test files

--no-install · flag · default: "false"

Don’t install JavaScript dependencies after initialization

--package-manager · enum · default: "yarn"

Package manager to use for installing dependencies

Options: yarn, npm, pnpm, bun

--no-git · flag · default: "false"

Don’t initialize a git repository

--template · enum · default: "multiple"

Rust program template to use

Options:

• single: Program with a single lib.rs file (not recommended for production)
• multiple: Program with multiple files for instructions, state, etc. (recommended)

--test-template · enum · default: "mocha"

Test template to use

Options: mocha, jest, rust, mollusk

--force · flag · default: "false"

Initialize even if there are files in the directory

Examples

Basic Initialization

Create a new workspace with default settings:

anchor init my_project

Output:

my_project initialized

Using JavaScript with npm

anchor init my_project --javascript --package-manager npm

Custom Template Configuration

Use a single-file program template with Jest tests:

anchor init my_project --template single --test-template jest

Skip Dependency Installation

anchor init my_project --no-install

Generated Structure

The command creates the following directory structure:

my_project/
├── .anchor/
├── app/
├── programs/
│   └── my_project/
│       ├── src/
│       │   ├── lib.rs
│       │   ├── constants.rs (multiple template)
│       │   ├── error.rs (multiple template)
│       │   ├── instructions.rs (multiple template)
│       │   ├── instructions/
│       │   │   └── initialize.rs (multiple template)
│       │   └── state.rs (multiple template)
│       └── Cargo.toml
├── tests/
│   └── my_project.ts
├── migrations/
│   └── deploy.ts
├── target/
│   └── deploy/
│       └── my_project-keypair.json
├── Anchor.toml
├── Cargo.toml
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
├── .gitignore
└── .prettierignore

Configuration Files

Anchor.toml

The workspace configuration file is created with:

• Default cluster set to localnet
• Program deployment configuration
• Test script configuration
• Toolchain settings (package manager)

Cargo.toml

Root workspace manifest with:

• Workspace members pointing to programs/*
• Release profile optimizations
• Overflow checks enabled

Notes

The workspace name is converted to snake_case for Rust identifiers and kebab-case for directory names.

The command will fail if a workspace already exists in the current directory, unless --force is specified.

Use the multiple template (default) for better code organization and maintainability in production applications.