Generate Templates

The generate feature allows you to quickly scaffold a basic pricing structure template that you can customize for your needs.

Overview

Creating a pricing structure from scratch can be time-consuming. The generate feature lets you quickly create a template pricing file with common structures like tiers, intervals, and metadata. This is perfect for getting started with Prices as Code or for quickly setting up a new pricing model.

Using the CLI

The simplest way to generate a pricing template is using the CLI:

npx prices-as-code generate pricing.yml

This will create a YAML file with a default pricing structure containing three tiers (basic, pro, enterprise) with monthly and yearly pricing options.

Customizing Your Template

You can customize your generated template with several options:

--tiers: Define your product tiers (comma-separated)
--intervals: Set billing intervals (comma-separated)
--currency: Set the currency (ISO code)
--format: Output format (yaml, json, or ts)
--no-metadata: Don't include metadata in the template
--no-features: Don't include feature lists in the template

Examples

# Generate with custom tiers
npx prices-as-code generate --tiers=free,basic,pro pricing.yml

# Generate with custom currency and format
npx prices-as-code generate --currency=eur --format=ts pricing.ts

# Generate with only monthly billing
npx prices-as-code generate --intervals=month pricing.yml

# Generate without metadata
npx prices-as-code generate --no-metadata pricing.yml

Programmatic Usage

You can also generate templates programmatically:

import { generate } from 'prices-as-code';

async function generatePricing() {
  const result = await generate({
    configPath: './pricing.yml',
    format: 'yaml',
    productTiers: ['free', 'basic', 'pro'],
    intervals: ['month', 'year'],
    currency: 'usd',
    includeMetadata: true,
    includeFeatures: true
  });
  
  console.log(`Generated template with ${result.products.length} products and ${result.prices.length} prices`);
}

generatePricing();

Generated Structure

The generated template includes:

Products for each tier with appropriate names and descriptions
Prices for each tier and interval combination
Metadata with display information
Feature lists that get more advanced with higher tiers
Pricing that follows standard SaaS patterns (monthly & yearly options with discounts)

Here's an example of a generated template structure:

products:
  - provider: stripe
    name: Basic Plan
    description: Basic features for individuals
    features:
      - Core feature 1
      - Core feature 2
    highlight: false
    metadata:
      displayOrder: 1
      key: basic
    key: basic
  # More products...

prices:
  - provider: stripe
    name: Basic Monthly
    nickname: Basic Monthly
    unitAmount: 999
    currency: usd
    type: recurring
    recurring:
      interval: month
      intervalCount: 1
    active: true
    productKey: basic
    metadata:
      displayName: Basic Monthly
      popular: false
  # More prices...

Customizing After Generation

After generating your template, you should:

Update product names, descriptions, and features to match your actual offerings
Adjust pricing to reflect your business model
Add any additional metadata relevant to your application
Modify or add tiers as needed

The generate feature provides a solid starting point, but you'll want to customize it to fit your specific needs.

Next Steps

After generating and customizing your pricing template, you can:

Guides