Naming Conventions

How to name apps, files, tables, variables, and environment variables in the monorepo.

Consistent naming is how the monorepo stays navigable across 30+ apps. Follow these conventions when you create files, tables, or variables — and when in doubt, look at how existing apps do it.

Quick Reference

Item	Convention	Example
App directory	kebab-case	`apps/checkin-board/`
Database table (app-specific)	snake_case, app-prefixed	`checkin_board_checkin`
Database table (shared)	semantic prefix	`class_user`, `log_activity`
Component file	PascalCase.tsx	`UserProfile.tsx`
Utility file	camelCase.ts	`formatDate.ts`
API route folder	kebab-case	`app/api/user-profile/route.ts`
Page route folder	kebab-case	`app/user-settings/page.tsx`
Variable	camelCase	`userName`, `totalCount`
Function	camelCase (verb-noun)	`getUserData()`, `calculateTotal()`
Constant	UPPER_SNAKE_CASE	`MAX_RETRY_ATTEMPTS`
React Hook	`useCamelCase`	`useUserData()`
CSS class	kebab-case	`user-card`
Environment variable	UPPER_SNAKE_CASE	`DATABASE_URL`, `AUTH_UI_URL`
Package name	kebab-case	`"name": "checkin-board"`

Apps

Use kebab-case — lowercase, hyphen-separated:

✅ checkin-board, breakfast-tracker, meal-planner
❌ CheckinBoard, checkin_board, checkinBoard

The app directory, the name field in package.json, and the root scripts (dev:<app-name>, build:<app-name>, start:<app-name>) must all match.

Database Tables

App-specific tables are prefixed with the app name in snake_case:

{app_name}_{table_name}

Convert the app's kebab-case name to snake_case: checkin-board → checkin_board_*.

App	Example table
`checkin-board`	`checkin_board_checkin`
`breakfast-tracker`	`breakfast_tracker_meal`
`meal-planner`	`meal_planner_recipe`

Shared tables (used by multiple apps) use semantic prefixes instead: class_user, log_activity, map_*. See Database for the full schema workflow.

Environment Variables

Use UPPER_SNAKE_CASE. For app-specific GitHub secrets that map into Railway, prefix with the app name in snake_case:

BREAKFAST_TRACKER_SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL
RECRUIT_ASHBY_API_KEY
STAFF_MEAL_TRACKER_OPENAI_API_KEY

This keeps GitHub variables collision-free across 30+ apps. See Environment Variables for how these map to Railway.

Next.js public variables (exposed to the browser) prefix with NEXT_PUBLIC_ — NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL.

Ask Claude

Check if a new name follows conventions

Claude prompt

I want to create a new app called "Meal Planner". What should the directory name, package name, table prefix, and GitHub secret prefix look like? Follow the monorepo naming conventions.

Quiz

Which of these is the correct table name for a 'reservations' table in the 'checkin-board' app?

CheckinBoardReservationscheckin-board-reservationscheckin_board_reservationsreservations