create-expo-app (5.0.0) downloads a template, installs its dependencies and initializes a Git 1,932 repository. --template picks one of five SDK 57 starters: default (used without the flag: Expo Router 6,418 , TypeScript, two tabs and themed components in src/), blank (one App.js, JavaScript), blank-typescript, tabs (Expo Router with example screens) and bare-minimum (committed android/ and ios/ folders). default suits a production app, and Navigation moves BookNest onto Expo Router, but blank shows the moving parts best:
npx create-expo-app@latest BookNest --template blankCreating BookNest using the blank template. ✔ Downloaded and extracted project files. > npm install ... added 465 packages, and audited 466 packages in 17s ... ✅ Your project is ready!
The run took 22 seconds. In package.json, expo ~57.0.24 is the SDK, and it pins the React 7,897 (19.2.3) and React Native 36,878 (0.86.3) versions it was tested with; main points at index.js, and npm 2,036 run android is just expo start --android. The template also writes AGENTS.md, instructions for automated coding assistants; --no-agents-md skips it. The Git repository has no commit yet, so make one before you change anything.