Show HN: Remake – A server-rendered framework for building CRUD web apps fast
My goal was to be 90% done building a web app once I had the static HTML and CSS finished. I’m not a big fan of building out API endpoints over and over again for every new app, fiddling with a database, or doing lots of config.
What I ended up with was a syntax that lets developers tag HTML elements as containing data (i.e. objects or arrays), thereby transforming the tree structure of the DOM into a JSON tree that can be saved to the current user's account. It took a while after that to evolve the syntax and make it easy to use.
I call the project Remake[0] and I’ve been working on it non-stop for the past year. After a failed Product Hunt launch[1], I kept going and managed to get my first few dozen users.
I live stream my progress on Twitch[2] (Thursdays and Fridays, 12pm EST) and I’m consistently able to build full CRUD web apps within hours — projects that would’ve easily taken me weeks or months before.
A bonus that HN might appreciate: Remake is a server-rendered framework, so the front-end library isn't even necessary or loaded for 90% of users. Only logged in users who can edit the current page need to have JS enabled.
To see a 12 line, fully-functional todo app, a 30 minute Trello clone tutorial, and the rest of the docs, see: https://docs.remaketheweb.com/
[0] https://remaketheweb.com/
[1] https://blog.remaketheweb.com/product-hunt-ux-bugs-derailed-my-launch/
[2] https://www.twitch.tv/panphora
12 comments
[ 0.26 ms ] story [ 43.9 ms ] threadThis might be a good stepping stone for people wanting to transition from modifying an existing CMS to actual web programming where there are frameworks, ORMs, and libraries that do let you build a multi-user app in a few hours.
As a solo founder with a short amount of time before launch (and a day job), I had to decide to focus on only one thing for the main landing page. That ended up being selling the benefits of the product instead of focusing on the technical details. I recorded a 2 hour screencast going through the entire backend for devs who are interested in that — and I also plan to put together a blog post outlining all the tradeoffs I made. I'm sorry the documentation doesn't explain enough yet — I know it's lacking.
However, you're partly right: I think the people who would benefit the most from using Remake are probably designers and developers with 3-4 months of experience. Long term, I think they'll be at least 70% of Remake's market. However, I think it's also a great tool for more experienced developers like you.
It's true that you can make other stacks work for you, and, especially if you have a starter project you can clone, you can get something up and running within a few hours. However, Remake's true strength comes from the power of its mental model. The page state, page logic, and page structure are all nested together in HTML template files — which are the only files you need to create an entire web app, including saving data, enabling user accounts, advanced routing, and performing CRUD operations. That's a pretty powerful way to build something.
As someone with 8 years of experience building web apps, I can say with confidence that Remake speeds me up at least 500% when it comes to building simple CRUD apps. It's not good with building social networks or analytics platforms, but it's perfect for simple page builders. I'd recommend giving it a shot and seeing if it appeals to you before dismissing it. If nothing else, it might help you test out a few ideas you might dismiss otherwise simply because you can build them so fast!
SeekWell is my full time gig, working growing revenue so it stays that way!
That's awesome it's your full time gig - congrats! I hope to get Remake there some day!
Either way looks pretty neat, best of luck!