wwwhat

A Rust-based HTML framework for building server-rendered web applications with automatic interactivity.

No JavaScript frameworks. No build steps. Just HTML.

Features

• File-based routing - site/about.html becomes /about
• Template variables - #user.name#, #session.count#, #var|filter:arg#
• Components - Reusable <what-*> tags with props, defaults, and slots
• HTML injection - w-get, w-post for AJAX without JavaScript
• Reactive session variables - Session values auto-update across the page
• JWT authentication - Protected routes and role-based access via auth: directives
• SQLite database - Schema declarations, auto-migration, collection queries
• Form validation - Client + server enforcement with w-validate
• Email sending - SMTP or Resend API, templates with #variable# syntax
• Live reload - Changes auto-refresh during development
• Static build - run-what build pre-renders to static HTML with minification
• Deploy - SSH, Docker, or static hosting via run-what deploy

Installation

# Install from crates.io (recommended)
cargo install run-what

# Or build from source
git clone https://github.com/tedigo/what.git
cd what
cargo build --release

Updating

cargo install run-what

Quick Start

# Create a new project
run-what new my-site
cd my-site

# Start the development server
run-what dev

# Open http://127.0.0.1:8085

Basic Usage

Create pages in the site/ directory:

<!-- site/index.html -->
<what>
title: Home
data.session = ["counter"]
</what>

<h1>#title#</h1>
<p>Count: #session.counter|default:"0"#</p>
<button w-set="session.counter += 1">+1</button>

Routes are file-based:

• site/index.html -> /
• site/about.html -> /about
• site/blog/index.html -> /blog
• site/blog/[slug].html -> /blog/:slug

Components are HTML files in components/:

<!-- components/card.html -> <what-card> -->
<what>
props = "title"
</what>
<div class="card">
  <h3>#title#</h3>
  <slot/>
</div>

Documentation

See the docs/ folder for detailed guides:

• Getting Started - Installation, create a project, first page
• Template Syntax - Variables, loops, conditionals, filters
• Components - Creating reusable components with props and slots
• Form Actions - CRUD operations without JavaScript
• Client Attributes - w-get, w-post, modals, SPA navigation
• Reactive Variables - Auto-updating session variables
• Configuration - Server, cache, session, database, auth, uploads, email
• Dynamic Routes - URL parameters and patterns
• CSS Framework - Utility classes, components, dark mode
• Reference - Complete cheat sheet of all features
• Build a Blog - End-to-end tutorial
• Deploy to Cloudflare - D1, R2, Turnstile setup (free tier)
• Comparisons - vs HTMX, Astro, Hugo

CLI Commands

run-what new [name]              # Create a new project (starter, demo, or blank)
run-what dev [--port N]          # Start dev server with hot reload
run-what build [--output dist]   # Pre-render to static HTML
run-what deploy [--target ssh]   # Deploy (ssh, docker, static)
run-what test                    # Run template tests
run-what generate page [name]    # Generate a new page
run-what generate component [name] # Generate a new component
run-what sitemap [--host URL]    # Generate sitemap.xml
run-what doctor                  # Check project health
run-what migrate [--target d1]   # Migrate database schema (d1 or sqlite)

License

MIT