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 - /pages/admin/users.html becomes /admin/users
• ColdFusion-style variables - #user.name#, #session.count#
• 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
• Live reload - Changes auto-refresh during development
• Component library - Reusable <w-*> tags

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

Quick Start

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

# Start the development server
run-what dev --path .

# Open http://127.0.0.1:8085

Basic Usage

Create pages in the pages/ directory:

<!-- pages/index.html -->
<page title="Home">
  <main>
    <h1>Hello, #name#!</h1>
  </main>
</page>

Routes are file-based:

• pages/index.html → /
• pages/about.html → /about
• pages/blog/index.html → /blog

Documentation

See the docs/ folder for detailed guides on:

• Template Syntax - Variables, includes, loops, conditionals
• Custom Tags - Creating reusable components
• Form Actions - CRUD operations without JavaScript
• Client Attributes - w-get, w-post, modals, SPA navigation
• Reactive Variables - Auto-updating session variables
• Configuration - Server, cache, and session settings
• Dynamic Routes - URL parameters and patterns

License

MIT