🎉 Hologram - An Isomorphic Elixir Web Framework is Here!

[jam]

@bartblast

Given this, do you still see a need for a global state on the client-side?

Hmm I guess it depends a bit on what the context api looks like. I’ve been spoiled with svelte stores and find them super convenient.

@bartblast

I envision a solution using indexedDB underneath that can automatically sync with the server database when online, allowing for offline work as well

Great to hear. Seems like hologram could shine for the offline-first use case. Beyond making web dev simpler, I’m interested in using hologram to make apps that feel instant.

[zwippie]

I took Hologram for a quick ride and am excited and curious about future developments! Already very impressive.

My pipedream (I’m mostly a backend ui dev): Without blinking an eye create or use some sort of table component/page with sorting, filtering, pagination, maybe some editing and what more, without relying on/fighting with datatables or the like. Rich forms that interact with the server. And of course very snappy because much is offloaded to the browser.

To clarify: I care less about a web application being a SPA, I care more about smart and snappy web components that interact with a Phoenix/Ecto backend and require little/no JS to write.

Do you think Hologram will eventually be (very) suitable for such things? TBH my experiences with LiveView were ok-ish but not smashing, so I’m very curious where the Hologram approach could lead to.

Good luck!

[bartblast]

Thank you so much for trying out Hologram and for the kind words @zwippie!

Your “pipedream” actually aligns perfectly with where Hologram is headed! The framework is specifically designed to make building rich, interactive UIs feel natural for backend developers while keeping things snappy.

Hologram manages state in the browser and handles all server communication behind the scenes, which makes it perfect for building the kind of interactive tables and forms you described. You get fast, responsive UIs while still having seamless access to your backend when you need it.

The best part is that you can build all of this while writing pure Elixir code - no JavaScript required!

While I haven’t started work on a components library yet, it’s definitely on the roadmap. I’m planning to build reusable components for common UI patterns like tables with sorting/filtering/pagination to make building data-heavy applications even easier.

Keep an eye on the project - I think you’ll really like where it’s going. And please feel free to share any other thoughts or feature requests you might have. This kind of feedback is super valuable in shaping Hologram’s development!