Show HN: TownSquare, a tiny presence layer for websites

#1

Post by cauenapier » Sat, Jun 20, 2026, 11:55 AM UTC

https://cauenapier.com/blog/townsquare_release/

https://cauenapier.com/blog/townsquare/

Show HN: TownSquare, a tiny presence layer for websites
townsquare.cauenapier.com

Re: Show HN: TownSquare, a tiny presence layer for websites

#2

Post by vitorbaptistaa » Sat, Jun 20, 2026, 11:45 PM UTC

This is amazing! Congratulations on the launch. Repository link somewhere?

Re: Show HN: TownSquare, a tiny presence layer for websites

#3

Post by sourcegrift » Sat, Jun 20, 2026, 11:47 PM UTC

First saw this on lobste.rs . Great idea, perhaps allow for a little customisation? I'd like minimal animation, just a counter of present people and a green dot that vibrates when someone is typing. Clicking either opens a chat box with last 20 minutes.

Re: Show HN: TownSquare, a tiny presence layer for websites

#4

Post by loloquwowndueo » Sat, Jun 20, 2026, 11:55 PM UTC

> NOTE: This project has been mostly vibe-coded

I deeply appreciate the honesty here. I’ll pass based on the vibecodedness of it but perhaps it won’t be a dealbreaker for others.

Re: Show HN: TownSquare, a tiny presence layer for websites

#5

Post by melvinczyk » Sat, Jun 20, 2026, 11:57 PM UTC

I like the idea of this like a town square for websites. Nice job

Re: Show HN: TownSquare, a tiny presence layer for websites

#6

Post by monkeymeister » Sat, Jun 20, 2026, 11:59 PM UTC

Neat idea! It's simple but very effective - and I really enjoy the detail of the benches and the tree. Very nice.

I wouldn't add it to any of my sites due to the unmoderated nature of it - seeing some fairly unsavory things in your demo - but that's just a little tweak, I'm sure!

Re: Show HN: TownSquare, a tiny presence layer for websites

#7

Post by cyanydeez » Sat, Jun 20, 2026, 11:59 PM UTC

would make more sense with webrtc.

Re: Show HN: TownSquare, a tiny presence layer for websites

#8

Post by sourcegrift » Sun, Jun 21, 2026, 12:15 AM UTC

monkeymeister wrote: post #6

Neat idea! It's simple but very effective - and I really enjoy the detail of the benches and the tree. Very nice. I wouldn't add it to any of my sites due to the unmoderated nature of it - seeing some fairly unsavory things in your demo - but that's just a little tweak, I'm sure!

If your website attracts such elements perhaps there's a reason?

Re: Show HN: TownSquare, a tiny presence layer for websites

#9

Post by lellow » Sun, Jun 21, 2026, 12:28 AM UTC

haha nice project! I stayed there for a couple of minutes and had such a good time!

Re: Show HN: TownSquare, a tiny presence layer for websites

#10

Post by SpyCoder77 » Sun, Jun 21, 2026, 12:35 AM UTC

vitorbaptistaa wrote: post #2

This is amazing! Congratulations on the launch. Repository link somewhere?

In the footer. https://github.com/cauenapier/TownSquare