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Launch HN: Modelence (YC S25) – App Builder with TypeScript / MongoDB Framework

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31–40 of 47 posts

Re: Launch HN: Modelence (YC S25) – App Builder with TypeScript / MongoDB Framework

#31

You use a static typed language for guardrails but then you throw out the guardrails of a database schema? Seems like those two decisions are directly at odds. Without a db schema, you still have to worry about migrating data at runtime or otherwise. Removing the schema just shifts the pain doesn’t remove it, in my experience.

MongoDB actually has built-in schema validation which can be enabled, we're just not using it at the moment because we haven't yet found a good use case where the TypeScript schema itself is not enough.

The schema in Modelence is defined in your code, and at the moment the only use case where it's not enough is if someone directly modifies the database data externally. We're not against having the native MongoDB schema as an extra enforcement, the only reason we haven't added it yet is because it requires extra work to carefully sync both. I believe at some point we'll add it as an extra layer to prevent corrupting the data by direct modifications.

Re: Launch HN: Modelence (YC S25) – App Builder with TypeScript / MongoDB Framework

#33
Maintaining a codebase with mongodb db is already hard enough considering 99% of the time you need a relational db. It always end up as a mess. But letting an llm doing this as well, ouch. I fear for the maintainability of the codebase in the long term.

Re: Launch HN: Modelence (YC S25) – App Builder with TypeScript / MongoDB Framework

#35
If you take your idea and add some web ui to manage the creation of apps and connect the pieces, I believe that there's great potential!

A couple years back I had a similar idea, but with a postgres+deno, and using .md files as the spec that generated the code https://github.com/lfarroco/verbo-lang

I think that in the future we might have specialized agents that operate under a specific opinionated tech stack. Like having one that is specialized in creating cli apps, another one for react+django+whatever, etc.

Re: Launch HN: Modelence (YC S25) – App Builder with TypeScript / MongoDB Framework

#36

Maintaining a codebase with mongodb db is already hard enough considering 99% of the time you need a relational db. It always end up as a mess. But letting an llm doing this as well, ouch. I fear for the maintainability of the codebase in the long term.

Both are hard for complex apps regardless, which is why we’re making sure that the framework has all the necessary guardrails to prevent devs from using it incorrectly.

Relational dbs just have more built-in guardrails, but in our case we prefer to have the same guardrails in the framework.

Re: Launch HN: Modelence (YC S25) – App Builder with TypeScript / MongoDB Framework

#37

If you take your idea and add some web ui to manage the creation of apps and connect the pieces, I believe that there's great potential! A couple years back I had a similar idea, but with a postgres+deno, and using .md files as the spec that generated the code https://github.com/lfarroco/verbo-lang I think that in the future we might have specialized agents that operate under a specific opinionated tech stack. Like h…

We do have the UI / dashboards, built into the platform - and it's actually one of the most valuable pieces. It's in the second half of the demo video!

And great point - while we're focusing on full-stack web apps, I believe the same problem exists for other domains / stacks and there will most likely be more players focusing on these as well.

Re: Launch HN: Modelence (YC S25) – App Builder with TypeScript / MongoDB Framework

#38
post #32

To confirm I have the option to run essentially the whole stack on my own in my own hardware if I so choose? That's the ultimate unlock of Open Source trust and no lock-in. Makes it much easier for me to adopt you if you have that

Yes - since the framework itself is open-source, you are free to take it and run anywhere you'd like. Of course, the experience is much better if you run on Modelence Cloud since it's zero config and also gives you the dashboards / UI to manage everything out of the box. But ultimately there is no lock-in whatsoever, you could even fork the framework repo and modify it as you wish.

Re: Launch HN: Modelence (YC S25) – App Builder with TypeScript / MongoDB Framework

#39

The TypeScript + MongoDB combination for AI coding is a smart architectural choice. I've found that schema-less databases reduce the class of errors agents struggle with most - the migration/schema drift issues that require understanding of state over time. Question: How are you handling the built-in auth when users want to extend it? For example, adding OAuth providers that aren't pre-configured, or custom claims/ro…

LLMs are pretty great with django...
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