Bialet#

Web development became a spaceship. Bialet is a bicycle.

Build data-driven web apps from a single file. No NPM, no YAML, no separate database servers. Just a tiny binary with a built-in HTTP server, a lightweight scripting language, and SQLite.

Download Binaries

Zero installation required. Just extract and run.

All platforms & install options

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Features#

A Tiny Single Binary

Drop the gigabytes of node_modules. Bialet is a small, self-contained executable. Copy it to your server, and your app is deployed.

SQLite is Built-in

Forget about provisioning databases or writing connection strings. Real data persistence works completely out of the box.

Zero Build Step

Write a .wren file, save it, and refresh your browser. No compilers, no bundlers, no watch processes.

HTML is the Real Frontend

Use standard HTML and CSS. Bialet lets you build server-rendered apps the classic, straightforward way. Add JS only if you want to.

Your whole app in one file (`app.wren`)#

// 1. Create your database table automatically
`CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS messages (text TEXT)`.query

// 2. Handle POST requests and save data
if (Request.isPost) {
  `messages`.save({"text": Request.post("msg")})
}

// 3. Fetch data using pure SQL
var messages = `SELECT * FROM messages`.fetch

// 4. Return HTML directly
return <main>
  <h1>Bialet Guestbook</h1>

  <form method="post">
    <input name="msg" placeholder="Write a message...">
    <button>Submit</button>
  </form>
  <hr>
  <ul>
    {{ messages.map {|m| <li>{{ m["text"] }}</li> } }}
  </ul>
</main>

Bialet integrates the Wren language with a HTTP server and a built-in SQLite database — in a single binary. No configuration files, no dependencies, no build step. Just write .wren files and run.

Run bialet in your project folder and open 127.0.0.1:7001.

The Bialet Manifesto — Ride Light 🚲#

Ride Light

Simplicity is a superpower. Every line of tooling you don’t write is a line of your app that ships faster.
Standards, not frameworks. HTML, SQL, and HTTP have outlived every framework. Master them and your knowledge stays relevant.
One file to deploy. No containers, no orchestration, no docker-compose.yml. Copy the binary — that’s it.
Batteries included. Server, database, templating — all in one binary under 1 MB. No external services to provision.
Ride light. Complexity is a choice. Choose less, and you’ll go further than you think.

Who is Bialet for?#

Internal Tools & Dashboards

Spin up a data-driven admin panel in minutes with zero infrastructure overhead.

Learning & Teaching

Focus on HTML, SQL, and core logic. Skip the webpack configs and ORM abstractions.

Lovers of Simplicity

If you prefer one tool that does its job perfectly over a chaotic stack of micro-libraries, hop on.

Full Documentation All Install Options