A server-first Node.js framework. Zero runtime dependencies.
One spec. One way to build. Production quality by design.
Each page is a single plain JS object — server data, client state, mutations, and view co-located in one place. Streaming SSR, security headers, and production caching are enforced by the framework, not left to configuration.
Designed for AI agents. Simple enough to write yourself.
The idea
The spec is the page
Everything a page needs lives in one plain JS object — server data, client state, mutations, and view. One format, no split files, no hidden conventions.
The schema is the contract
Every spec is validated at startup. Either it's correct or it's rejected — no ambiguity, no misconfiguration that surfaces later in production.
The framework is the guarantee
Streaming SSR, security headers, and production caching come from the architecture. You write the product logic. The framework ships the quality.
Everything a page needs. Nothing it doesn't.
Server fetchers, client state, mutations, and view are co-located in one object. No split files. No magic exports. The spec is the page — readable, predictable, complete.
export default {
route: '/dashboard',
meta: {
title: 'Dashboard — My App',
styles: ['/app.css'],
},
server: {
data: async (ctx) => {
const user = await db.users.find(ctx.cookies.userId)
return { user, stats: await db.stats.forUser(user.id) }
},
},
state: { filter: 'all' },
mutations: {
setFilter: (state, event) => ({ filter: event.target.value }),
},
view: (state, server) => `
<main id="main-content">
<h1>Hello, ${server.data.user.name}</h1>
<select data-event="change:setFilter">
<option value="all">All time</option>
<option value="week">This week</option>
</select>
<p>${server.data.stats[state.filter].total} requests</p>
</main>
`,
}The constraint is the point. For humans and agents alike.
Pulse was designed around a simple observation: when there is only one correct way to build a page, every page is built correctly — whether you wrote it or an AI did. The spec format is the advantage. The schema is the enforcement.
For developers
- One format to learn — server, state, mutations, view in one place.
- Production quality is the starting point, not a final audit.
- Specs are short, self-contained, and easy to review.
- Nothing to misconfigure — the framework doesn't give you the choice.
For AI agents
- One valid structure per page — agents can't pick the wrong pattern.
- The schema rejects bad output at startup, not in production.
- Security, SSR, and caching can't be accidentally omitted.
- Consistent output across agents, sessions, and team members.
Constraints enforced. Not recommended.
Pulse enforces correctness out of the box. Other frameworks leave production quality to the developer.
| Pulse | Next.js / Remix | SvelteKit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ways to write a page | One — the spec schema | App Router, Pages Router, RSC, client components, loaders… | +page.svelte, +page.server.js, load(), form actions… |
| Agent-readable structure | One JS object per page | Files, folders, magic exports spread across dirs | Files, folders, Svelte syntax |
| SSR out of the box | Streaming SSR, zero config | Yes, but client hydration adds JS on every page | Yes, but requires an adapter and client runtime on every page |
| Client JS shipped | ~4 kB brotli on first visit; 0 kB on static pages | 50–200 kB+ depending on features used | ~15 kB brotli |
| Security headers | On every response, built in | Manual middleware or plugin | Manual hooks setup |
| CLS | Targets 0.00 — shell renders before data arrives | Depends on implementation | Depends on implementation |
| Runtime dependencies | Zero — pure Node.js HTTP | React, 50+ transitive packages | Svelte runtime + adapters |
| Production build step | Server needs none — node server.js is production. Client bundles are optional. |
Required — next build |
Required — vite build |
Performance by design
Performance is not a Pulse feature — it is a structural outcome. A high Lighthouse score is the baseline. There is nothing to configure because the architecture makes the right choices automatically.
- Fast LCP by design. The shell streams to the browser instantly. Deferred segments arrive as data resolves — no blocking, no flash, no placeholder juggling.
- ~4 kB of JS on first visit. The shared runtime is brotli-compressed and cached across all navigations. Subsequent pages cost 0.4–0.9 kB. Static pages ship zero JS.
- Zero CLS. The shell occupies the correct layout before data arrives. No layout shift because there is no placeholder to replace.
-
Immutable bundle caching.
Production bundles are content-hashed and served with
immutable, max-age=31536000. Returning visitors pay no JS cost on deploy.
Safe by design
Security is not a plugin in Pulse — it is part of the response pipeline. Every response ships the headers most frameworks leave to the developer to remember to add.
-
Security headers on every response.
X-Frame-Options,X-Content-Type-Options,Referrer-Policy,Permissions-Policy,Cross-Origin-Opener-Policy— set automatically, including on 404 and 500 pages. -
Declarative state constraints.
constraintsenforce min/max bounds on state after every mutation. Values can never go out of range regardless of what the client sends. - Co-located validation. Validation rules live next to the state they guard. Easy to read, easy to review, impossible to misplace.
-
Guard before data.
The
guardfunction runs before any server fetcher executes — authentication and authorisation checks cannot be accidentally bypassed.
Nothing to configure
No bundler config. No framework boilerplate. No runtime dependencies to install, audit, or upgrade. Pulse eliminates the category of problems that come from misconfiguration.
-
Zero runtime dependencies.
The server is pure Node.js HTTP. No Express, no Fastify, no React. Nothing to add to
package.jsonto run a production server. -
No server build step.
node server.jsis production. The optional build step generates content-hashed client bundles — the server runs without it. - esbuild only in development. The one dev dependency that compiles client bundles is esbuild. Fast, zero plugins to configure, never part of the production runtime.
- No breaking upgrades. Page files have no framework imports. The spec is a plain JS object. There is no framework API surface in your code to break across versions.
Performance you can measure.
Report generated 9 Apr 2026, 09:35 · measured from a real Pulse build
One format. Every page. Production ready.
- One spec object per page — always valid, always readable
- Streaming SSR and security headers, zero configuration
- 100 Lighthouse built into the architecture
- Works with AI agents — and without them
- MIT licensed, zero runtime dependencies
Pulse is in early access. The goal is not to compete on features — it is to eliminate the class of problems that come from having too many of them.