Show HN: Lightwave – Real-time notes app, 3.5 years of hand-rolled JavaScript
Source: Hacker News
Overview
Hi HN!
I’ve been building Lightwave solo for about three and a half years. I kept trying every new project/notes tool (Notion, Asana, Trello, etc.) and always ended up back in a plain text file. I wanted something that felt like a text editor on first touch but could grow into real structure when you needed it.
https://lightwave.so – the link above has a button to create a test account in one click.
Tech Stack
- Backend: Laravel, MySQL, Redis
- Client: Hand‑rolled JavaScript (no frameworks like React/Vue/etc.)
- Legacy utilities: ~270 lines of jQuery (out of 80k+ total LOC) for a few DOM helpers
- Local persistence: IndexedDB
- Real‑time collaboration: Hybrid approach – HTTP/2 POST for resilient operations + WebSockets via Laravel Reverb for live cursors, presence, and edits
Features
- Paste markdown in, get native blocks; copy blocks out, get markdown back.
- Hierarchical document structure with a hierarchical file manager.
- Live collaboration with shared cursors, selection, and presence.
- Code blocks with syntax highlighting and LaTeX math blocks.
- Full data export: markdown, JSON, and attachments (no lock‑in).
- Full undo/redo with cursor restoration.
Known Rough Edges
- The cursor and selection system is built from scratch (similar to VS Code, not a
contenteditablewrapper), so there’s a lot of surface area. - Some keyboard shortcuts may be missing.
- Desktop only; accessibility not yet implemented.
- Ongoing fixes are being shipped in real time.
Feedback
There’s a “Submit Bug or Feedback” button inside the app if something breaks. Feel free to ask any questions about the architecture or anything else.
Comments
Comments on Hacker News (Points: 4)
This is a pre‑release stress test, not a launch. Lightwave will be a paid product. The current open testing is to gather real‑world traffic feedback.