Quick Start

Get a Nex application up and running in just 5 minutes.

🛠️ Install Nex

It is recommended to install the Nex CLI tool via Hex:

mix archive.install hex nex_new

Install from Source (Advanced Users)

If you want to experience the latest features, you can install from source:

Clone the Nex repository:

git clone https://github.com/gofenix/nex.git
cd nex/installer

Compile and install the archive:

mix do deps.get, compile, archive.install

📦 Create a New Project

Run the nex.new task to create a new project directory:

mix nex.new my_app
cd my_app
mix deps.get

🚀 5-Minute Hello World

Create your first page: Nex uses file system routing. Write the following in src/pages/index.ex:

defmodule MyApp.Pages.Index do
  use Nex

  def mount(_params) do
    %{message: "Hello, Nex!"}
  end

  def render(assigns) do
    ~H"""
    <div class="p-8 text-center">
      <h1 class="text-4xl font-bold text-indigo-600">{@message}</h1>
      <p class="mt-4 text-gray-600">Welcome to the minimalist server-driven Web world.</p>
      <button hx-post="/say_hi"
              hx-target="#response"
              class="mt-6 px-4 py-2 bg-indigo-500 text-white rounded">
        Click Me
      </button>
      <div id="response" class="mt-4 font-semibold text-green-600"></div>
    </div>
    """
  end

  def say_hi(_params) do
    "Hello! This is an HTML fragment returned via declarative interaction."
  end
end

Run the development server:
```
mix nex.dev
```
Visit the page: Open your browser and go to http://localhost:4000. Try clicking the button and experience interaction without a full page refresh.

📁 Project Structure

Nex’s directory structure follows “convention over configuration,” aiming to eliminate all unnecessary engineering complexity:

src/: Core business logic
- pages/: Page modules (GET requests, automatically mapped to URLs).
- api/: JSON API modules.
- components/: Reusable UI components.
- layouts.ex: Global HTML template (must contain a <body> tag).
lib/: General business logic (e.g., database models, external integrations).
.env: Environment configuration file (automatically loaded).
mix.exs: Project dependency management.