What is Nex?

Nex is an extremely minimalist Web framework based on Elixir. Its core goal is to: Bring back the joy of “Server-Driven” Web development by eliminating the complexity of frontend engineering.

🚀 Framework Positioning

Nex is a bet on simplicity. We chose HTMX as the default interaction layer because we believe that for most Web applications, server-side rendering combined with lightweight declarative interactions provides development efficiency far exceeding current mainstream frontend stacks.

Nex is not a replacement for Phoenix, but a lightweight alternative for specific scenarios.

Minimalism: No tedious configuration files, no complex JavaScript build processes (No Node.js, No Webpack/Esbuild).
Declarative Interaction: With HTMX, achieve asynchronous interactions through simple HTML attributes without manually writing complex AJAX logic.
Vibe Coding Friendly: Specifically optimized for AI-assisted programming, with highly localized code structures (Locality of Behavior).

✨ Core Features

1. Minimalist Interaction Model

Nex simplifies asynchronous interaction into HTML attributes. We bet that HTMX can cover 90% of interaction needs without introducing heavy client-side frameworks.

2. File System Routing

Project structure is the router.

src/pages/index.ex -> /
src/pages/users/[id].ex -> /users/123
src/api/login.ex -> /api/login

3. Server-Side State Management (`Nex.Store`)

Nex provides a page-based state storage mechanism. This is a rethinking of how “ephemeral state” is handled in Web interactions, keeping state synchronized with the user’s mental model of the “page lifecycle.”

4. Smart Error Handling

Nex automatically chooses the best error display based on request intent, ensuring reasonable feedback across asynchronous fragment updates, JSON APIs, or full-page navigation.