Backend-Driven UIs. Simpler, Faster, Smarter.
Mateu is an open-source framework that lets backend developers create complete, responsive web applications using only backend codeโno need for HTML, CSS, or JavaScript.
With just Java (and soon C# and Python), you can design powerful user interfaces, define workflows, and deploy distributed applications that scale.
๐ฏ Why Mateu?
Mateu introduces a simple yet powerful UI Domain-Specific Language (DSL) through familiar Java constructsโinterfaces, annotations, and classes. The goal: build your UI with the fewest lines of code possible, and let backend developers own the entire application lifecycle.
๐ก Key Benefits
- ๐ Lightning-fast development
- ๐งฉ Frontend-agnostic architecture (supports multiple frontends)
- ๐ฏ Focus on business logic, not UI plumbing
- ๐ Reusable, high-level UI components
- ๐ ๏ธ All the benefits of Java โ static typing, rich tooling, mature ecosystem
- ๐ Built for distributed systems โ stateless, microservice-friendly
- ๐ Embeddable anywhere โ UI delivered as web components
๐ค Why Not Just Use Vaadin?
Vaadin is a fantastic tool (we even use its design system!), but Mateu offers a different perspective:
Feature | Vaadin | Mateu |
---|---|---|
Focus | UI components | Full application structure |
Architecture | Stateful | Stateless (ideal for microservices) |
Microfrontend support | Indirect | First-class citizen |
Multi-language roadmap | Java only | Java, C#, Python (planned) |
Frontend flexibility | Coupled | Fully decoupled and swappable |
๐ ๏ธ Current Status: Version 3 in Development
Since May 2024, work has begun on Mateu v3, which includes:
- A cleaner, modular architecture
- Improved UX components
- More extension points
- Updated documentation and user manual
- Support for alternate design systems
๐ Ready to Build Smarter UIs?
๐ Try the live demo
๐ Check out the GitHub repo
๐ Explore the documentation
Made with โค๏ธ by developers for developers.