Backend-Driven UIs. Simpler, Faster, Smarter.

Mateu is an open-source framework that lets backend developers create complete, responsive web applications using only backend codeโ€”no 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.


๐ŸŽฏ Why Mateu?

Mateu introduces a simple yet powerful UI Domain-Specific Language (DSL) through familiar Java constructsโ€”interfaces, annotations, and classes. The goal: build your UI with the fewest lines of code possible, and let backend developers own the entire application lifecycle.


๐Ÿ’ก Key Benefits

  • ๐Ÿš€ Lightning-fast development
  • ๐Ÿงฉ Frontend-agnostic architecture (supports multiple frontends)
  • ๐ŸŽฏ Focus on business logic, not UI plumbing
  • ๐Ÿ” Reusable, high-level UI components
  • ๐Ÿ› ๏ธ All the benefits of Java โ€” static typing, rich tooling, mature ecosystem
  • ๐ŸŒ Built for distributed systems โ€” stateless, microservice-friendly
  • ๐Ÿ”Œ Embeddable anywhere โ€” UI delivered as web components

๐Ÿค” Why Not Just Use Vaadin?

Vaadin is a fantastic tool (we even use its design system!), but Mateu offers a different perspective:

FeatureVaadinMateu
FocusUI componentsFull application structure
ArchitectureStatefulStateless (ideal for microservices)
Microfrontend supportIndirectFirst-class citizen
Multi-language roadmapJava onlyJava, C#, Python (planned)
Frontend flexibilityCoupledFully decoupled and swappable

๐Ÿ› ๏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

๐Ÿš€ Ready to Build Smarter UIs?

๐Ÿ‘‰ Try the live demo
๐Ÿ‘‰ Check out the GitHub repo
๐Ÿ‘‰ Explore the documentation


Made with โค๏ธ by developers for developers.