Show HN: Foundation, a different approach to software and AI

Ovasabi Foundation, a full-stack application substrate for high-performance event-driven systems, has been released as an open-source toolkit. It offers tenant-isolated architecture, seven performance planes from nanosecond to microsecond, and built-in observability. The project targets teams that embrace managed infrastructure and performance optimization.

A full-stack application substrate for high-performance, event-driven systems. Ovasabi Foundation is an integrated toolkit for teams that want to evolve code. It provides the platform modules, scaffolds, enforcement checks, and documentation to bootstrap and maintain production systems with: Tenant-isolated, event-driven architecture — every operation carries metadata: who asked, what organization, correlation ID Performance ladder — seven planes from nanosecond direct dispatch to microsecond JSON compatibility Hermes hotplane — bounded, node-local projections for sub-microsecond operational reads Worker orchestration — bounded background processing with retry policies and progress tracking Built-in observability — logs, metrics, and traces automatically linked by correlation ID Not a no-code platform. Not zero-DevOps. Not for teams that want to move fast by cutting corners. Foundation is for teams that embrace managed infrastructure, understand performance, and expect their codebase to evolve. | Component | Tech Stack | Purpose | |---|---|---| server-kit | Go | Backend: event bus, workers, Hermes, database, resilience, observability | runtime-transport | TypeScript | Client wire: command bus, envelope creation, metadata stores, WebSocket/HTTP fallback | runtime-sdk | Rust/WASM | High-performance kernel: 4KB control buffer, zero-copy communication | ui-minimal | TypeScript/React | Shared UI primitives, semantic theme tokens, motion helpers | frontend-kit | TypeScript | IndexedDB storage, metadata helpers, runtime adapters, transfer progress | runtime-native | Tauri/Rust | Native shell bridge: secure storage, GPU handles, device access | config-contracts | Go/TypeScript | Cross-language configuration schemas | Data Layer : PostgreSQL durable truth , Redis coordination , Protocol Buffers contracts , Cap'n Proto zero-copy boundaries Foundation uses seven performance planes. Each plane has its cost measured and enforced: 1. Direct dispatch 10–30 ns/op same-process, zero-alloc 2. Binary frames 20–80 ns/op borrowed views 3. Generated protobuf ~370 ns/op typed cross-process 4. gRPC 20–30 µs/op network machinery 5. JSON ~30 µs/op compatibility 6. Native FFI/SHM varies trusted compute 7. Browser + WASM + SAB platform where supported Key rule : The fastest lane must not pay the cost of the compatibility lane. This is measured automatically; regressions are caught before they land. Read more: docs/foundation benchmarks.md Every project generated from Foundation receives: Multi-Tenant Isolation — organization scope derived from authenticated context, never from client data Event-Driven Nervous System — canonical requested → success / failed lifecycle with correlation metadata Hermes Hotplane — node-local, memory-bounded, indexed read models that project database mutations in real-time Resumable File Transfers — progress-bearing, chunk-based upload/download with resumability Bounded Worker Processing — background jobs with exponential backoff, retry policies, and bounded queues Unified Observability — OpenTelemetry tracing, structured logs, circuit breakers, error taxonomy Start here → docs/foundation quick start.md /nmxmxh/foundation/blob/main/docs/foundation quick start.md 15 min → walk-through → /nmxmxh/foundation/blob/main/docs/foundation tour.md docs/foundation tour.md platform/project split /nmxmxh/foundation/blob/main/docs/foundation architecture contract.md docs/foundation architecture contract.md Start here → docs/PHILOSOPHY.md /nmxmxh/foundation/blob/main/docs/PHILOSOPHY.md why Foundation exists → → /nmxmxh/foundation/blob/main/docs/foundation architecture contract.md docs/foundation architecture contract.md → /nmxmxh/foundation/blob/main/docs/foundation nervous system.md docs/foundation nervous system.md docs/practice controls.md Start here → AGENTS.md /nmxmxh/foundation/blob/main/AGENTS.md → → /nmxmxh/foundation/blob/main/docs/foundation glossary.md docs/foundation glossary.md → /nmxmxh/foundation/blob/main/docs/agent operating contract.md docs/agent operating contract.md docs/ai threat model.md | Path | Purpose | |---|---| server-kit/ | Go backend: registry, metadata, events, workers, resilience, observability, Hermes, eventlog, Redis, database, transfer, projection gateway, object storage, bulk operations, intelligence signals | runtime-transport/ | Protocol contracts, command bus, route registry, binary codecs, Hermes projection schemas | runtime-sdk/ | WASM/Rust/Go kernel, 4KB control-buffer, shared arena, runtime lane helpers | runtime-native/ | Tauri shell, secure storage, native frames, device dispatch | frontend-kit/ | IndexedDB storage, metadata, runtime artifacts, transfer progress | ui-minimal/ | Shared UI primitives, theme tokens, motion helpers | config-contracts/ | Generated configuration schemas | templates/ | Scaffold templates copied into generated projects | docs/ | Architecture, practices, guides, security, performance, testing | tooling/ | Enforcement scripts, manifests, lint configs | make generate-contracts Code gen Protos → Go/TS make lint All linters make test All tests make check-rust Rust fmt, clippy, tests make verify Full CI suite make check-practice-controls Practice matrix make check-doc-references Link validation make docker-up Start local infra make test-service-backed Tests with live DB/Redis From the parent directory of foundation : New project node foundation/cmd/ovasabi/bin/ovasabi.js init --profile=performance --name=my-app --foundation-dir foundation --skip-license Or via shell script legacy ./foundation/scripts/init-project.sh my-app full Update existing project node foundation/cmd/ovasabi/bin/ovasabi.js update --project-dir=/path/to/project --foundation-dir foundation --skip-license Generated projects consume Foundation through package boundaries. Do not import raw foundation/ /ts/src or foundation/ /go directly. Foundation bridges the software deficit : the gap between hardware performance nanoseconds and typical software stacks milliseconds . It provides proven patterns for: Responding instantly — sub-microsecond operational reads via Hermes Scaling safely — bounded work, tenant isolation, circuit breakers Observing clearly — correlation IDs flowing through all layers Evolving confidently — enforced practices, contract verification, performance measurement Foundation is not for everyone. It's demanding. It requires discipline: thinking about performance trade-offs, writing adequate tests, understanding failure modes, reviewing gate verdicts. It's for teams that expect to build something ambitious. Read docs/PHILOSOPHY.md /nmxmxh/foundation/blob/main/docs/PHILOSOPHY.md for the full story. Start here : docs/README.md /nmxmxh/foundation/blob/main/docs/README.md is the documentation map. Key reads in order : — concept lookup docs/foundation glossary.md — 15-minute path docs/foundation quick start.md — walk-through one action docs/foundation tour.md — ownership split docs/foundation architecture contract.md — lifecycle contract docs/foundation nervous system.md If you're using AI tools : AGENTS.md /nmxmxh/foundation/blob/main/AGENTS.md — agent workflows and evidence requirements To understand why : docs/PHILOSOPHY.md /nmxmxh/foundation/blob/main/docs/PHILOSOPHY.md — the motivation and design principles Foundation is actively evolving. The entire repository represents a work-in-progress baseline for production applications. Expect: - Continued refinement of contracts and practices - New performance planes GPU compute, distributed tracing refinement - Agentic coding patterns still being proven - Documentation expanding as usage patterns emerge Contributions via research, agents, and human reviewers are how Foundation improves. Read docs/agent operating contract.md /nmxmxh/foundation/blob/main/docs/agent operating contract.md for evidence and handoff expectations. See LICENSE /nmxmxh/foundation/blob/main/LICENSE .