Best of Hacker News — July 2025

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   Hacker News·38w

   Make any website load faster with 6 lines of HTML

   Chrome's Speculation Rules API enables near-instant page navigation by preloading and prerendering pages with just a few lines of HTML. The API supports prefetch (downloads HTML only) and prerender (fully renders pages in background) with configurable eagerness levels. While only supported in Chrome 121+, fallback JavaScript can provide similar functionality for Firefox and Safari using traditional prefetch/preload techniques with hover detection.

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   Hacker News·42w

   SVGs that feel like GIFs

   SVG animations can replace GIFs for terminal recordings, offering smaller file sizes and higher resolution. Using asciinema to record terminal sessions and svg-term-cli to convert them creates animated SVGs that work in GitHub README files. SVG animations leverage built-in elements like <animate>, <animateTransform>, and <animateMotion> from the SVG specification.

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   Hacker News·41w

   Open-Source Agentic Browser

   BrowserOS is an open-source browser built on Chromium that integrates local AI agents for automating web tasks. It emphasizes privacy by running AI models locally using Ollama, avoiding data collection by search and ad companies. The browser includes features like automated workflow execution, semantic search over browsing history, and an LLM-based ad-blocker. Compatible with existing Chrome extensions, it targets users seeking privacy-focused browsing with AI-powered productivity tools.

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   Hacker News·42w

   epanet-js

   epanet-js is a new web application that brings EPANET hydraulic simulation to modern browsers using WebAssembly, built by experts from Iterating using open source code from the defunct Placemark mapping tool. The browser-based tool offers a significant improvement over expensive legacy Windows software that costs $16,000 annually, demonstrating how open source licensing can enable new businesses to create better solutions in specialized markets like water utility system planning.

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   Hacker News·42w

   kepler.gl

   Kepler.gl is a WebGL-powered geospatial data visualization tool designed for analyzing and visualizing large-scale datasets in web browsers. Built with high-performance rendering capabilities, it enables interactive exploration of geographic data. Foursquare Studio extends kepler.gl's framework as a free analytics platform with regular feature updates.

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   Hacker News·39w

   It’s time for modern CSS to kill the SPA

   Modern CSS features like View Transitions API and Speculation Rules have eliminated the main advantages of Single Page Applications (SPAs). Native browser capabilities now provide smooth page transitions, instant navigation, and better performance without the complexity, JavaScript overhead, and maintenance burden of client-side routing. Most websites would benefit from returning to Multi Page Application (MPA) architecture with modern CSS enhancements rather than building everything as an SPA.

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   Hacker News·39w

   Making Postgres 42,000x slower because I am unemployed

   A developer systematically degrades PostgreSQL performance by 42,000x through configuration changes alone, exploring how various postgresql.conf parameters affect database speed. The experiment reduces buffer cache size, forces excessive autovacuum operations, maximizes WAL overhead, disables index usage through cost manipulation, and bottlenecks I/O to a single thread. Starting from 7,082 TPS with default settings, the final configuration achieves less than 0.1 TPS with only 11 successful transactions in 120 seconds across 100 connections.

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   Hacker News·43w

   stan-smith/OpenFLOW: Make beautiful isometric infrastructure diagrams

   OpenFLOW is an open-source Progressive Web App for creating isometric infrastructure diagrams that runs entirely in the browser. Built with React and TypeScript, it features auto-save functionality, offline support, privacy-first local storage, and import/export capabilities. The tool allows users to drag and drop components, create connections, and customize diagrams with colors and labels. It supports keyboard shortcuts, works across modern browsers, and can be deployed to any static hosting service.

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   Hacker News·40w

   My Ultimate Self-hosting Setup

   A comprehensive guide to building a self-hosting setup using NixOS, ZFS, and Tailscale. The author shares their journey from tinkering with various approaches to settling on a stable configuration that prioritizes security, usability, and maintainability. Key components include NixOS for declarative configuration, ZFS for data protection, Tailscale for secure networking, and Authelia with LLDAP for authentication. The setup separates public and private services across multiple servers, with detailed solutions for common problems like DNS configuration, SSL certificates, and service proxying.

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    Hacker News·42w

    Make your computer better.

    Zorin OS is a Linux distribution designed as an alternative to Windows and macOS, emphasizing ease of use for newcomers with familiar desktop layouts. Built on Ubuntu, it offers enhanced performance, security, and privacy while supporting older hardware up to 15 years old. Key features include Windows app compatibility, gaming support, mobile device integration through Zorin Connect, and dual-boot capabilities. The Core edition is free, with a Pro version available for advanced features.

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    Hacker News·39w

    How Anthropic teams use Claude Code

    Anthropic's internal teams across 10 departments share how they use Claude Code to transform their development workflows. Teams report significant productivity gains through automated code generation, debugging assistance, and cross-functional collaboration. Key use cases include infrastructure debugging, test generation, codebase navigation, and enabling non-technical staff to build complex applications. Teams emphasize the importance of detailed documentation, iterative workflows, and treating Claude Code as a collaborative partner rather than a one-shot solution.

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    Hacker News·42w

    NVIDIA is full of shit

    NVIDIA's RTX 50 series launch has been plagued by multiple issues including scalper bots, melting power connectors, defective chips missing processing units, and unstable drivers. The company continues using the problematic 12VHPWR connector despite known design flaws that can cause cables to melt under certain conditions. NVIDIA's marketing heavily relies on DLSS upscaling technology to achieve advertised performance numbers, with even flagship cards unable to run ray-traced games at native 4K resolution. The company has also been accused of pressuring tech reviewers to include specific metrics in their coverage and threatening to withdraw access for unfavorable reviews. With over 90% market share, NVIDIA's dominance has led to vendor lock-in through proprietary technologies while charging premium prices for incremental performance improvements.

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    Hacker News·42w

    I want to leave tech: what do I do?

    Tech workers seeking more meaningful careers have several alternatives to traditional corporate roles. Options include working for public institutions on software that impacts millions, joining tech cooperatives where workers own and control their workplace, contributing to NGOs that use technology for social causes like civil rights and environmental protection, supporting unions or political parties with technical infrastructure, teaching and mentoring others, or becoming a connector between different tech-focused social organizations. Each path offers different levels of stability, impact, and responsibility while allowing professionals to use their existing technical skills for purposes beyond profit maximization.

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    Hacker News·42w

    The Story of Max, a Real Programmer

    A developer reflects on rewriting a 15-year-old PHP image hosting application in Go, only to discover that the original simple PHP code was superior despite being written by a teenager. The original 185-line PHP script proved more maintainable and elegant than the 305-line Go replacement, highlighting how simplicity often trumps sophisticated engineering. The story explores the value of straightforward, single-file solutions over complex, structured codebases, ultimately deciding to keep the original PHP version running.

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    Hacker News·39w

    The Future is NOT Self-Hosted

    Self-hosting offers digital independence by running personal cloud services at home, but it's technically complex and creates isolated systems that lack the convenience of shared cloud services. The author argues for community-hosted infrastructure instead - publicly funded, encrypted cloud services that combine the benefits of cloud computing with user ownership and privacy. This approach would provide accessible digital services through libraries or cooperatives, avoiding both corporate control and the inefficiency of individual self-hosting setups.

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    Hacker News·42w

    Stop killing games and the industry response

    The European Citizens' Initiative "Stop Destroying Videogames" has reached 1 million signatures, aiming to require game publishers to keep games functional after discontinuing online services. The initiative addresses the problem of games becoming unplayable when publishers shut down servers, even for single-player content. Industry opposition cites technical challenges and costs, but the author argues these are solvable through better software architecture, modular design, and providing local server implementations. The debate highlights tensions between consumer rights, game preservation, and business models that rely on controlling player access.

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    Hacker News·42w

    zserge/pennybase: Poor man's Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS), similar to Firebase/Supabase/Pocketbase

    Pennybase is a minimalist Backend-as-a-Service implementation in under 1000 lines of Go code with zero external dependencies. It provides file-based CSV storage, REST API endpoints, authentication with session cookies, role-based access control, real-time updates via Server-Sent Events, and template rendering. Data is stored in human-readable CSV files with append-only versioning, making it suitable for simple applications that need basic backend functionality without the complexity of larger solutions like Firebase or Supabase.

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    Hacker News·39w

    jarulraj/periodic-table: A Periodic Table of System Design Principles

    A comprehensive taxonomy of 40+ system design principles organized into 8 thematic groups covering structure, efficiency, semantics, distribution, planning, operability, reliability, and security. The framework provides a shared vocabulary for understanding recurring patterns across computer systems domains like databases, operating systems, and distributed systems, helping students recognize connections between seemingly disparate areas and enabling practitioners to communicate design trade-offs more clearly.

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    Hacker News·39w

    Piper - AI Phone Call Agent

    Piper is an AI phone call agent that automates phone calls through a Chrome extension. Users can click any phone number on websites and type their request, while Piper handles the actual conversation, navigating phone menus and completing tasks like booking appointments, canceling subscriptions, or handling customer service issues. Built by former AssemblyAI engineers, it provides live transcripts and status updates during calls.

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    Hacker News·43w

    Anthropic

    Claude Code hooks allow developers to customize and extend Claude's behavior by registering shell commands that execute at specific points in the lifecycle. These hooks provide deterministic control for tasks like automatic code formatting, logging, notifications, and custom permissions. The system supports various hook events (PreToolUse, PostToolUse, Notification, Stop) with configurable matchers and JSON-based input/output. Hooks can integrate with MCP tools and offer both simple exit code and advanced JSON output formats for sophisticated control flow.

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    Hacker News·38w

    mcp-use/mcp-use: mcp-use is the easiest way to interact with mcp servers with custom agents

    MCP-Use is an open-source Python library that enables developers to connect any LLM to any MCP (Model Context Protocol) server and build custom agents with tool access. The library supports multiple LLM providers through LangChain, offers HTTP connections, multi-server support, tool access control, and sandboxed execution. It provides a simple 6-line setup for basic agents and includes features like streaming output, dynamic server selection, and debugging capabilities. The project includes examples for web browsing with Playwright, Airbnb search, and Blender 3D creation.

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    Hacker News·40w

    Claude Code Unleashed

    A developer shares their experience using Claude Code with background agents through Terragon, a cloud-based service that runs multiple AI coding agents simultaneously. The workflow involves starting tasks on cloud agents for exploration, prototyping, and boilerplate work, while using local development for testing and refinement. Key insights include the value of Claude Max subscription for unlimited usage, the challenges of managing multiple concurrent agents, and how this approach fundamentally changes task breakdown and development priorities.

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    Hacker News·42w

    Build backend

    uv provides a native build backend (uv_build) for Python projects that transforms source trees into distributions. It offers zero-configuration defaults for most projects, tight integration with uv for improved performance, and supports various project structures including namespace packages and stub packages. The backend currently supports only pure Python code and includes flexible file inclusion/exclusion patterns. Configuration is done through pyproject.toml, and it follows the same versioning policy as uv itself.

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    Hacker News·40w

    Let's Encrypt Status

    Let's Encrypt is experiencing service disruptions affecting both production and staging ACME API endpoints, as well as OCSP responders. The production API (acme-v02.api.letsencrypt.org), staging API, and related infrastructure components are currently experiencing issues, while the website and Certificate Transparency logs remain operational.

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    Hacker News·43w

    People Keep Inventing Prolly Trees

    Prolly trees, a data structure combining Merkle trees with content-defined chunking, have been independently invented at least four times since 2009 under different names. Starting with bup in 2009, then Noms in 2015 (coining "prolly tree"), French researchers in 2019 ("Merkle Search Trees"), and DePaul University in 2020 ("Content-Defined Merkle Trees"). These structures provide history independence, efficient diffing, structural sharing, and self-balancing properties, making them valuable for version control systems and distributed applications. The repeated independent discovery suggests strong demand for this technology in modern software development.

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