What is LocoKit ?
LocoKit is an open source platform which provide Database Management as a spreadsheet with an App Builder.
You can create your database with a spreadsheet-like UI, that helps you define your data model, and manage your data.
Based on your data, you can build a dedicated app with our app builder, by assembling blocks (markdown, table, maps…).
We call that kind of tools no-code tools, or low-code tools.
The best example is AirTable. A tool that allows you to build your database, your tool.
They allow users to build app with a no-code / low-code tool.
LocoKit is still in early stages
LocoKit is still in its 0.x.x versions.
But, we think we have developed enough to share the code and allow other to test it, use it, and adopt it.
We have deployed several instances of LocoKit and we are learning from our customers what is missing the most.
We know there are still issues regarding usability, documentation or maybe performance. We're working on that ! 💪 You can help us by creating issues in our github repository.
Feel free to join us on GitHub, and add a ⭐ to make us happy 😉 .
Newcomers or contributors are really appreciated and welcome !
Technically, what is it ?
Technically, the LocoKit platform is a NodeJS + FeathersJS + VueJS powered platform.
Functionnaly, what is it ?
Functionnaly, the LocoKit platform is a web platform allowing users to :
- create database (with tables, related tables…), like a mini AirTable app
- grant access to this data, according users permissions (via group)
- visualize data, through a hierarchy of chapter / page / container / block, like a mini App
- process data, by trigerring webhooks
For now, LocoKit generate a meta model of your data, and store all your data in a single table in the database, with jsonb fields. We use a PostGreSQL database under the hood, with PostGIS enabled for geometry fields.
LocoKit means... ?
LocoKit mean Low-code Kit. Sometimes we name it LCK.
We want to create a tool simple enough for "non IT" users, allowing them managing their data and their app. Without too much headaches. We hope.
This tool is "Low-Code" because you may have to write some code (like formulas, advanced settings…), or configure some parts of it (like webhook triggers) helping the platform to better understand what you exactly want/need.
Motivation, why we built LocoKit ?
The LocoKit's adventure started in 2020.
At this time, we searched an open source tool to build a information system for a customer.
We used SeaTable, but we understood lately that SeaTable won't be really open sourced.
We had to find another solution. After some searches, we didn't find a solution able to manage a user-friendly spreadsheet, permissions at row levels, malleable data and to use different interfaces to visualize data (Dataviz).
We decided to build it, make it reusable through other projects, and finally free the code if it was ok for us. That was the beginning of this adventure.
Our customer needed to be as autonomous as it could be, and as our company name is Autonomens, that was making sense, wasn't it ?