kkuchta/css-only-chat
A truly monstrous async web chat using no JS whatsoever on the frontend observed · 2026-08-28
Health v2 · maintenance only
32/100
- Activity 0
- Release rhythm 35
- Longevity 100
Flags: no_releases
How is this computed?
round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10) — computed 2026-09-02. Adoption (stars, forks) is never an input.
- gap_med: n/a
- age_days: 2675
- days_rel: n/a
- days_push: 1090
- n_releases_24m: 0
Adoption not part of the score
6592 stars · 265 forks observed · 2026-08-28
What it is AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, 2026-08-29, confidence not recorded
A Ruby-based async web chat application that sends and receives messages in the browser using no JavaScript at all, relying on CSS pseudo-selector background-image tricks and a forever-loading chunked HTTP response (Comet-style). It is a demonstration of extreme CSS/HTTP hacks rather than a production chat system.
Use cases
- chat without javascript in the browser
- send and receive messages with only css
- learn how comet long-polling works
- demo of chunked transfer encoding pushing html updates
- novelty hackathon project showing css can trigger server requests
When to choose
- you want to study or demo browser hacks like :active background-image requests and never-ending pages
- you need a fun educational example of server-push without websockets or JS
- you're exploring the limits of what CSS and HTTP can do
When to avoid
- you need a real production chat system with auth, scaling, or rich features
- you want maintainable, conventional frontend code
- you need mobile or accessibility-friendly chat UX
Facets
application · maturity maintenance
chat-interface http-server web-framework websocket web-development chatbots developer-tools ruby browser css-hack no-javascript comet chunked-transfer-encoding novelty-project async web-server
1 source
- readme: https://github.com/kkuchta/css-only-chat · fetched 2026-08-28 · 5e36879418cf
Member repositories
| Repository | Role | Health v2 |
|---|---|---|
| kkuchta/css-only-chat | main | 32 |
For agents
markdown · JSON · MCP: product_card(name="kkuchta/css-only-chat")
Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00 · Report a problem