PeARL Stack
Phoenix · events · Ash · React · LiveView
The beginner-friendly, vibe-proof stack where the footguns have been locked away.
What is PeARL?
PeARL is an opinionated web application stack designed for maximum readability and maintainability. It combines battle-tested technologies in a way that prevents common mistakes rather than just documenting them.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ React Components │ ← UI you can see
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ LiveView │ ← Real-time state
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Ash Domains │ ← Business logic
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ PostgreSQL │ ← Your data
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
Each layer can only call down. No spaghetti. No mystery re-renders. No “works on my machine.”
The Stack
| Letter | Technology | Role |
|---|---|---|
| P | Phoenix | Web framework built for real-time, on the battle-tested BEAM |
| e | events | The entire API: pushEvent down, props auto-update up |
| A | Ash | Declarative domain modeling with deny-by-default permissions |
| R | React | UI components, as originally intended—reactive, not state-managing |
| L | LiveView | WebSocket state coordination, progressive re-renders |
Why “events”?
The lowercase e is intentional. Events aren’t a proper noun—they’re the philosophy.
Your entire client-server contract is:
// React → Server (you send events)
pushEvent("create_todo", { title: "Buy milk" })
// Server → React (props auto-update)
<.react name="TodoList" todos={@todos} />
// When @todos changes, your component re-renders automatically
No REST. No GraphQL. No CORS. No API versioning. No caching bugs.
Just pushEvent up, props down.
The Thesis
Non-technical founders complete their apps more often with PeARL than with JavaScript stacks—even though JS “seems more familiar.”
Why?
- Fewer footguns = less frustration = more founders finish
- Explicit over magic = better understanding = confident iteration
- Constraints = freedom (can’t accidentally bypass auth or expose sensitive data)
- Server-owned state = simpler mental model = less debugging
Who is this for?
PeARL is designed for:
- AI-assisted developers who generated something that works but don’t fully understand it
- Non-technical founders building their first real product
- Experienced devs tired of debugging useEffect loops and hydration errors
- Teams who want readable code that new members can understand in days, not months
Quick Links
- Why PeARL? — The philosophy and reasoning
- Architecture — How the layers work together
- vs. Next.js + Supabase — Honest comparison with the JS path
- Getting Started — Start building
Built with technologies that have been running in production for decades.
Phoenix. Elixir. The BEAM. PostgreSQL.
Boring technology. Exciting results.