FOUNDATION Skill

The FOUNDATION skill is a production-ready web application pattern designed for solo developers building MVPs. It prioritizes simplicity, security, and performance using a robust, non-negotiable tech stack.

Core Philosophy

• Security by default: Built-in CSRF protection, rate limiting, bcrypt hashing, and parameterized SQL.
• Solo developer optimized: Minimizes complexity by avoiding ORMs, build tools, and heavy JS frameworks.
• Production-ready: Includes configurations for containers, volumes, reverse proxies, and logging from the start.
• Clear upgrade path: Designed to easily transition from SQLite to libSQL or Turso.

Tech Stack

• Backend: FastAPI + Uvicorn (Python 3.11+)
• Database: SQLite (WAL mode) or libSQL
• Frontend: Jinja2 Templates + HTMX + Vanilla CSS + Minimal Vanilla JS
• Deployment: Podman/Docker (Multi-stage builds) + Caddy/Nginx

Directory Structure

Applications built with this skill follow a strict layout:

• app/: Application source code (routes, templates, static files).
• volumes/: Persistent data (config, database, logs).
• deployment/: Container and proxy configurations.

Features

Security

• Mandatory parameterized SQL to prevent injection.
• Bcrypt for secure password hashing.
• Integrated CSRF and rate limiting.

Data Layer

• SQLite with Write-Ahead Logging (WAL) and Synchronous=NORMAL for high performance.
• Manual schema migrations for full control.
• Database adapter pattern for easy provider switching.

Frontend

• HTMX for dynamic, SPA-like interactivity without JavaScript complexity.
• Jinja2 Partials for efficient partial page updates.
• Premium, responsive designs using Vanilla CSS.

Getting Started

1. Initialization: The skill uses a scripts/setup.py script to scaffold the project structure, initialize the SQLite database in WAL mode, and create an initial admin user.
2. Development: Build routes in app/routes/, templates in app/templates/, and use the database adapter in app/db/.
3. Deployment: Use the provided deployment/ configurations for a containerized rollout with a reverse proxy.

Examples Included

• examples/database_adapter.py: Demonstrates the recommended SQLite connection and query pattern.
• examples/htmx_partial.py: Shows how to handle HTMX requests for partial page updates in FastAPI.