A plain-English backend language that compiles to production-ready Node.js.
- Every line is a complete thought. There are no semicolons, no braces, and no callback nesting. One idea per line.
- Indentation is structure. A block belongs to its parent by being indented beneath it — exactly like Python or YAML.
- Keywords are English words. The vocabulary is a small, fixed set of plain nouns and verbs. If you can describe what a route does in a sentence, you can write it in Trionary.
npm install -g trionaryRequires Node.js ≥ 18.
# 1. Scaffold a new project
trionary init
# 2. Edit the generated starter file
# app.tri is created in the current directory
# 3. Start the dev server (builds, runs, and watches for changes)
trionary dev app.tritrionary init creates two files:
app.tri— a minimal starter with a health-check route.env— pre-populated withJWT_SECRET=changemeandPORT=3000
| Task | Trionary | Express (Node.js) |
|---|---|---|
| Start a server on port 3000 | server port 3000 |
const app = express(); app.listen(3000, ...) |
| Connect to MongoDB | database connect "mongodb://localhost/myapp" |
mongoose.connect('mongodb://localhost/myapp', { useNewUrlParser: true, ... }) |
| Add CORS middleware | middleware cors |
app.use(cors()) |
| Add rate limiting (200/min) | middleware ratelimit max 200 per minute |
app.use(rateLimit({ windowMs: 60000, max: 200 })) |
| Declare a POST route | route POST /register |
app.post('/register', async (req, res) => { |
| Read request body fields | take name, email, password |
const { name, email, password } = req.body; |
| Validate required fields | require name, email, password |
if (!name || !email || !password) return res.status(400).json({ error: '...' }); |
| Validate email format | validate email is email |
if (!/^[^\s@]+@[^\s@]+\.[^\s@]+$/.test(email)) return res.status(400).json(...) |
| Hash a password | hash password |
const hashed = await bcrypt.hash(password, 10); req.body.password = hashed; |
| Check for existing record | exists user where email |
const exists = await User.findOne({ email }); |
| Create a record | create user with name, email, password |
const user = await User.create({ name, email, password }); |
| Return a JWT | return token |
const token = jwt.sign({ id: user._id }, process.env.JWT_SECRET, { expiresIn: '7d' }); res.json({ token }); |
| Guard a route with JWT auth | auth required |
app.get('/me', authRequired, async (req, res) => { |
| Return the current user | return current user |
return res.json({ user: req.user }); |
| Paginate a query | paginate post limit 10 |
const page = parseInt(req.query.page) || 1; Post.find().skip((page-1)*10).limit(10) |
| Return 404 if not found | if not found return error "Not found" status 404 |
if (!post) return res.status(404).json({ error: 'Not found' }); |
| Delete a record by ID | delete post by id |
await Post.findByIdAndDelete(req.params.id); |
| Return success | return ok |
return res.json({ message: 'ok' }); |
server port 3000
database connect "mongodb://localhost/myapp"
middleware cors
middleware logs
middleware helmet
middleware ratelimit max 200 per minute
route POST /register
take name, email, password
require name, email, password
validate email is email
exists user where email
if exists return error "Email already in use" status 409
hash password
create user with name, email, password
return token
route GET /me
auth required
return current user
route GET /posts
paginate post limit 10
return posts
route POST /posts
auth required
take title, body
require title, body
create post with title, body
return post
Compiles to roughly 200 lines of production-ready Express + Mongoose JavaScript.
When a feature cannot be expressed in Trionary, drop into raw JavaScript with the js: block:
route GET /analytics
auth required
js:
const stats = await Post.aggregate([{ $group: { _id: null, total: { $sum: 1 } } }]);
return res.json({ total: stats[0]?.total ?? 0 });
The indented block is emitted verbatim into the compiled output. A warning comment and a CLI message are added to flag escape-hatch usage.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
trionary init |
Scaffold app.tri and .env in the current directory |
trionary build <file> |
Compile a .tri file → .js |
trionary dev <file> |
Build, run, and watch for changes |
- 📖 Docs Site →
- Keyword Reference →
- Getting Started Guide →
- Limitations →
- Migration: v0 → v1 →
- Roadmap →
A working URL-shortener API written entirely in Trionary is included in examples/demo-api/.
It demonstrates user auth, CRUD operations, pagination, and rate-limiting — all in under 60 lines of plain-English source.
We welcome contributions! Please read CONTRIBUTING.md before opening a pull request.
All commits must follow the Conventional Commits specification (feat:, fix:, docs:, chore:, BREAKING CHANGE:). A commitlint hook enforces this automatically when you run npm install.
