nodepod

Browser-native Node.js runtime

Node.js, inside
the browser

Filesystem, shell, npm packages, and HTTP servers. No backend required.

Real Node.js programs. Real npm packages. No framework-specific simulation.

Get startedView on GitHub
npm install @scelar/nodepod
01 / The surprising part

Nodepod doesn’t know
what Vite is.

That is exactly why it matters.

There is no Vite emulation layer inside the runtime, no Next.js compatibility mode, and no list of blessed frameworks. Nodepod implements the Node primitives they expect: files, processes, modules, packages, workers, and HTTP.

When Vite 8 or a Next.js app boots, it is their code executing inside Nodepod. The framework is not recreated or hardcoded into the runtime. It simply runs.

real-packages.shbrowser / nodepod
$ npm install vite@8
$ npx vite --host 0.0.0.0

  VITE v8  ready
  Local: http://localhost:5173/
  • vite@8the real CLI
  • nextthe real framework
  • npm packagesresolved normally
  • node scriptsexecuted directly

Representative hosted workflow. The live Pages demo below is intentionally offline and does not expose HTTP preview.

02 / Try it

A real runtime,
right here.

Start an ephemeral Node.js project in this tab. Nothing is uploaded, saved, or installed on your machine.

This Pages demo runs without a service worker or shared memory. HTTP preview and the complete hosted feature set are intentionally disabled.

/home/projectnot started

Runtime code loads only when you ask for it.

03 / One runtime

Enough Node.js for tools
to be themselves.

01

Filesystem

A writable, watchable POSIX-style project filesystem.

02

Processes

Scripts, CLIs, child processes, and worker threads.

03

Packages

npm resolution, CommonJS, ESM, and native-feeling imports.

04

Servers

Node-compatible HTTP servers connected back to the host app.

Made for browser IDEs, coding playgrounds, interactive documentation, technical interviews, and local-first developer tools.

04 / How it works

The browser becomes
the machine.

A host application boots Nodepod. Workers execute programs against an in-memory filesystem. Node-compatible modules provide the environment existing tools already understand.

Read how it works
  1. your appboots
  2. nodepodcoordinates
  3. workers + vfsexecute
  4. terminal + previewreturn
05 / Source available

Read the code.
Understand the machine.

Nodepod is source-available under the MIT License with the Commons Clause. The LICENSE file is authoritative.

06 / Sustain the work

Help move Node.js
into the browser.

Sponsorship will support compatibility work, documentation, and the long tail of Node APIs.

Sponsorship details