About Nift

One language.
Endless possibilities.

Nift is a fast website build system with a native scripting language and shell. Build frontends, automate tasks, process data, generate content, create developer tools and more — with one small, consistent toolkit.

FastGet things done.

FlexibleBuild your way.

OpenBuilt for everyone.

What is Nift?

A modern, multi-purpose developer tool.

Nift combines a dependency-aware website build system, expressive templating, a native scripting language and an interactive shell. It is designed to stay small enough to understand while still being useful for serious projects.

Use it as the build layer for a site, the frontend generator for an application, a scripting runtime for automation, a data transformation tool, or the glue between the tools you already use. Nift does not need to own your whole stack to be useful.

Nift · template

@for(post : posts) {
  <article>
    <h2>$[post.title]</h2>
    <p>$[post.excerpt]</p>
  </article>
}

Simple syntax.
Real power.
Readable results.

What can you do with Nift?

A toolkit for real projects.

Nift can be the main build tool for a project or one focused piece of a larger stack.

Websites and documentation

Build sites, blogs, documentation and content-heavy platforms. Templates, partials, tracked outputs and dependency-aware rebuilding keep shared structure consistent as your project grows.

Learn more →

Frontends for any backend

Build the frontend for Go, Node, Python, PHP, serverless APIs or any other backend. Keep runtime logic in your existing stack; let Nift generate the pages and files around it.

See examples →

Scripting and automation

Run .f scripts with eg. nift script.f. Work with files, streams, HTTP requests, JSON and collections. Reuse functions and packages to automate the repetitive parts of a project.

Read the docs →

The Nift shell

Use nift shell to explore the same language interactively. Test expressions, call functions, inspect files and prototype a workflow one command at a time before saving it as a script.

Get started →

Data processing

Load, transform, validate and generate structured data. First-class JSON, collections, schemas and content metadata work together for data-driven pages and standalone scripts.

See data features →

Game development

Generate game pages, levels, content and configuration, and write asset-processing tools. Pair Nift with JavaScript, Canvas, WebGL or another runtime for rendering and input.

Explore →

Developer tools and local apps

Build project utilities, generators and local workflows with the language and shell. Generate HTML, data and assets for desktop or embedded web interfaces without replacing their runtime.

Learn more →

Built for AI agents

Plain files, explicit structure and fast builds give coding agents useful feedback. Use nift init --handover for project guidance, then script, inspect and build with the same toolkit.

For AI agents →

Extensible and composable

Import scripts, reuse packages and fit Nift into your toolchain. Your backend, bundler, database and deployment tools can keep doing the jobs they already do well.

Explore composition →

Built for creators

From one page to a documentation site, from a quick script to a repeatable workflow: turn ideas into working projects without adopting a framework for everything.

Start building →