Six months ago, I had a simple idea. Build a code editor that runs in the browser. No downloads, no setup, no complexity. Just open a tab and start writing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
I didn't plan to open source it. I built it for myself first — a place to experiment without installing VS Code extensions or configuring Node.js. Then I showed it to a friend who was learning to code. She loved it. That's when I realized it could help more people.
So I kept building. And building. And building.
Today, Deoit is fully open source. Here's why I made that decision, what it means, and what I learned along the way.
What Deoit Actually Is
Deoit is a browser-based code editor. That's it. No backend, no database, no cloud storage. Everything runs locally in your browser.
What it does:
Syntax highlighting for HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
Smart autocomplete that helps without doing the work for you
File explorer with drag and drop
Live preview in a popup window
Console that captures errors and output
Built-in lessons for beginners
Google and GitHub sign-in
Export and import projects
Download as ZIP
What it doesn't do:
No npm packages
No React, Vue, or Angular
No terminal access
No server-side code
That's intentional. Deoit is for learning fundamentals. Not for building production apps.
Why I Open Sourced It
Reason 1: Transparency — With open source, there are no questions. The code is there. Anyone can read it.
Reason 2: Community — I'm one person. I can't build everything. But a community can.
Reason 3: Education — Deoit is built with vanilla HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. A beginner can open the source code and understand how it works.
What I Learned
Lesson 1: Open source is scary at first — but all the scary things are actually good.
Lesson 2: Documentation matters more than code.
Lesson 3: The first contributor is the hardest — but once you get one, everything changes.
Lesson 4: Open source doesn't mean free labor — you need boundaries.
What's Next
More lessons
Community themes
Extensions
Collaboration
Mobile support
All open source. All community-driven.
Deoit is free, open source, and runs entirely in your browser. Try it now.
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