Re: Proposal for a New Hyper-Modern JavaScript Solid Server

Hello Melvin,

This sounds interesting. We do have some sidenotes. When such a project 
could find funding, I think there are plenty of developers who would 
like to work on it.

*NSS Performance
*It is correct that in terms of performance, NSS is not the best in 
class. During Solid workshops at the local University the 
solidcommunity.org was getting saturated (ca 75 students) and we had to 
ask the class to work in groups. During benchmarks for a customer we 
have tested it in our servers and get on estimated 20 requests/second. 
As that was not enough, we have made NSS multithreaded and were able to 
get 400+ requests/second for our IDP on one server which was enough. We 
have run a mvp project with 8000+ active users on the largest mediasites 
in the Netherlands. The intention is to scale the project further this year.

*Separation of frontend/backend*
We have found it quite satisfying to separate the frontend from the 
backend. This allows users to create an frontend with their own design 
much easier. And when you are building a servers (...) You can slap an 
existing frontend on it. Then you can mix and match between frontends 
and (api-backends). We are also building a PHP Solid server at the 
moment and it will have the same api. That allows users to switch 
backend and switch/modify frontends.

*Do we need a new server?*
We think it would be a good idea to sketch an architecture design and 
see how that matchers the current NSS. Maybe it would be better to 
improve parts of the server and replace them for better code. As the 
fundaments of NSS feel quite ok?

*Separate IDP and storage*
When we design a new architecture, it would be good to separate identity 
and storage even more. For example, for our project, we have used NSS 
only for identity and it seems that with identity, people will get 
multiple storage locations. An even better separation could be good to 
be even more in line with the Solid Specification.

We are interested at PDS Interop and Muze, but resources are always 
scarce. Integrating it with the proper testing and CI/CD would be great 
we think and very curious about design thought for future servers.

Kind regards,
Sjoerd

PS Two additional remarks:
- Please, please, split up the Javasacript versus Rust discussion with a 
different subject. And feel free to build a Rust Solid Server
- In my opinion, servers are not the biggest issues, it are the 
applications that are missing for the normal users. They create an 
account, login in and then what... Oh and the onboarding. We really need 
to design better frontend (see separation).

Op 29/03/2025 om 16:47 schreef Melvin Carvalho:
>
> Dear CG,
>
> As we all know, Node Solid Server (NSS) was originally conceived over 
> 10 years ago and has been instrumental in pioneering the Solid 
> ecosystem. However, given its age and the evolving needs of today's 
> web, NSS is now becoming long in the tooth and is effectively reaching 
> its end-of-life in terms of scalability and enterprise readiness.
>
> Currently, alternatives such as CSS and Pivot, while commendable, also 
> fall short when it comes to efficiently supporting thousands or even 
> millions of users.
>
> I am proposing a new, hyper-modern JavaScript Solid server that 
> leverages the latest JavaScript tooling, minimalist architecture, and 
> advanced performance optimization techniques. The goal is to achieve 
> enterprise-grade scalability while strictly adhering to the Solid 
> specification, passing all tests in the Solid test suite.
>
> Key design points:
>
>  *
>
>     *Minimalistic architecture*: A lean, modular core that focuses
>     strictly on Solid specification compliance.
>
>  *
>
>     *Modern JavaScript tooling*: Utilizing the latest frameworks and
>     runtime environments (e.g., native async/await, modern V8
>     optimizations, optimized network I/O).
>
>  *
>
>     *Performance-first approach*: Built from the ground up with
>     scalability and speed in mind, suitable for enterprise-grade
>     applications and high user volumes.
>
>  *
>
>     *Pure JavaScript*: Targeted specifically for the JavaScript
>     ecosystem and developers who prefer a JavaScript-only environment.
>
> I'm reaching out to gauge interest in this project. If this aligns 
> with your interests or you have ideas and feedback, please share your 
> thoughts. I'd also welcome collaborators interested in defining 
> requirements, contributing to design decisions, or helping build an 
> initial prototype.
>
> Looking forward to your feedback and discussion!
>
> Best Wishes
> Melvin

-- 
Sjoerd van Groning
Muze, werkdagen ma/wo/vr

T. 053 - 4308177 | 06 - 41265099
I.www.muze.nl |www.simplyedit.io |www.pdsinterop.org
E.sjoerd@muze.nl