Ycode

MailerLite founder Ignas Rubežius and his team built Ycode to counter proprietary site builders that lock user content behind closed hosting tiers. Conceived as a no-code platform, the project evolved into an open-source Next.js application that stores relational content in a self-managed Supabase PostgreSQL database. Today, that origin gives operators direct ownership over site data and visual assets instead of renting design interfaces on metered subscriptions.

Why Ycode instead of Webflow

Webflow forces a complete surrender of data custody: page layouts, CMS records, and form submissions remain confined to proprietary multi-tenant servers, gated by climbing monthly plans and collection caps. Exporting code strips dynamic collections entirely, leaving operators with static HTML files if they attempt to migrate. Ycode inverts this architecture by detaching the visual canvas from cloud hosting and writing relational collections directly to PostgreSQL via Supabase. Admins hold their database keys, run native backups, and control visitor traffic without injected third-party tracking scripts.

The operational trade-off is infrastructure responsibility. Webflow provides managed hosting, turnkey team roles, and an established template library. Ycode requires provisioning your own Node.js runtime, PostgreSQL database, and asset storage. What self-hosters gain in exchange is total operational autonomy: avoiding workspace pricing shifts, maintaining compliance under strict privacy laws, and retaining the right to inspect or modify the underlying TypeScript codebase.

What it does well

• Database transparency with PostgreSQL: CMS collections map directly to Supabase tables, enabling direct SQL queries, custom triggers, and standard homelab backup routines.
• Clean Tailwind CSS output: The visual canvas generates utility-first Tailwind classes rather than proprietary styling abstractions, keeping page markup inspectable.
• Built-in multilingual support: Native localization routes and field-level translations let you serve multi-locale sites from a single instance without proxy add-ons.
• Dynamic collection filtering: Visual filter controls allow multi-criteria sorting and filtering on published pages without custom client scripts or paid plugins.
• Flexible hosting targets: The Next.js builder deploys to Linux servers, Docker containers, or PaaS providers connected to local or cloud PostgreSQL.