Proposal: New Starter Template Strategy for Waku Ecosystem

[jimenezz22]

Problem Statement

After conducting a comprehensive analysis of the current @waku/create-app
template ecosystem, I've identified critical gaps that are hindering developer
adoption and showcasing Waku's full potential:

Current Issues:

• Fragmentation: 13+ separate repositories create confusion for new developers
• Outdated Patterns: 0% of templates use the official @waku/react hooks despite availability and also this templates are too old
• Single Protocol Focus: Each template demonstrates only one Waku protocol, missing the synergy
• Inconsistent Quality: Variable code quality, some with XSS vulnerabilities, no testing patterns
• Framework Gaps: No Vue.js, NextJS, or modern framework support beyond React in the starters.

---

Proposed Solution

Phase 1: Flagship "Community Hub" Template

Create a comprehensive template that demonstrates all core Waku protocols
working together in a realistic use case:

🏠 Community Hub Application
├── 📢 Public Announcements    (Light Push + Filter + RLN)
├── 💬 Group Discussions      (Light Push + Filter + Store)
├── 🔒 Private Messages       (Light Push + Filter + Noise)
├── 📊 Network Status         (Relay + Peer Discovery)
└── ⚙️ Protocol Configuration

Key Features:

• Shows protocol synergy in realistic UX
• Modern patterns: TypeScript, @waku/react hooks, PWA capabilities
• Production-ready with proper error handling and security
• Educational value: developers see Waku's full potential immediately

---

Phase 2: Feature-Specific Starters

Extract focused templates from the Community Hub for specific learning:

• waku-chat-starter (basic messaging)
• waku-private-starter (Noise encryption)
• waku-sync-starter (Store protocol patterns)
• waku-announcements-starter (RLN + public messaging)

---

Phase 3: Framework Expansion

Leverage shared core logic to create versions for:

• Vue.js
• Next.js
• React Native (When waku sdk for react native is available)

---

Implementation Approach

Shared Architecture

core/                   # Framework-agnostic Waku logic
├── waku-service.ts    # Protocol management
├── message-codecs.ts  # Encoding/decoding
├── encryption.ts      # Noise implementation
└── types.ts           # TypeScript definitions

ui/                    # Framework-specific implementations
├── react/            # React + @waku/react hooks
├── vue/              # Vue 3 + Composition API
└── nextjs/           # Next.js + SSR patterns

Benefits:

• 80% code reuse across frameworks
• Consistent Waku patterns
• Faster development and maintenance
• Better testing coverage

---

Quality Standards

All new templates will include:

• ✅ TypeScript with strict mode
• ✅ PWA capabilities (Service Worker, Manifest)
• ✅ Comprehensive error handling and recovery
• ✅ Input sanitization and security best practices
• ✅ Mobile-first responsive design
• ✅ Testing examples and patterns
• ✅ Production deployment guides

---

Community Impact

This approach will:

• Reduce developer confusion with clear, modern examples
• Showcase Waku's full capabilities in realistic applications
• Enable faster onboarding with production-ready patterns
• Expand framework support beyond just React
• Improve ecosystem quality with consistent standards

---

💬 Would love to get feedback and approval to move forward with this implementation!

[fryorcraken]

waku react/create app is not something we are actively maintaining. The issue is more about the code itself than the documentation.

Fragmentation: 13+ separate repositories create confusion for new developers

WDYM?

[jimenezz22]

waku react/create app is not something we are actively maintaining. The issue is more about the code itself than the documentation.

Fragmentation: 13+ separate repositories create confusion for new developers

WDYM?

When studying Waku documentation, I encountered many example repositories that are either unmaintained or consist of simple JS files without clear guidance on which ones to use as foundation. For example:

• Many examples appear outdated or abandoned
• No clear indication of which examples represent current best practices
• Difficult to know which starting point to choose for learning

After this, I consider that we have onboarding challenges. As someone learning Waku, I spent significant time trying to figure out which examples were reliable foundations versus outdated demos. This creates friction for new developers who want to start building.

What I want to say with my proposal is create maintained starter templates with different frameworks that follow current best practices, giving developers clear, up-to-date entry points rather than having to evaluate multiple examples. The goal is to reduce the research overhead for new developers wanting to build with Waku

[fryorcraken]

Could you list the 13+ repos please?

[jimenezz22]

Could you list the 13+ repos please?

all the examples listed here: https://github.com/waku-org/examples.waku.org/tree/master/examples and here: https://github.com/waku-org/lab.waku.org/tree/master/examples

I want to upload my polling app example to the create-app package, it's one of the most up-to-date examples at the moment: https://github.com/jimenezz22/waku-polling-app