6 ms·

Show HN: GitClassic.com, GitHub circa 2015 without JS & AI

14 points by heythisischris 8mo ago

Hey HN, Got tired of how bloated GitHub became- copilot everywhere, janky JS, slow loads. So I built GitClassic, a read-only GitHub interface that's pure server-rendered HTML, kind of like old.reddit.com. No JavaScript. Try it: https://gitclassic.com https://gitclassic.com Browse any public repo, files, READMEs. Loads instantly, works on any connection. No account needed for public repos. Stack: Node on Lambda, server-side rendering, cached against GitHub's API. Pro adds private repo access via GitHub OAuth. Built this in about 3 hours. Would love feedback on what's missing or broken. Issues are next. Thanks, Chris

deleted 8mo ago
[deleted]
captn3m0 8mo ago
I will actually pay for this if this includes the complete issue/PR data, as well as the ability to review/approve/merge PRs. The GitHub UI is so slow that loading each 5 line PR is just too slow and I have to open the diff in a new tab, because going back reloads the whole damn thing instead of the amazing jquery/pjax cached version from a decade ago that worked fast even on 3G networks. Aside: you will need permission to use the Git trademark.
- heythisischris 8mo ago
  Duly noted- my immediate next step is Issues/PRs! Would love to start seeing / using that too.
shukantpal 8mo ago
It doesn't quite work: https://gitclassic.com/pixijs https://gitclassic.com/pixijs (repos.filter is not a function) Also it seems to get rate limited, but good work.
- heythisischris 8mo ago
  Responded to someone else below: if you sign in using GitHub, you can get your own allotment of 5,000/req/hour. The public API only allows 60 request per hour, but since we're using Lambda, it actually shifts to different IP addresses depending on the invocation.
  - embedding-shape 8mo ago
    Sounds like maybe you should add caching in there, so at least the /explore and facebook/react works. I ended up rate limited before I could see a single repository.
chandlerswift 8mo ago
https://gitclassic.com/navidrome https://gitclassic.com/navidrome: Error: repos.filter is not a function https://gitclassic.com/navidrome/navidrome https://gitclassic.com/navidrome/navidrome: API rate limit exceeded for 18.222.58.123. (But here's the good news: Authenticated requests get a higher rate limit. Check out the documentation for more details.)
- heythisischris 8mo ago
  Hah, should've anticipated hitting the public rate limits... if you sign in using GitHub, you can get your own allotment of 5,000/req/hour. The public API only allows 60 request per hour, but since we're using Lambda, it actually shifts to different IP addresses depending on the invocation.
smarx007 8mo ago
I would say the November 2015 look would be the one to go back to.* [1] This one seems to be from 2015 before the iconic redesign that makes it instantly recognizable as Github. *with a dark theme. [1]: https://github.blog/news-insights/a-new-look-for-repositories/ https://github.blog/news-insights/a-new-look-for-repositorie...
- heythisischris 8mo ago
  Oh yes, brings back memories from my agency days... SourceTree, JIRA, and the better Slack icon. I'll start targeting this layout.
heythisischris 8mo ago
If anyone wants to try out GitClassic Pro, I added a promo code for 50% off, it's "HACKERNEWS"- comes out to $20/year. Gives you access to private repos. Going to dedicate as much time / attention as possible to building a better GitHub frontend! I think a lot of people want this (myself included).
crtasm 8mo ago
I like it! yt-dlp's readme seems to confuse the parser: https://gitclassic.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp https://gitclassic.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp
liviux 8mo ago
It's 2026 Chris, get over it.
000ooo000 8mo ago
>Built this in about 3 hours Why did you include this? No developer is going to read that and think "I bet this is polished and well thought-out - take my money!". It's either a rushed job, a slop job, or a rushed slop job.

deleted 8mo ago

[deleted]

captn3m0 8mo ago

I will actually pay for this if this includes the complete issue/PR data, as well as the ability to review/approve/merge PRs. The GitHub UI is so slow that loading each 5 line PR is just too slow and I have to open the diff in a new tab, because going back reloads the whole damn thing instead of the amazing jquery/pjax cached version from a decade ago that worked fast even on 3G networks. Aside: you will need permission to use the Git trademark.

heythisischris 8mo ago
Duly noted- my immediate next step is Issues/PRs! Would love to start seeing / using that too.

shukantpal 8mo ago

It doesn't quite work: https://gitclassic.com/pixijs https://gitclassic.com/pixijs (repos.filter is not a function) Also it seems to get rate limited, but good work.

heythisischris 8mo ago
Responded to someone else below: if you sign in using GitHub, you can get your own allotment of 5,000/req/hour. The public API only allows 60 request per hour, but since we're using Lambda, it actually shifts to different IP addresses depending on the invocation.
- embedding-shape 8mo ago
  Sounds like maybe you should add caching in there, so at least the /explore and facebook/react works. I ended up rate limited before I could see a single repository.

chandlerswift 8mo ago

https://gitclassic.com/navidrome https://gitclassic.com/navidrome: Error: repos.filter is not a function https://gitclassic.com/navidrome/navidrome https://gitclassic.com/navidrome/navidrome: API rate limit exceeded for 18.222.58.123. (But here's the good news: Authenticated requests get a higher rate limit. Check out the documentation for more details.)

heythisischris 8mo ago
Hah, should've anticipated hitting the public rate limits... if you sign in using GitHub, you can get your own allotment of 5,000/req/hour. The public API only allows 60 request per hour, but since we're using Lambda, it actually shifts to different IP addresses depending on the invocation.

smarx007 8mo ago

I would say the November 2015 look would be the one to go back to.* [1] This one seems to be from 2015 before the iconic redesign that makes it instantly recognizable as Github. *with a dark theme. [1]: https://github.blog/news-insights/a-new-look-for-repositories/ https://github.blog/news-insights/a-new-look-for-repositorie...

heythisischris 8mo ago
Oh yes, brings back memories from my agency days... SourceTree, JIRA, and the better Slack icon. I'll start targeting this layout.

heythisischris 8mo ago

If anyone wants to try out GitClassic Pro, I added a promo code for 50% off, it's "HACKERNEWS"- comes out to $20/year. Gives you access to private repos. Going to dedicate as much time / attention as possible to building a better GitHub frontend! I think a lot of people want this (myself included).

crtasm 8mo ago

I like it! yt-dlp's readme seems to confuse the parser: https://gitclassic.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp https://gitclassic.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp

liviux 8mo ago

It's 2026 Chris, get over it.

000ooo000 8mo ago

>Built this in about 3 hours Why did you include this? No developer is going to read that and think "I bet this is polished and well thought-out - take my money!". It's either a rushed job, a slop job, or a rushed slop job.