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Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to ZenStack – DSL to define data and access rules closer to the database

We're excited to announce the launch of ZenStack V1 after a year of refinement. With ZenStack, we introduce ZModel, a domain-specific language (DSL) that simplifies the definition of data and access rules, bringing it closer to the database level. This eliminates the need for extensive, repetitive coding on the application side. We would love to hear your feedback and opinions on it. Thank you!

ZenStack is a development tool that introduces ZModel, a domain-specific language for defining data schemas and access control rules at the database level. It targets developers building data-driven applications and… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. ZenStack – DSL to define data and access rules closer to the database launched in 2023; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

  1. 1
    ZenStack▲119

    Build scalable web apps with minimal code

    2023 · github.com · its alternatives →

  2. 2

    Half a year ago, we posed a Show HN about ZenStack V1 as "DSL to define data and access rules closer to the database" Throughout the month, we've attracted quite a few early adopters. Some of them, such as MermaidChart, have successfully launched into production. After talking with them, we realized that many individuals found ZenStack while seeking a cleaner and easier alternative to RLS. As a result, we pivot ourselves to be a “TypeScript toolkit on top of Prisma ORM with a fine-grained Authorization layer, auto-generated type-safe APIs, and frontend hooks”. In V2, besides the more…

    2024 · zenstack.dev · its alternatives →

  3. 3

    Hi HN, I'm Jiasheng, co-creator of ZenStack. Access control usually ends up scattered across app code instead of living with the data model — and that's riskier when the code is written by an agent, since it's easy to ship a query with a missing or incomplete authorization check. ZenStack enforces policy (RBAC/ABAC/relation-based) directly at the ORM layer, on top of Kysely, so every query gets checked the same way regardless of who wrote it and who is calling it. Postgres RLS is an option too, but it's hard to maintain and scale, and it's Postgres-only — ZenStack's approach is…

    Jul 2026 · zenstack.framer.website · its alternatives →

  4. 4
    Zro▲417

    Private inference for coding agents

    Jul 2026 · zro.moonmath.ai · its alternatives →

  5. 5

    Zero-ops vector database for GenAI developers

    2024 · zilliz.com · its alternatives →

  6. 6CD
  7. 7

    A Go SQL query builder and struct mapper. Contribute to samonzeweb/godb development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2016 · github.com · its alternatives →

  8. 8WD

    Hey HN! Wasp (https://wasp-lang.dev/) is a simple config language (DSL) and framework for building full-stack web apps. You describe the high-level features you want (auth, CRUD, async jobs, …) using the Wasp DSL, and write the rest of your logic in React, Node.js, and Prisma. We’re focused on simplifying developer experience and ensuring best practices. Everything is open source. Why another full-stack framework? And why a config language/DSL? We were still experiencing a lot of boilerplate (repetitive tasks) using other frameworks—things like duplicating data models…

    2022 · its alternatives →

  9. 9ZD

    Hi everyone, I've made an open-source library for using design by contract (DbC) principles in the Zig programming language. It's called Zig-DbC, and it currently provides the following features: - A simple API to define preconditions, postconditions, and invariants. - Contracts are active in `Debug`, `ReleaseSafe`, and `ReleaseSmall` modes to catch bugs early. - All checks are removed at compile time in `ReleaseFast` mode for zero performance cost. - An optional mode to handle partial state changes in functions that return errors. - Transparent error handling that propagates errors from…

    2025 · its alternatives →

  10. 10DA

    Dear HN, I am Riwaj, the cofounder of dstack.ai (https://github.com/dstackai). A few months ago, we built an online service that allows users to publish data visualizations from Python or R. The idea was to build a tool that did not require additional programming or front-end development for publishing data visualizations. Such a code can be invoked from either Jupyter notebook, RMarkdown, Python, or R scripts. Once the data is pushed, it can be accessed via a browser. Open-sourcing dstack: During our customer discovery phase, we realized that dstack.ai should integrate a lot…

    2020 · its alternatives →

  11. 11

    We launched ZenStack V2(https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40205699) one year ago. It is built on Prisma, adding advanced features like access control, polymorphism, API/Hook generation, etc. But as we added more features, we felt more constrained by our foundation, Prisma(Check out the specific constraints here https://zenstack.dev/blog/next-chapter-1). Therefore, we made a bold decision for ZenStack V3 to reimplement the ORM part from scratch, keeping full compatibility with the Prisma schema and API. As a result, you could get the best of both…

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

  12. 12

    I had already posted the project a couple of years ago, and it gained some interest, but a lot of stuff has been done since then, especially regarding performance, a completely new JSON store, a REST API, various internals refactored, an improved JSONiq based query engine allowing updates, implementing set-oriented join optimizations, a now already dated web UI, a new Kotlin based CLI, a Python and TypeScript client to ease the use of Sirix... First prototypes from a precursor stem already from 2005. So, what is it all about? The system uses ideas from ZFS (a keyed index trie, storing…

    2023 · github.com · its alternatives →

  13. 13

    A pure ORM for writing native SQL queries yielding pure business objects - craigmichaelmartin/pure-orm

    2021 · github.com · its alternatives →

  14. 14

    Full-stack CRUD, simplified, with SSOT TypeScript entities - remult/remult

    2022 · github.com · its alternatives →

  15. 15

    A lightweight database with Python syntax queries, using ZeroMQ - asrp/pyzdb

    2017 · github.com · its alternatives →

  16. 16CS
  17. 17

    Full-lifecycle grant management software from launch to closeout. Streamline applications, reviews, budgeting & reporting. Launch programs as fast as 2 weeks.

    2014 · zenginehq.com · its alternatives →

  18. 18

    ZenML 🙏: One AI Platform from Pipelines to Agents. https://zenml.io. - zenml-io/zenml

    2020 · github.com · its alternatives →

  19. 19

    Hi HN, I’m Samrith, creator of Hyperterse. Today I’m launching Hyperterse 2.0, a schema-first framework for building MCP servers directly on top of your existing production databases. If you're building AI agents in production, you’ve probably run into agents needing access to structured, reliable data but wiring your business logic to MCP tools is tedious. Most teams end up writing fragile glue code. Or worse, giving agents unsafe, overbroad access. There isn’t a clean, principled way to expose just the right data surface to agents. Hyperterse lets you define a schema over your data and…

    Feb 2026 · hyperterse.com · its alternatives →

  20. 20

    Google Zanzibar datalog lang lets you describe concepts and express how they are related. I generalize it to DSL you can use on Lean4 (and other languages) this lets you represent a knowledge base you can construct, store and evaluate, have it under git and improve without big engines or relaying on external infrastructure. Google's Zanzibar paper: https://storage.googleapis.com/gweb-research2023-media/pubto...

    Jul 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

  21. 21

    ZenModel is a framework for building LLM applications with agentic workflow - zenmodel/zenmodel

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

  22. 22

    A flexible GraphQL client and server library that can be used to power realtime applications. - tjmehta/primus-graphql

    2018 · github.com · its alternatives →

  23. 23

    We’ve been building visual rule engines (clear spreadsheet interfaces -> API endpoints that map incoming data to a large number of potential outcomes), and had the fun idea lately to see what happens when we use our decision table UI with Claude’s PreToolUse hook. The result is a surprisingly useful policy/gating layer– these tables let your team: - Write conditional, exception-friendly policies beyond globs/prefixes (e.g. allow rm -rf only in */node_modules/*, deny / or $HOME, ask if --force or network call; gate kubectl delete / SQL DROP with a clear reason) -…

    Jan 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

  24. 24

    A minimalist key-value database engine for modern applications - 539hex/zu

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →