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!
In plain words
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 aims to reduce repetitive coding by consolidating data modeling and permission logic in one place, eliminating the need to rewrite these rules across multiple layers of an application.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
Does the same job
all alternatives →
- ZVZenStack V2 – RLS alternative with declarative Auth rules in Prisma2024 · zenstack.dev · ▲14
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…
- ZAZenStack – access control at the ORM layer, built for coding agentsJul 2026 · zenstack.framer.website · ▲8
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…
- ZOZenStack-Open source toolkit simplifies your Prisma stack2023 · zenstack.dev · ▲12
We have been polishing ZenStack for the past few months with the community. As it has been successfully used in production by some of our users, we think it’s time to share our beta with you. ZenStack is built on top of Primsa ORM, extending it with a powerful access control layer that simplifies the development of a web app's backend. By defining authorization policies and validation rules right inside the data schema, your database client can automatically enforce these constraints at runtime. Why we built this: Based on our experience developing several commercial SaaS products, we have…
- DAdstack – an open-source tool to build data applications easily2020 · ▲134
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…
More dev tools this month
the category →
The first open-source price index for GPU compute
Dev tools · 10d ago · getcomputable.com
OpenTrailPaper is open-source bike computer firmware for the LilyGO T5S3 4.7" E-Paper PRO. It supports offline maps, GPX routes, FIT recording and Bluetooth sensors.
Dev tools · 2d ago · opentrailpaper.com
Open-source GTM skills for technical founders
Dev tools · 30d ago · gtmcofounder.com
Launched alongside, October 2023
the whole month →
Nudge 2.0▲1,051In-app experiences to activate, retain, & understand users
Growth · 2023 · nudgenow.com
Unlock AI magic for elevated customer engagement, fast
AI · 2023 · tiledesk.com
- OD
Effortlessly discover API behaviour with a Chrome extension that automatically generates OpenAPI specifications in real time for any app or website.
Dev tools · 2023 · github.com