Ask HN: What tools and frameworks do you use to fast prototype ideas?

[akickinthestone]

I have some ideas that I wanted to try which require a backend and front-end interface for users. But whenever I start to work on them I always get stuck on which tool/platform/framework to use. I always feel like it's a huge barrier for me. So HN, how do you deal with this? What are the frameworks you usually use for this and what are the caveats?

[austin-cheney]

I start with a REPL.

Otherwise I have been writing JavaScript long and have enough supporting Node libraries to do just about anything that I can prototype pretty fast. I don’t normally use frameworks and I especially wouldn’t use a front end framework for prototyping because I would spend time unraveling framework nonsense than testing the actual idea.

[akickinthestone]

What do you mean REPL?

[austin-cheney]

In the case of JavaScript write code in the browser’s console or Node’s CLI console