FormsA

FormsA is an open-source framework designed to simplify the creation, validation, and management of forms in web applications. It provides a schema-driven approach that allows developers to describe form structure, validation rules, and submission flows in a single declarative specification. The library includes a rendering layer, a validation engine, and transport adapters to handle data submission across environments.

FormsA originated in the early 2010s as a collaborative project among web developers seeking a consistent method for form handling. It evolved into a community-maintained project with contributions from individuals and organizations. It is distributed under the MIT License and is supported by the FormsA Foundation, which coordinates governance and ecosystem development.

Key features include schema-driven forms via a formal schema language or JSON-based schemas, pluggable renderers for multiple front-end frameworks, and support for both client-side and server-side validation. Developers can implement custom validators, conditional field logic, dynamic or multi-step forms, and rich input handling such as masking and file uploads. Accessibility considerations, localization, and offline form support are also integral parts of the framework. The architecture is modular, with a core runtime for state and validation, a schema parser, renderer adapters, validators, and data adapters. This design allows FormsA to run in the browser, on the server with Node.js, or in hybrid environments, and to integrate with React, Vue, Angular, or vanilla JavaScript renderers through adapters.

Usage typically involves installing the package, defining a form schema, mounting a renderer, and wiring submission to a backend API. FormsA has cultivated a growing ecosystem of plugins, templates, and example schemas, making it a common choice for complex form-heavy applications while presenting a learning curve for small projects.